Chapter Text
The afternoon sun shone down on the futuristic domes of the amusement park. Joey, Téa, and Tristan walked alongside Yugi, who gazed in awe at the giant holograms of the duel monsters.
–¡It's incredible!– Joey exclaimed, adjusting his Duel Disk. –¡I'm going to win this tournament, and Kaiba will have to admit that I'm the best!–
–First you'd have to learn not to lose to the welcome holograms, Joey.– Tristian joked, dodging a swipe from the blond boy.
Suddenly, a figure stepped into their path. She wore a black leather jacket with lace trim, platform boots with silver buckles, and a dark pleated skirt that contrasted sharply with her pale skin. What struck the group most wasn't her gothic style, but her hair: tricolored, spiky, and with that distinctive golden fringe exactly like Yugi's.
–Well, well... so this is the famous group of "heroes" who save the world every weekend.– the girl said, crossing her arms and letting out a short, somewhat cynical laugh. –You look shorter in person, dwarf.–
Yugi stopped dead in his tracks, his amethyst eyes widening.
–¿...Alexia? ¡¿Alexia?!– Yugi ran towards her with a radiant smile. –¡I can't believe it! ¡You said you'd be back next month!–
The girl, although she tried to maintain her serious and cold expression, her classic tsundere mask, couldn't help but blush slightly when her younger brother surrounded her with a hug.
–¡Hey! ¡Be careful with the clothes, it's Italian silk!–. Alexia protested, though he ended up affectionately ruffling Yugi's hair. –My courses finished earlier than expected. I went to the store, Grandpa told me you'd be here, and... well, Kaiba sent me a personal invitation. It's not that I wanted to see you, it's just that I couldn't refuse a tournament of this caliber.–
Téa approached, looking at the newcomer with curiosity and admiration for her style.
–¿Are you the older sister Yugi always talks about?– Tea asked with a warm smile. –I'm Téa, nice to meet you.–
Alexia looked her up and down, softening her expression. She approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, speaking in a much kinder tone than she had used with the boys.
–Tea... Tea, ¿right? Yugi wrote to me a lot about you in his emails. I know you've always been there to watch his back when things get rough with shadow games and cloaked lunatics. Thanks for not letting this fool get lost along the way.–
–¡Hey! ¡I'll help too!– Joey shouted indignantly. –¡I'm Joey Wheeler! ¡The legendary duelist!–
Alexia reverted to her curt demeanor, giving him an icy glare.
–Ah, yes. The kid using a copy of my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. I hope you treat him well, Wheeler, because if you mistreat him in a duel, I'll show you what a real Dark deck looks like.–
Alexia activated her mourning disk, which emitted an intense red glow.
–Listen carefully, Yugi. I came for the trophy, but more than anything, I came to see if you and the Pharaoh are really as good as they say. ¡Don't let me down!–
The stage is a digital replica of an imperial palace. Vivian Wong appears surrounded by cherry blossom petals, blowing a kiss to Yugi, who is in the stands with Téa and Joey.
–¡Yugi-boy! Watch me defeat your 'little sister' and then we'll go out to dinner.– Vivian Hong says with a wink.
Alexia, adjusting her black lace gloves and activating her duel disc with a metallic sound, responds with an icy stare.
–First: Don't call me "little sister." Second: If you think your cheap circus tricks will work on me, you're blinder than your own monsters. ¡Duel!–
Vivian (LP 4000) | Alexia (LP 4000)
Vivian starts off fast, summoning her Martial Arts Master and activating cards that limit the attacks of high level monsters.
–¡My technique is flawless!— Vivian Hong boasts. –¡Straight to your hit points!–
Alexia takes the first hit, dropping to 3200 LP. She doesn't even blink.
–¿Is that all?– Alexia smirks, an expression identical to Yami Yugi's when he has a plan. –In Italy, I learned that elegance is useless without the power to back it up. ¡I summon Legendary Black Stone!–
Alexia sacrifices her stone to Special Summon her signature card from her deck. The digital sky darkens and red lightning strikes the palace.
–¡Appear, the limitless potential of darkness! ¡Red-Eyed Black Dragon!– Alexia roars.
The jet black scaled dragon lands on the field, letting out a roar that makes the stands vibrate.
–¡Ja!– Vivían Hong sneers. –A dragon with 2400 attack points cannot overcome my petal defense.–
–That's because you don't know true Gothic style.– Alexia replies coldly. –I activate the magic card Red-Eyes Fusion. ¡I'm going to fuse my dragon with the Meteor Dragon in my hand!–
After her duel with Vivian, Alexia doesn't stay to celebrate. While Joey and Tristan try to congratulate her, she notices something strange on the stadium's giant screens a slight flicker in the KaibaCorp system code. Without a word, she slips away to the private elevator that leads to Kaiba's command room.
The automatic doors hiss open. The room is dimly lit, illuminated only by the dozens of monitors tracking every duel in the tournament. In the center, seated in his leather chair, Seto Kaiba doesn't even bother o turn around.
–Access to this area is restricted to civilians, Miss Mutou.– Kaiba said in his characteristic icy voice. –If you're looking for an autograph for your gothic collection, you're too late.–
Alexia walks with a firm step, her platform boots echoing on the metal floor until she is a few meters away from him.
–Spare me the sarcasm, Kaiba.– Alexia replied, crossing her arms. –I didn't come for an autograph. I came because your security system is a sieve. There's a trail of outside data interfering with the duels. If I could see it from the arena, you should have noticed it ten minutes ago unless the great Seto Kaiba has gone careless.–
Kaiba finally turns his chair, fixing his blue gaze on her. There's a mixture of irritation and a hint of involuntary respect.
–Insolent brat.– Kaiba growls. –My systems are impenetrable. What you saw was a minor fluctuation caused by the load of the level 5 holograms.–
Kaiba stands up, taking a black envelope from his coat. He throws it onto the central table; it's Alexia's registration form.
–I sent you that invitation purely out of scientific curiosity.– Kaiba said, circling her like a predator. –I wanted to see if the Mutou's 'talent' was genetic or if Yugi just got lucky with that Egyptian amulet. But your dueling style... it's chaotic. Red-Eyes is a card for those who rely on instinct, not logic. ¿Do you really think you belong in this elite tournament?–
Alexia doesn't back down. She approaches Kaiba until they are face to face.
–You talk about logic, but you built an amusement park based on Duel Monsters.– Alexia retorted with a defiant smile. –My Red-Eyes deck isn't blind instinct, Kaiba. It's evolutionary potential. Exactly what your system is lacking right now to stop the hacker who's mocking you right under your nose.–
Kaiba is silent for a second. He types something into his console and, sure enough, a red code appears in a corner of the screen. His eyes narrow.
–Siegfried.– Kaiba muttered to himself. Then he looked at Alexia. –Fine. If you're as smart as you say, keep your mouth shut about this. I don't want Yugi getting distracted by technicalities. Win your duels, survive the next round, and maybe I'll let you watch me crush whoever's trying to sabotage my company.–
Alexia lets out a mocking laugh as she heads for the exit.
–I don't need your permission, Kaiba. I'm going to win this tournament, and when I do, you'll make sure Grandpa gets a lifetime pass to your best restaurant. And by the way...– Alexia stops in the doorway and glances at him sideways, reverting to her tsundere tone. –Your tie is crooked. Fix it, it's embarrassing.–
The doors close, leaving Kaiba visibly annoyed, but intrigued.
As Alexia descends to the lobby, she passes a man with pink hair and a rose on his chest, Siegfried von Schroeder. He bows gracefully to her, but Alexia feels a chill. Her instinct tells her that this man is the virus in Kaiba's system.