Seto Kaiba opens his eyes, slightly dazed. Only moments pass and his vision clears up again. Because of an easy transition! is his first thought. Now he is slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. He looks around and realizes that he is in a wide meadow bordered by trees. Here and there are small boulders that are scattered over the plain. A light wind blows in his face and carries the smell of grass and earth to him.
Kaiba skeptically approaches one of the larger rocks. He touches it examiningly. A little surprised, he notices that it feels quite massive, and even feels the texture and temperature of the rock. An amazing closeness to reality! , he says to himself, but my company also has this kind of technology.
At that moment, a bright voice makes him drive around: "Welcome to the virtual reality of Gigatech-Enterprise, Seto Kaiba!" He sees a figure in front of him. It appears to be a woman in a long, flowing, fiery red dress. Her hair is long and white, but the tall, glowing rod in her hand gives her hair a reddish sheen.
Kaiba stretches. "You have to be the contact person," he states. "I am the fire princess," replies the addressee. "You're a character fromDuelmonsters, right?", Says Kaiba skeptically, "Apparently the people at Gigatech are keen to arouse my interest." Aloud he then says: "I assume, your job is to guide me through this presentation. ”“ I've been programmed to answer all of your questions, ”confirms the figure in front of him.
“As far as I'm concerned,” says Kaiba, somewhat sullenly, “I really hope that this presentation has even more to offer than what I've seen so far.” His gaze goes round: “This virtual reality has a considerable closeness to reality , but compared to our own technology, this isn't particularly impressive. "
"I'm sure you will change your mind during the course of the presentation, Seto Kaiba," replied the Fire Princess. "I really hope so!" Says Kaiba disparagingly, "Basically, I only agreed to this demonstration because I was promised that this technology could be combined with our holographic technology. So what exactly is it about? I'm fed up with it to wait here even longer! "
Without saying a word, the fire princess raises her staff and in the next instant the landscape changes. The meadow disappears and now the two are on a large, metal platform that is lined with an equally massive metal parapet. There is nothing behind it but the empty sky. In front of them in the middle of the platform there is a familiar atmosphere: Adueling monstersarena!
Kaiba holds her breath for a moment. He has a bad idea about where he is.To be certain, he approaches the parapet and looks over it. Behind it it goes steeply downwards until it forms the rugged bottom of a rocky island at a depth of countless meters. There can be no doubt, he's on the Duel Tower of the Battelcity Finals.
"It can't be, I personally blew this island up," he mumbles. But then he starts again. How stupid of me, this is of course only a virtual reproduction, he calls himself to order, but amazingly true to detail! Addressing his guide, he says: "Really a good replica, but what does that have to do with our holographic technology?"
"With our technology, it is not only possible for us to create absolutely detailed replicas of objects and subjects, but also to vary the user's virtual self-image," explains the fire princess dutifully. Seto Kaiba raises his eyebrows: "Does that mean, whoever uses this VR technology can decide for himself how he looks, as he likes?" "That's how it is!" Confirms the figure in front of him. "But that is completely impossible!", Throws in Kaiba, "Up to now nobody has been able to change the virtual self-image of a person to such an extent. Perhaps in clothing or minimal changes that are specified in the program. But such a possibility of variation as her to suggest it here is simply not feasible! "
"Nevertheless, it is possible with this technique," claims the Fire Princess firmly, "And to get back to your question, just imagine the possibilities if this technique were combined with her holographic technique. All Duel Monster players could be given the opportunity in to slip into the role of their favorite characters, to name just one possible use. "
Kaiba looks thoughtful for a moment. "Indeed!", He admits, "The possibilities would be considerable", but then he reconsiders, "However, I haven't received the slightest indication that this is even possible. Show me results at last, right? end this farce on the spot! "The fire princess gives him a slightly amused look, which Kaiba a little surprised. Then she raises her baton again: "As you wish!"
Immediately the environment changes again. The metal floor turns back into the grassy ground of a meadow and the parapet melts before his eyes to then take the form of a high wall. There is a large iron gate a few meters away. It is closed.
Kaiba looks around confused. There is no trace of his companion. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asks angrily. But no sooner has he said the words than he is taken aback. Was it really he himself who said that? "Wait, what does that mean?", he asks again and again he is extremely irritated. What's wrong with his voice? It suddenly sounds so different, much brighter and ... more childlike!
Kaiba has a bad feeling. He looks down at himself, worried. Suddenly his heart starts beating faster. What he sees leaves him speechless. This body, these hands and feet and these clothes! You seem to belong to a child. If he is not mistaken, then he should only be a little taller than a meter. "That ... is ... absolutely impossible!" He exclaims, stunned. And again his high voice irritates him.
He just can't believe it. These Gigatech guys really did it! You really thought of everything. Even the voice and the slightly awkward movements of a child. A really amazing achievement!
But the first enthusiasm evaporates as quickly as it came. Having the shape of a child was not what he expected, let alone wanted. “Is that a bad joke?” He exclaims, “If so, I don't think it's particularly funny.” But there is no one to be seen who could hear it. There is no trace of his guide to be found. Kaiba is boiling with anger. “I guarantee you this disrespectful treatment will have consequences!” But still nobody seems to react to him.
Since he apparently has no other choice, Kaiba decides to play this game first. First of all, he tries to make it clear where he is. He takes a few steps towards the large gate and peers through the bars. Behind it is a large, elegant villa. He frowns. This house looks familiar to him from somewhere.
Suddenly he hears a noise. It sounds like laughter. He looks through the bars again. Suddenly he sees who is responsible for the laughter. It is a little girl. She is in the garden on the other side of the fence and looks at him in amusement. Another gleeful laugh rolls off her lips. "What is it, Seto? Are you tired of it? Are you pulling away with your tail pulled in, or do you want to lose to me again?" She laughs out loud again, then starts to make faces at him.
Kaiba takes a step back from the fence, startled. He feels how all the color disappears from his face for a moment. No doubt! Now he knows where he is. "No, impossible!" He mumbles. He quickly turns away from the gate.
The gleeful laugh can be heard again behind him. Then he hears: “Coward, coward!” He continues energetically, further and further away from the gate over the large meadow behind it, until he can no longer hear the mocking laugh. Then he stands up high. Anger is written on his face. "I don't know what you are aiming for with this scenario, but if you think you are going to arouse my enthusiasm for your program, then you are very wrong!"I'm not going to be ridiculed, you messed with the wrong person here. I demand that you end this presentation on the spot! And this matter will have consequences, you can rely on it!"
He waits a moment, but the hoped-for reaction does not materialize. Instead, the surroundings seem to gradually disappear into the dark until only his immediate vicinity and himself can be seen. "Don't listen, I want you to let me out of here right away, understand, or I guarantee you will regret it for life!"
At that moment he notices a light appear behind him. He turns around quickly. The fire princess stands in front of him. "I'm sorry, Seto Kaiba, but I can't let you go!" She says calmly. Kaiba tightens "What do you mean?" He asks sharply, "I want an explanation for this behavior immediately!" "Your presence here is of great importance," explains the virtual figure. "You were brought here for a specific purpose. "
"If you think that after what happened here today, I am still ready to buy your technology, then you are even more stupid than I thought!" Growls Kaiba. "How dare you get me trapped in here If I can get my hands on the person responsible, then he can be prepared for something! "
“I suggest that you calm down first,” replies the fire princess, unimpressed. “This will not change your situation in any way.” “That is probably the height!” Says Kaiba, “Just because I am now looking like a five year old doesn't give them the right to treat me like one! I would be interested in how they were able to create this humiliating image of me anyway. "
"To answer your question, this picture comes from the memories you had of your time as five-year-olds. For demonstration purposes, this memory was chosen because it was one of the most vivid memories." Kaiba looks at the figure in front of her, amazed. "From my memories? You have developed a technique that interacts directly with the thoughts of the user?" "This is the only way to make such a variety of self-portraits possible," confirms the fire princess.
Kaiba's mine darkens. An unusual thought occurs to him, but he wants to discard it immediately. It's just