The days following the trip to the cinema passed pleasantly.
For perhaps the first time since receiving the memories of his other self and the YGO System, Alexander found himself genuinely relaxing, but not completely, as that would have been impossible.
Industrial Illusions continued to grow, Duel Monsters continued to spread, and the YGO System continued to demand attention, but even so, things felt lighter.
Part of that was due to Julia.
Much to Chuck's delight and embarrassment, she quickly became a permanent member of their small group.
After only a handful of meetings, she fit in surprisingly well, a fact Ginny seemed particularly pleased about as she declared, "Balance has finally been restored."
Those had been her exact words.
Chuck immediately protested, "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Ginny said patiently as though explaining something obvious to a particularly slow child, "that for months I've been outnumbered."
She pointed accusingly at Alexander and Chuck and continued, "For months I've been forced to endure two uncivilised male specimens by myself."
"We're not that bad."
"You once spent twenty minutes arguing with Alexander about whether a dragon could beat a tank."
"That's a legitimate discussion."
"It absolutely wasn't."
"It absolutely was," Chuck insisted. "The dragon could fly."
Alexander continued eating calmly, not denying the accusation.
"See?" Ginny said while pointing at him. "Alexander isn't even trying to defend himself."
"Traitor," Chuck accused.
Alexander calmly took another bite, "I've learned that arguing only encourages her."
Julia laughed while Ginny looked offended and Chuck looked vindicated, and somehow that became the group's new normal.
Ginny turned toward Julia and asked, using an almost desperate tone, "You see what I've been dealing with?"
Julia laughed into her drink and replied, "I'm starting to understand."
"Thank you."
Chuck pointed accusingly at his girlfriend and said, "You've been with us for like three days."
"Long enough."
"Traitor."
Julia only smiled while Alexander quietly continued eating while observing the exchange.
The surprising part wasn't that Julia fit in with the group, but it was how naturally it happened.
Normally, new friendships required effort. People remained cautious, conversations stayed awkward, and everyone slowly learned where the boundaries were, but that hadn't happened.
Somehow Julia had slipped into their routine with alarming speed.
Ginny seemed delighted to finally have another girl around, and even Alexander found himself relaxing more than usual during their meetings.
The realisation was somewhat strange.
For most of his life, he had focused almost exclusively on goals and how to achieve them.
Friendships had always existed somewhere in the background.
Important but secondary, yet moments like this reminded him that there was value in simply spending time with people whose company he enjoyed.
No hidden agendas, no negotiations, no expectations, just lunch with friends.
A surprisingly rare luxury, but it was pleasant, comfortable, and familiar.
Exactly the kind of thing Alexander hadn't realised he had been missing until he found it.
Naturally, even while enjoying himself, he didn't neglect his responsibilities.
Industrial Illusions had grown far too large for that.
One of the biggest projects currently occupying his attention was the competitive circuit he planned to launch with the beginning of the new year.
The Duel Monsters Grand Prix had proven beyond doubt that players wanted competition.
Now it was time to give them more, and the solution for that was straightforward, state tournaments.
Large-scale official events held throughout the country.
California Duel Monsters Open.
Texas Duel Monsters Open.
New York Duel Monsters Open.
Florida Duel Monsters Open.
And so on.
The structure was simple.
Entry fees would remain identical to those used during the Grand Prix; however, there would be no direct cash prizes. Instead, competitors would battle for prestige.
Trophies, limited edition booster packs, exclusive rare cards and most importantly, qualification.
The Top Eight players from each tournament would earn invitations to the next Duel Monsters Grand Prix.
A Grand Prix that would feature a substantially larger prize pool than the first.
It was a system Alexander was quite proud of, as the Open Circuit would encourage local competition and the Grand Prix would crown a national champion.
Everyone benefited from that, players, stores, collectors, Industrial Illusions, and even the cities hosting the tournaments once they started to attract more and more people.
The plan was already being finalised, and the new year would mark the beginning of a new era for Duel Monsters.
Of course, designing the structure had been the easy part, but implementation was considerably more complicated.
A few days before Christmas, Alexander found himself seated in one of Industrial Illusions' conference rooms alongside Roland and several department heads while reviewing preparations.
"The California venue is confirmed," one employee reported.
"What about New York?" Alexander asked.
"Still negotiating."
Roland flipped through several pages while another employee reported, "The organisers want additional security."
Alexander nodded, as that wasn't particularly surprising.
The Grand Prix had already demonstrated how competitive Duel Monsters could become.
Whenever rare cards, prestige and qualification spots were involved, emotions inevitably followed.
"Approve it," Alexander said.
The employee blinked and asked, "Without negotiating?"
"The additional cost is insignificant compared to the potential damage caused by a poorly managed event."
Roland's lips twitched slightly while several employees quickly made notes.
Another manager spoke up, "We've also received requests from hobby stores asking whether local qualifiers will be introduced."
Alexander considered it briefly, 'Eventually, yes. That is the natural progression. Local tournaments. Regional tournaments. State championships. National championships. This is how a proper competitive ecosystem is built. However, attempting to build everything simultaneously would only create unnecessary problems.'
"Not yet," Alexander replied. "Let's establish the Open Circuit first. Expansion can come later."
The manager nodded.
As the discussion continued, Alexander found himself increasingly satisfied with the direction things were moving.
Only a few months ago Duel Monsters had been little more than an ambitious idea.
Now entire departments existed solely to support organised competition.
Stores were requesting official events, players were travelling between cities, collectors were monitoring tournament results, professional competitors were already beginning to emerge.
The game had grown beyond him, not fully yet, but enough that he could finally see the outline of something much larger than a successful product. A genuine industry.
Then, as Christmas passed, it was followed by New Year's Eve and as expected, Alexander accompanied Hugh to Roxxon's annual charity gala.
The experience was largely identical to previous years, with polite conversations, business discussions, corporate networking, endless small talk, and a high level of hypocrisy.
The only difference was the amount of attention Alexander received as people recognised him now, not everyone, but enough to start becoming annoying.
Executives who previously viewed him as merely Hugh Jones' son now saw him differently.
Some approached him to discuss Duel Monsters; others wanted introductions, partnerships, investments, distribution agreements.
One particularly enthusiastic executive spent nearly twenty minutes explaining how successful toy companies could leverage media licensing opportunities.
Alexander listened politely, and whenever possible escaped politely, only to immediately become trapped in another conversation and as a result, by the time midnight finally arrived, he felt exhausted.
Fireworks illuminated the night sky, and champagne flowed freely as people celebrated while Alexander mostly smiled and endured.
Eventually he and Hugh returned home.
The following day proved considerably more unusual because Hugh stayed home, something that almost never happens.
The event was rare enough that Alexander briefly wondered whether he was ill, but he wasn't; he had simply decided to take the day off, a genuinely rare day off.
The two spent most of it quietly enjoying each other's company.
Reading financial reports, watching football, discussing business trends, reviewing forecasts for the coming year.
Alexander also called his friends and exchanged New Year's wishes with their families.
The atmosphere remained relaxed, unhurried and comfortable to the point that even lunch felt different, perhaps because there was no schedule, no meetings, no deadlines, and no obligations, just the two of them.
The afternoon passed much the same way.
At one point, Hugh abandoned the financial reports entirely and settled into an armchair while a news channel played in the background.
Alexander occupied the sofa opposite him with several market projections spread across the coffee table.
For nearly half an hour, neither of them said much.
The news channel anchorman filled the silence.
Eventually Hugh glanced toward the papers and said, "You know most teenagers spend New Year's Day doing absolutely nothing."
Alexander didn't look up and replied, "I am doing something."
"That's exactly my point."
Alexander finally smiled.
Hugh shook his head, "I still don't know whether I should be impressed or concerned."
"Probably both."
"Fair answer."
For a moment the room fell quiet again.
Then Hugh unexpectedly asked, "Do you ever regret it?"
Alexander looked up, "Regret what?"
"Working this much."
The question caught him slightly off guard.
Hugh wasn't usually the type to discuss emotions directly.
Alexander considered his answer carefully.
Sometimes it was exhausting, sometimes the responsibilities felt endless, sometimes he missed the simplicity of being a normal child, yet when he imagined abandoning everything he had built, the idea felt impossible.
"No, I genuinely love what I'm creating. I want to see Duel Monsters and Industrial Illiusion grow even more," he answered honestly.
Hugh studied him for several seconds before nodding and saying a simple, "Good."
That single word carried more weight than most speeches.
Alexander understood immediately.
Approval, trust, and pride were things Hugh rarely expressed openly.
The conversation ended there.
Neither of them felt the need to continue.
Some things were understood without being spoken.
At least until the afternoon when the front doorbell rang.
Alexander opened it only to find Roland standing outside holding a bottle of wine making him comment, "I thought today was your day off."
"It is."
"Then why are you here?"
Roland raised an eyebrow and replied, "Your father invited me."
After a short pause, he added, "As a friend."
Alexander blinked, then stepped aside while commenting, "Fair enough."
The remainder of the day passed pleasantly. Soon enough, however, reality returned.
~~~▽~~~
Winter break ended, school resumed, and the familiar rhythm of daily life reasserted itself.
Classes, training, friends, business, research, duelling.
Alexander continued visiting hobby stores and playgrounds whenever opportunities presented themselves, and as a result Duel Points and Duel Energy accumulated steadily.
Eventually he gathered enough points to purchase the next level of Spirit Capacity Enhancement.
The familiar surge of energy followed.
Painful and unpleasant as always, but absolutely necessary, even more so for the benefits it brought as Alexander felt himself becoming stronger, faster, and more durable as his body synced with his Ba, which compared to the initial levels now felt like an immense ocean.
When it ended, Alexander immediately began saving toward the next upgrade whose price once again doubled, standing at exactly 400 Duel Points.
An expensive target, but not an impossible one, as he was confident he could reach it in a week or two if he followed the usual schedule.
Meanwhile, new prototype cards continued to emerge from his workshop.
The advertisement and publicity for Duel Monsters Open Circuit progressed according to schedule.
Everything moved forward; everything seemed stable, predictable and safe, but then, near the end of January, the news broke.
Alexander first heard it while reviewing tournament schedules in his study.
A sharp knock sounded at the door before Roland entered moments later.
His expression was unusually serious, and seeing that, Alexander immediately looked up and asked, "What happened?"
Roland hesitated, then answered, "There has been an accident."
Alexander frowned while his heart started to beat frantically, and dreading the worst, he asked, "What kind of accident?"
Roland's gaze lingered on him for a moment, then he said, "We just received the news that Howard Stark and his wife Maria were found dead earlier today."
Silence.
For several seconds, Alexander simply stared as the words didn't quite register, and when they did, for a brief moment he felt a strong sense of relief as he feared that something had happened to his father or his friends, but then he felt his heart drop once again as a new thought overwhelmed his mind, 'Howard and Maria Stark. Dead...?'
"Damn..." The answer escaped before he could stop it.
Roland looked surprised, but Alexander ignored him as his mind immediately replayed old memories.
For several moments, Alexander said nothing.
His thoughts drifted backwards through years of scattered memories.
A corporate gala, a technology exhibition, a charity fundraiser, brief encounters separated by months or even years.
Howard Stark had always seemed to be present somewhere in the background, talking, laughing, arguing with engineers, and explaining inventions to anyone willing to listen.
The man possessed a kind of restless energy that made him difficult to ignore.
Alexander remembered one particular event where Howard had spent nearly fifteen minutes enthusiastically discussing miniature power systems with a group of increasingly exhausted executives.
Nobody had understood half of what he was saying, but Howard hadn't cared; he simply kept talking.
Maria Stark had eventually rescued everyone by dragging her husband away before he could launch into another explanation.
The memory surfaced unexpectedly clearly.
Howard complaining. Maria laughing. The two of them walking away together.
At the time it had seemed like a completely ordinary moment, but now it was gone forever.
Alexander slowly exhaled.
Death was hardly unfamiliar to him.
His memories from another life guaranteed that.
Even so, there was a profound difference between hearing about strangers and hearing about people he had actually met.
People who had been alive only yesterday, people who undoubtedly had plans for tomorrow, and Tony Stark had just lost both of his parents in a single day.
Alexander wasn't particularly close to Tony, as their interactions had been limited to only a few occasional conversations.
The kind of relationship that existed more because their fathers knew each other than because they did, yet he couldn't stop thinking about him because regardless of wealth, influence or intelligence, there were some losses that affected everyone equally.
No amount of money could prepare someone for receiving news like that, and no amount of success could make it hurt less.
"A car crash," Roland said quietly before adding, "The authorities believe weather conditions contributed."
Alexander felt his stomach tighten as he thought, 'A car crash... The explanation sounds familiar. Too familiar.'
Fragments of memories surfaced, the memories inherited from his other life.
The memories of a certain movie, of a villain showing a security video, a scene of Howard Stark and Maria Stark lying on the road in an upturned car, of a man with a metal arm brutally killing them.
Alexander couldn't remember every detail, but only one thing remained impressed.
Something about the official story of the car crash had always been wrong, very wrong, and the truth was that a very nasty organisation was behind their deaths, Hydra.
The thought emerged almost immediately, and then he suppressed it as there wasn't enough information, not nearly enough.
This wasn't the MCU he remembered; this wasn't even necessarily a similar timeline, of that he made sure many times; the presence of Doom, the Mutants, and the fact that Tony Stark doesn't look like Robert Downey Jr confirmed that.
Jumping to conclusions would be foolish, and yet a feeling of unease settled over him.
Until now, most of the events he remembered belonged to the uncertain future with distant and abstract things.
To stories he remembered watching, but this wasn't a story; this had happened. Today. In his world.
The timeline was moving forward, and if Howard Stark's death had truly occurred, then it was very possible that eventually other events would follow.
Somewhere in New York, Tony Stark had just inherited an empire, and Alexander suddenly found himself wondering how many other memories of his other self would soon become reality.
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