Chapter 84 – Blue-Eyes White Dragon

After his meeting with Emma Frost, time continued to pass relatively peacefully.

The rest of Alexander's summer vacation went by without any particularly dramatic incidents, which was something he had learned to appreciate.

He still tried to maintain his usual routine as much as possible.

During the mornings, whenever their schedules allowed it, he spent time with his friends. Sometimes they simply hung around together, sometimes they went somewhere to have fun, and other times Chuck and Alexander endured the torturous experience of girls shopping as they accompanied Ginny and Julia.

Most of the afternoons were usually dedicated to something considerably more important.

Farming, more specifically, farming Duel Points and Duel Energy.

At times the process became a bit repetitive, but luckily Alexander enjoyed duelling other people and guiding them in becoming better at the game; on top of that, watching other people having fun and bonding while playing Duel Monsters, the game he created, was an experience that never got old.

By evening, he would return home, train his body for a while and then spend some time in his study working on prototype cards.

The weekends were different.

Whenever possible, Alexander spent most of the day with his friends, taking advantage of the remaining days of freedom before school started again, and occasionally Victor Von Doom even joined them.

Although "rarely" was probably the more appropriate word, as Victor did live in another state. Moreover, Victor was still Victor; the fact that come over from time to time was already proof of their importance to him.

Alexander's visits to Industrial Illusions were relatively rare during the summer.

He still went whenever something important required his attention, and from time to time he joined Phineas Mason and the rest of the R&D team when they needed his input and knowledge on Solid Vision to keep working on their project, but for the most part, he allowed himself to enjoy the vacation.

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end as August had arrived and with it came the uncomfortable reminder that summer vacation wouldn't last forever because by the end of the month, school would begin again.

Alexander and Ginny would be starting their sophomore year while Chuck and Julia would be moving on to their junior year.

Alexander wasn't sure whether to be amused or annoyed by that thought; either way, he still had a few weeks left, and tonight, he had something else occupying his attention.

~~~▽~~~

Alexander sat in his study at the Jones Mansion.

The room was quiet, with only the soft sounds of the evening occasionally reaching him from elsewhere in the house.

Right in front of him was the projection of the YGO System interface, more specifically, the Card Database.

Alexander stared at it for several moments while thinking, 'At this point, the database is almost completely filled. I have created nearly every card from both Series 1 and Series 2... Almost. There are still a few notable exceptions.'

The Level 11 and Level 12 monsters remained beyond his current capabilities, as his Ba simply wasn't strong enough to withstand the pressure those Duel Spirits exerted, and he didn't have enough DP to purchase the next upgrade that would allow him to handle them, not yet.

So those cards would have to wait, but they weren't the only cards he hadn't created.

Alexander's gaze moved toward another part of the database where the cards from Series 1 were located and muttered, "The Forbidden One... Exodia."

The five cards that made up the legendary instant win condition monster remained completely untouched.

Alexander had tried before, or, at least, he had tried to consider creating them, but the result had always been the same.

The moment he seriously contemplated drawing any one of those cards, an overwhelming sense of dread would seize him.

He wasn't unfamiliar with the sensation, as it was the same he felt whenever he tried to create a card beyond his current capabilities, but he never felt it with such primitive intensity.

His entire body would simply freeze, his hands would tremble, his mind would scream at him to stop, and no matter how much he tried to force himself forward, he simply couldn't; eventually, only when Alexander would abandon the thought of the attempt was he able to actually move.

The first time it happened, he still didn't fully understand why because the numbers simply didn't make sense.

Exodia the Forbidden One was only a Level 3 monster, and the other four pieces were Level 1.

Compared to some of the monsters he had already created, that shouldn't have been particularly impressive, yet the reaction they caused in him was on a completely different level.

The pressure wasn't merely stronger, but it felt fundamentally different, as though something about those cards was wrong, or perhaps too right.

Alexander had eventually reached the only conclusion that seemed remotely reasonable.

He simply wasn't strong enough, but that still didn't explain everything, as Exodia wasn't merely another Duel Spirit, and it wasn't the impression Alexander had gotten from the overwhelming instinctive reaction his Ba produced that made him reach that conclusion.

No, it was his vague knowledge of the original lore behind that set of cards.

Exodia was, at first, a beast of such incalculable and intimidating might that he was split up into five distinctive parts, each one of them chained and sealed away by magic from all the other monsters that would have prevented his power from ever being used again, hence "the Forbidden One" moniker.

On top of that, the set of cards' effect in the game is equally simple and absolute: gather all five pieces in the hand, and you win the game; that's it.

Taking all that into consideration, the only conclusion that Alexander could reach was that there was something almost divine about the Forbidden One, something that placed it in an entirely different category from the other Duel Spirits he had encountered and if that was the case, there was no point in forcing the issue, not until he was strong enough.

After his gaze lingered on those five special cards one moment longer, his gaze moved further up the database, as there was one other card that had remained untouched in Series 1.

A card he had deliberately avoided creating for a much less rational reason, Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Alexander stared at the card's entry, then he sighed and muttered, "Okay. This is getting ridiculous."

The reason he hadn't created Blue-Eyes was, in hindsight, rather stupid.

Kaiba, more specifically, his irrational fear that somehow Seto Kaiba would discover the existence of the cards and then cross dimensions just to collect them.

And even if he somehow could, why would he know about this universe? Why would he know that Alexander existed? Why would he know about the cards? Why would he even care?

It was completely illogical, yet part of him still believed it was a possibility because it was Kaiba, the guy who found a way to reach the afterlife just to have another duel with his rival.

Alexander rubbed his forehead while thinking, 'Shit... I'm letting my knowledge of Seto Kaiba get the better of me. This is absurd... Besides... Blue-Eyes White Dragon is Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It is one of the most iconic cards in the entire game. Leaving it out of the prototype collection forever simply because I am worried about an extremely unlikely scenario involving a petty, spiteful billionaire is ridiculous.'

At this point, an evil grin formed on his face as he thought, 'In the worst-case scenario, I'll just duel him and let him fully experience the joy of modern Yu-Gi-Oh! I may personally dislike those combo-heavy, solo play decks, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of building or using them...'

After thinking that, Alexander stared at the Card Database for another few seconds before he muttered, "Fine."

He made up his mind, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon really is too iconic to not include it in the game."

He stood and began preparing the materials he would need to create the card.

The process itself had become almost instinctive by now, yet there was still one part of it that Alexander never skipped.

Before beginning the actual drawing, he spent 1 DE and summoned Kuriboh, "Come on out, Kuriboh."

A soft glow surrounded the card before it burst into motes of light and the little furball materialised in midair.

"Kurii!"

The tiny Duel Spirit immediately floated toward him with an excited chirp, circling his head once before settling comfortably atop his shoulder as it had done so many times before.

Alexander chuckled, "Good to see you too, buddy."

Kuriboh rubbed its fluffy body against his cheek before hopping into his waiting hands, earning gentle strokes across its impossibly soft fur. The little Spirit gave a contented hum, its large eyes slowly closing as it leaned into the familiar affection.

For several quiet minutes neither of them did anything else.

It might have looked childish to an outsider, but Alexander didn't care.

He had learned the hard way that creating prototype cards wasn't something he could treat casually.

The mental pressure involved could be considerable, especially when dealing with powerful Duel Spirits, and Kuriboh helped him steady himself.

Alexander simply closed his own eyes, allowing the comforting presence beside him to steady his breathing and clear away every stray thought and eventually, the five-minute limit imposed by YGO System came to an end.

Kuriboh opened its eyes, gave one last happy "Kurii!" and dissolved into countless motes of light that gathered into Alexander's hand, reforming the card as it returned to the Spirit World.

Alexander finally felt calm enough, so he turned toward his desk and said, "Alright. Time to work."

He began with the card layout.

At this point, the process was so familiar that he could practically complete it with his eyes closed.

The borders. The frame. The text boxes. The spaces for the artwork and attributes.

His hands moved almost automatically.

He measured the margins, checked the alignment, and carefully divided the card into its various sections. There was no need for conscious thought anymore. His hands simply knew where each element belonged.

Once the basic layout was finished, Alexander opened the Card Database and selected the card he wanted, Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

The YGO System immediately generated a holographic projection of the card.

Alexander looked at the image for a moment.

Even after everything he had seen since acquiring the System, the sight still felt strangely nostalgic.

He had seen this card countless times in his memories, and now he was about to create it with his own hands.

Alexander picked up his drawing tools and began.

He started with the larger shapes rather than immediately worrying about details.

A rough indication of the head. The long curve of the neck. The position of the torso. Then the wings.

He lightly marked each section first, using faint strokes that could easily be erased later. It was important to get the proportions right before committing to anything. A misplaced line near the beginning could become a glaring problem once the rest of the artwork was built around it.

The moment he started working on the artwork, the pressure arrived.

Alexander's expression tightened.

It was stronger than what he had experienced from any of the Duel Spirits he had created before, even those who technically had a higher Level. Luckily, it wasn't overwhelmingly so.

Still, his body immediately felt noticeably heavier, while his thoughts became just a little slower, yet his Ba reacted almost immediately as a familiar warmth spread through his mind and body, pushing back against the spiritual weight pressing down on him.

Alexander gritted his teeth slightly and muttered, "So you're pretty strong, huh? As expected from such a legendary card."

The holographic image of Blue-Eyes White Dragon continued hovering in front of him, providing a reference as he worked.

Alexander studied it again.

Rather than simply copying the outline, he broke the image down into smaller pieces.

The shape of the skull. The position of the jaw. The curve of the horns. The way the neck narrowed as it reached the head. The enormous wings extending from its back.

He began putting those pieces together one at a time.

His first attempt at the head was slightly off, so Alexander stopped.

He stared at it for several seconds before reaching for the eraser.

The offending lines disappeared beneath several careful strokes before he tried again and it came out better.

Then he continued.

Slowly. Carefully. One line at a time.

He refused to rush.

The pencil moved across the surface in short, controlled strokes. Some lines were barely visible, serving only as guides. Others were darker and more deliberate, forming the actual contours of the dragon.

As the basic structure became more defined, Alexander began adding the finer details.

The ridges along the neck. The contours of the muscles. The overlapping sections of the wings. The individual shapes that made up the dragon's face.

Every so often, he would stop and compare his work against the holographic projection.

If something looked wrong, he corrected it immediately.

A wing was slightly too narrow. Erase and redraw.

The neck curved a little too sharply. Erase and redraw.

The head was positioned a fraction too low. Erase and redraw.

It was tedious work, but Alexander had long since learned that patience was more important than speed when creating cards, and he even started to enjoy the process.

The pressure continued to build around him.

It was heavy. Very heavy. But it never reached the point where he couldn't endure it.

Unlike Exodia, there was no instinctive terror. Unlike the Level 11 and Level 12 monsters, there was no overwhelming feeling that he was attempting something beyond his current limits.

It was simply a tremendous weight pressing against his concentration.

Alexander continued working.

Minutes passed. Then more.

His wrist began to ache slightly, but he ignored it.

Eventually, the rough construction lines disappeared beneath the finished ones, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon began to emerge from the surface of the card.

The long neck. The massive wings. The powerful body. The unmistakable head.

Piece by piece, the familiar monster took shape.

Alexander leaned back slightly.

He studied the drawing; it wasn't perfect, as there were still tiny differences between his work and the holographic reference, but they were small enough that he was satisfied.

Then he picked up his colouring tools.

That part was naturally just as important as the drawing itself, as a good illustration could be ruined by careless colouring.

Alexander started with the larger areas first.

The pale blue of the dragon's body. The darker shades around the wings and beneath the neck. The deeper tones used to separate different sections of its anatomy.

He worked carefully, filling each section without allowing the colours to spill across the lines.

Rather than trying to create the finished appearance immediately, he built the colours in layers.

First the base colour, then the shadows, then the highlights. Finally, the smaller details that helped give the dragon's body its distinctive appearance.

The holographic reference remained beside him the entire time.

Alexander repeatedly compared the two.

Too dark. He adjusted it.

Too pale. He added another layer.

A shadow was in the wrong place. He corrected it.

The process was considerably slower than simply drawing the outline, but Alexander didn't mind.

His concentration had narrowed to the card in front of him.

Everything else seemed distant, but the pressure remained; yet his Ba continued helping him endure it and slowly, the white-and-blue dragon that had existed only as an image in his memories began to exist on the card beneath his hands.

Finally, after what felt like far longer than it actually had, Alexander added the last detail and stopped.

The tools remained in his hand for several seconds.

Then he carefully placed them down.

Silence filled the room.

Alexander stared at the finished card and Blue-Eyes White Dragon stared back.

For a moment, he simply looked at it.

There was something strangely satisfying about seeing the finished product.

It wasn't merely a card he had copied from memory.

He had built it. Measured it. Drawn it. Corrected it. Coloured it. And endured the spiritual pressure that came with it.

Alexander slowly picked up the card.

The artwork caught the light as he tilted it slightly between his fingers.

For several seconds, he simply admired it, 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I've finally done it.'

A small smile appeared on his face as he muttered, "Not bad."

He picked up the prototype card and examined it one final time.

Everything appeared to be in order, and now there was only one thing left to do.

Alexander took a breath and called out, "System. Begin compatibility verification."

Almost immediately, the familiar blue window appeared before him.

[Ding!]

________________________________

[Analysing prototype card... Complete.]

[Evaluating prototype card... Complete.]

[Congratulations.]

[The prototype card "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" is compatible.]

[Connecting to the Spirit World...]

________________________________

Alexander quietly watched the final line, then waited while thinking, 'Based on previous experience, the negotiation with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Duel Spirit should begin shortly and from what I know... It will surely test me. I have to be ready'