I’m in Marvel, but I play Yu-Gi-Oh!?

Shortly after the Duel's conclusion, the Duel Field started to slowly dissolve as the Spirit Energy that had formed the battlefield returned to the surrounding environment, leaving the enormous cavern in silence once more.

Alexander stood where he had been, breathing evenly as he looked toward Kaibaman, and the latter was staring back at him.

For several seconds, Kaibaman said nothing.

His expression was one of disbelief, but not because he thought the Duel had been unfair or because he believed Alexander had cheated. He had simply lost.

Kaibaman's fists tightened as he replayed the final sequence in his mind.

Alexander had survived the assault of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with Kuriboh. He had recognised that Kaibaman had committed too many resources to the field. He had then used Graceful Charity, revived Neos, and somehow obtained Wrath of Neos to wipe everything away.

It had been a narrow victory, but it had been a victory nonetheless.

"Tch." Kaibaman clicked his tongue before he admitted, "I suppose I underestimated you."

Alexander raised an eyebrow before he said, "That almost sounded like a compliment."

"Don't get carried away." Kaibaman crossed his arms. "You barely survived. Don't mistake this victory for proof that you're stronger than me."

"I still survived."

"And you won by the smallest possible margin."

"Still counts."

Kaibaman glared at him, and Alexander couldn't help but smile.

After a moment, Kaibaman sighed and said, "Fine."

His expression became more serious, "You have proven yourself."

Alexander's smile faded slightly.

Kaibaman continued, "You weren't carried by luck alone. You understood the weaknesses in my strategy and exploited them. Even when you were cornered, you kept looking for an opening."

He looked toward the spot where Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon had disappeared, "And when I thought the Duel was over, you found a way to turn it around."

Kaibaman's pride clearly made the words difficult to say, "Your victory is... acceptable."

Alexander almost laughed as he asked, "Acceptable?"

"Don't push your luck."

Kaibaman's gaze shifted toward the enormous Blue-Eyes White Dragon behind him.

The Duel Spirit had remained silent throughout the Duel, but now, however, it began to move.

The majestic creature stepped forward, and Alexander instinctively straightened as the sheer presence of the Duel Spirit was overwhelming.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon's gaze settled upon him, and Alexander felt the Spirit Energy around them shift. It wasn't hostile, but it was examining him, judging him.

Alexander remained still. He had already fought for this moment, and now there was nothing left to do except wait.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon slowly lowered its head, and Alexander felt something strange yet familiar, as it was the way Duel Spirits spoke without the need for words, using feelings and impressions.

It told him that it wasn't simply approval of his skill but something deeper.

The Duel Spirit had watched everything.

It had seen Alexander repeatedly trust his cards even when the situation looked hopeless. It had seen him refuse to give up. But more importantly, it had seen what happened with Neos.

Alexander hadn't treated Neos as a disposable resource; he had trusted him, and Neos had answered that trust.

The realisation struck Alexander, 'Perhaps that has been the real test... Not whether I could defeat Kaibaman but whether I understood what existed inside the cards. To me, Duel Spirits have never been merely a collection of pieces to move around a board. They are alive. They have personalities. They have emotions. They are my friends and partners. And I respect them as such.'

Alexander unconsciously projected those thoughts, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon's eyes seemed to soften.

Kaibaman felt it and noticed Blue-Eyes White Dragon's reaction too before he snorted and said, "So that's your decision."

Blue-Eyes White Dragon gave a low rumble, making Kaibaman fold his arms and say, "Fine."

He looked back toward Alexander and declared, "I still don't think you're anywhere near my level."

Alexander rolled his eyes, "Of course."

"But..." Kaibaman paused, "You've proven that you're not a third-rate duelist."

He turned his head away and added, "If Blue-Eyes White Dragon accepts you, I won't stand in the way."

Alexander smiled and said, "I appreciate that."

"Don't." Kaibaman immediately replied, "I haven't suddenly become your friend."

"I didn't say you did."

"Good."

Alexander's smile widened while Kaibaman looked increasingly irritated before he announced, "This conversation is over."

Before Alexander could respond, Blue-Eyes White Dragon's Spirit Energy began to surround him.

His body became translucent before he felt himself being pulled away from the Spirit World, and the last thing Alexander saw was the magnificent Duel Spirit standing beside Kaibaman; then everything went white.

~~~▽~~~

When Alexander opened his eyes, he suddenly realised that he was back in his study.

He blinked, and for a moment, he simply stared around himself.

Everything was exactly where he had left it.

His desk, his materials, his drawing tools and sitting directly in front of him was the completed Blue-Eyes White Dragon prototype card.

Alexander looked at it, then he looked toward the portal and saw that it was still there.

The opening was ridiculously small compared to the massive Dragon he had just faced.

For several seconds, nothing happened, then something began to emerge.

Alexander's eyes widened as a gigantic claw slowly pushed through the portal.

The enormous limb was clearly far too large for the opening, yet the Spirit Energy somehow allowed it to pass through.

The claw moved carefully, almost delicately.

Alexander stared as one of Blue-Eyes White Dragon's claws reached toward the prototype card.

One enormous claw lightly touched the card.

[Ding!]

_________________

[Binding Successful]

_________________

Alexander froze, then his fist clenched as he exclaimed, "Hell yes!"

He couldn't help himself as a huge grin spread across his face.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon. One of the most iconic monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh!/Duel Monsters, and now, with the Duel Spirit's blessing, he could officially include it in the game.

Alexander stared at the prototype for several seconds while thinking, 'There will be plenty of time to think about what this means... For now... I am exhausted. That duel with Kaibaman drained me.'

Reaching that conclusion, Alexander muttered, "Tomorrow."

Alexander yawned and repeated, "Tomorrow I'll think about it."

He quickly put in order his materials and tools before he left the study and went to his room. Once there, he put on his pyjamas, lay on the bed, closed his eyes and went to sleep.

~~~▽~~~

The final week of August arrived before Alexander knew it.

Alexander sat at the head of a large conference table inside Industrial Illusions' offices.

Around him sat the people responsible for turning his ideas into an increasingly massive company.

Roland sat nearby, as composed as ever.

Thomas Merriweather, Head of the Manufacturing Department, had a collection of documents in front of him.

Phineas Mason, Head of the R&D Department, was carrying several folders of his own.

Elizabeth Cooper, Roland's niece who takes care of all Industrial Illusion's legal matters, sat further down the table, already prepared to take notes.

Several department heads representing finance, marketing, public relations, and tournament operations were also present.

Alexander looked around the room, silently appreciating the people who worked very hard to make his ambition, vision and hope for the future possible before he leaned back and said, "A quick reminder: this meeting not only serves to allow everyone to have a clear picture of the current state of Industrial Illusion before I get busy with school but also to ensure that we are all moving toward the same direction. Let's begin."

Thomas was the first to speak, "Manufacturing is stable."

He opened one of his reports, "We've acquired additional factories over the past few months, and production capacity has increased considerably."

Alexander nodded while he continued, "We can now comfortably meet domestic demand. We're no longer operating at the edge of our production capacity."

Then the Head of the Finance Department, Julian Mercer, asked, "What about distribution?"

"Also stable."

Thomas pointed toward another document, "Our network now covers the entire United States essentially."

He paused before he added, "More importantly, we now have enough redundancy that a major problem at one facility won't cripple the entire operation."

Alexander nodded approvingly, "Good."

Thomas hesitated for a moment before he said, "Considering the current state... It's safe to assume that we could begin looking into foreign markets."

Alexander leaned forward and asked, "How soon?"

"Research could begin immediately. Actual expansion would take longer."

Thomas closed the report, "Different countries have different regulations. We'd need distributors, potentially localised versions of the game, translated cards and manuals, and new logistics networks."

"So we're not ready to launch internationally."

"Not yet, but when we are, we will be able to handle it."

Alexander nodded and said, "Then don't rush it."

Then he looked at the Head of the Marketing Department, Damon Whitaker, and added, "While the international market can still wait. It is never too soon to start preparing for it. Start doing your research. I want you to focus on Canada, Mexico, and Japan."

Hearing that, the Head of the Public Relations Department, Tessa Ramirez, asked, "Why those three in particular?"

Alexander looked at everyone to gauge who already understood and who didn't, before he calmly replied, "Well, Canada and Mexico are neighbouring countries; thus, entering their markets should be easier, especially Canada, where citizen most speak both English and French. Japan, on the other hand, is an allied country, and I personally feel that their culture would easily embrace Duel Monsters given the chance..."

Seeing everyone nod and agree, Alexander decided to move on and said, "What's next?"

The Head of Tournament Operations, Naomi Park, took over as she said, "The Duel Monsters Open Circuit is approaching its conclusion as only a few states are left."

Alexander listened carefully while she continued, "Because of that, the second Duel Monsters Grand Prix will need to be prepared soon."

That was something Alexander had already been expecting.

The first Grand Prix had established Duel Monsters as a legitimate competitive event, but the second needed to take the next step.

"We'll need invitations ready for the Top 8 of every state," Alexander said.

"Yes."

"The venue?"

"We're currently evaluating several options."

"Security?"

"We're working with the appropriate teams."

"Accommodation and transportation?"

"Being arranged."

"Prizes?"

"We're preparing proposals."

Alexander nodded before asking, "And card availability?"

"Being coordinated with manufacturing."

He leaned back and said, "Good."

The first Grand Prix had been about proving that a major competitive Duel Monsters tournament could exist, but the second edition needed to establish that such an event wasn't a one-time spectacle.

It needed to become an annual tradition like the greatest sports events, like the Super Bowl, the UEFA Champions League Final, the Tour de France, Wimbledon and so on. An institution.

Then Julian Mercer asked, "Do you have any promotional cards planned?"

At this point, Alexander replied directly, "I already have some ideas, but it will depend... mostly on my mood. Sorry about that, but I will keep you all informed."

Roland chuckled softly while a few of the people present sighed or tried to hide it by coughing.

After that, the meeting moved on as Alexander turned toward Phineas and asked, "What about the R&D project?"

Phineas smiled faintly, "It's progressing steadily."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, "That's a bit vague."

Phineas chuckled before he said, "The digital platform is progressing well."

He opened one of his folders and added, "The recent opening of the World Wide Web has given us several new possibilities to explore. It's still early, but it's already proving useful."

Alexander nodded, "Good."

Phineas looked at him and asked, "You don't want us to accelerate development?"

"Not at the expense of quality or safety." Alexander's expression became serious, "Take the time you need to ensure that every step you take is firmly planted. After all, you're creating the very foundation for the future of Duel Monsters."

Phineas nodded, "Understood."

Alexander then turned toward Roland and asked, What about the headquarters?"

Roland adjusted his tie and replied, "The architect is nearly finished translating your original drawings into functional blueprints."

Alexander smiled faintly while thinking, 'That alone is probably an impressive achievement, as the building I have envisioned and drawn isn't exactly conventional, at least not in this era.'

Shortly after thinking that, he asked, "And construction? Do we already have an estimate?"

Roland nodded and readily replied, "We estimate approximately a year and a half."

Hearing that, Alexander looked baffled as he asked, "That quickly?"

At the same time, he thought, 'How is that possible...? I remember reading somewhere that Apple Park took over 3 years to complete. I was already prepared for almost double that time...'

"Your family's influence has made the bureaucratic process considerably easier." Roland paused before he added, "The site itself also doesn't require extensive landscaping or significant terrain modification to fit your vision."

Hearing that, Alexander nodded and asked, "So what's the problem?"

Roland looked at him and replied, "The building itself."

Alexander blinked as Roland continued, "Your design is extraordinarily complicated."

A few people around the table smiled.

"The primary challenge is not obtaining approval. It is physically constructing the structure according to your specifications."

Alexander couldn't argue with that.

He had essentially designed a building inspired by a futuristic corporate campus, and then he had made it even more ambitious.

So, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fair enough."

Roland nodded and stated, "We'll continue to monitor the construction plans."

At this point, Alexander then looked toward Elizabeth and asked, "And the legal side?"

"Everything remains manageable." Elizabeth briefly glanced through her documents before she added, "The counterfeits continue to be an issue, but besides that, we haven't encountered anything that threatens the current projects."

Hearing that, Alexander leaned back and said, "Good."

There was only one major topic left, so he started, "Now, let's talk about Frost International's collaboration project."

The room became slightly more attentive.

Tessa Ramirez nodded and reported, "The Inter-School Duel Monsters Championship's preparations are progressing extremely well."

"How many schools?"

"More than we initially anticipated." She smiled, "Miss Frost is incredible... She has already secured participation from most of the nation's elite schools."

Alexander raised his eyebrows and asked, "That many?"

"And participation is expanding beyond them. A considerable number of public and private schools have also expressed interest."

Alexander smiled while thinking, 'That was exactly what I was hoping for. Industrial Illusions has created Duel Monsters, and Emma Frost is giving it something Industrial Illusions can't easily manufacture on its own. Legitimacy.'

"If prestigious schools officially participate," Alexander said slowly, "People will start looking at Duel Monsters differently."

Tessa Ramirez nodded and agreed, "Exactly."

"It stops being just a pastime and hobby." Alexander looked around the room and said, "It becomes an extracurricular activity which can influence a person's future."

He paused, "A competitive discipline. And eventually... A legitimate school sport."

That was the real significance of Emma's championship.

The game didn't need to be accepted by everyone immediately, but it simply needed to become part of enough people's lives that rejecting it would eventually become unreasonable.

Schools. Parents. Teachers. Students. Universities. Businesses. Tournaments. The pieces were beginning to fit together.

Alexander looked around the conference room.

Industrial Illusions was no longer merely selling cards, but it was building an ecosystem, and Duel Monsters was becoming more deeply embedded in society with every passing month.

Alexander smiled while thinking, 'I feel so tempted to farm some aura and say that all was going according to my plan... But that would've been a lie, yet... I can't wait to see where this will take us...'