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It had been a few days since the rooftop revelation, and life at Wayne Manor was almost back to normal. Well, as normal as things got in a house full of vigilantes—and now, apparently, a duelist who had saved the world with trading cards.
The Batfamily had mixed reactions to Anna’s nonchalance.
“She just… accepted it,” Nightwing said during a training session in the Batcave. “No screaming, no drama, no existential crisis.”
“She’s practical,” Damian said, slashing at a training dummy. “Clearly more capable than most of you. I see no issue.”
“More capable?” Jason scoffed, leaning against the Batmobile. “The girl got kidnapped, Damian.”
“And rescued herself by keeping calm,” Damian shot back.
Bruce listened to his sons bicker as he ran surveillance scans. He hadn’t missed the way Anna had defused the situation on that rooftop. It wasn’t just bravery—it was strategy. She knew how to handle pressure, but that made sense. She had spent years dueling alongside the King of Games.
Still, there was something else about her that concerned him.
“Anna’s hiding something,” Bruce finally said, interrupting the debate.
“Of course she is,” Jason said. “She’s your kid.”
Anna sat cross-legged on the floor of her room, organizing her deck. Duel Monsters had always been more than a game to her; it was a connection to a world most people couldn’t understand. The Pharaoh might have been gone, but the memories of their adventures still felt fresh.
She picked up the Dark Magician card, running her fingers over its glossy surface. “You’d get a kick out of this place,” she murmured. “Gotham’s shadows are something else.”
A knock on the door broke her thoughts.
“Come in!” she called.
Dick poked his head in. “Hey, you busy?”
“Just reorganizing,” Anna said, gesturing to the cards spread out before her.
“Right,” Dick said, stepping inside. He looked around the room, taking in the posters of Domino City landmarks and the small pyramid trinket on her desk. “You’ve got some cool stuff here.”
Anna smirked. “Trying to make small talk, or are you about to ask me something serious?”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, you caught me. I wanted to ask about the whole ‘saving the world with cards’ thing.”
Anna chuckled. “That didn’t take long.” She leaned back, grabbing a card from the pile. “Okay, imagine this: magic is real, and so are monsters. Duel Monsters is just a reflection of a much older, much more dangerous game. My friends and I kind of got caught up in it.”
“Define ‘caught up,’” Dick said, sitting down across from her.
“Well, there were ancient Egyptian spirits, evil sorcerers, magical artifacts, and a shadowy realm where losing a game could mean losing your soul,” Anna said casually. “You know, normal stuff.”
Dick blinked. “That’s… a lot.”
“You’re one to talk, Mr. Acrobat-turned-vigilante,” Anna teased.
“Fair point,” he said, grinning. “But seriously, that sounds intense. How’d you deal with all that?”
“I had my friends,” Anna said, her voice softening. “Yugi, Joey, Téa, Tristan… even Seto, in his own weird way. We got through it together.”
Dick studied her for a moment. “You miss them, don’t you?”
Anna nodded. “Yeah. But they’ve got their lives, and I’ve got mine. Besides, I’m starting to like it here. Gotham’s growing on me.”
“Well, if you ever need someone to talk to about, you know, ancient magical nonsense, we’re here,” Dick said. “I mean, we’re no Pharaoh, but we try.”
Anna smiled. “Thanks, Dick.”
Anna couldn’t sleep. Something about Gotham’s darkness felt heavier tonight, like it was pressing in on her. She slipped out of bed, clutching her deck, and wandered down to the Batcave.
Bruce was at the computer, analyzing data from their latest mission. He looked up when she entered.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
“Too much on my mind,” she admitted.
Bruce gestured for her to sit. “Want to talk about it?”
Anna hesitated, then nodded. “You know how you said I’m hiding something? You’re right.” She placed her deck on the table. “These cards—they’re more than just a game.
They’re a part of me. When I duel, it’s not just strategy or luck. It’s… connection. To the cards, to the magic, to everything.”
Bruce studied her, his expression unreadable. “And you think that connection makes you different?”
“It does,” Anna said. “But it also helps me understand you guys better. You fight shadows in your own way. I just do it with monsters and spell cards.”
For the first time, Bruce smiled—a small, rare thing. “You’re more like us than you realize.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Anna said, leaning back in her chair. “Now, can I borrow the Batcomputer to look up some rare cards?”
Bruce sighed. “Don’t push your luck.”