"Eh!? Big Bro, you really went to the Spirit World?"
During break time, Syrus Truesdale, who had just come out of the building and was walking on the path, stared wide-eyed at Jaden, his face full of disbelief.
Jaden: "Yeah, but you don't have to shout so loudly."
"But that's the Spirit World!" Syrus was excited. "Did you see Dark Magician Girl's spirit there? Or..."
"Hahaha, unfortunately no," Jaden chuckled. "But I did see 'Command Knight,' you know, and I even dueled him. Hey, You Xuan?"
At this moment, Jaden, with his keen eyes, spotted You Xuan passing by in the crowd and immediately rushed over excitedly.
"How was your rest yesterday?"
"It was alright."
"We're about to go fishing. Do you want to come along?" Jaden enthusiastically invited.
Syrus: "Eh!? I didn't hear about this, Big Bro!"
You Xuan declined: "I'm going to organize my class notes, so I'll head back first."
Jaden and Syrus were both surprised: "Huh? There's such a thing as notes?"
In just a few words, another voice came from nearby: "That's so like you, treating all classes with the same serious attitude."
The three turned their heads in unison and immediately saw Alexis Rhodes with her arms crossed over her chest, smiling.
"But I heard a rumor that you've been arranged as the opponent for the new teacher Long Ya's onboarding duel. Is that true?" Alexis asked You Xuan.
"Your intelligence is really good. It's true."
Jaden was surprised: "You get to duel an incoming teacher? That's awesome, You Xuan, I'm so jealous~"
"Be careful. There are some bad rumors about that Long Ya," Alexis whispered. "Some say he seems to like taking rare cards from opponents through duels. If it's him, he'll likely demand a card wager from you. Of course, the Academy doesn't officially allow this, so it would definitely be in private."
Upon hearing this, You Xuan's face brightened.
Such a good thing? So he's a duelist of the same type as me?
However, that being said, You Xuan had never taken anyone's cards outside of life-or-death duels, nor had he ever actively demanded a card wager. He had always taken cards only to confiscate the tools of evil-doers, from the perspective of upholding justice and punishing evil.
Yes, that's it.
But if the other party sincerely and actively made the request, he couldn't very well refuse.
Seeing You Xuan's seemingly unconcerned attitude, Alexis was a bit displeased: "Take it seriously! That Long Ya is quite powerful. He was a student council member when he was at the Academy, and his strength is said to be quite good. And he's placed in many different tournaments. I hear his resume is very impressive now."
"Got it, thanks for the reminder, Alexis," You Xuan smiled.
He had some impression now. Teacher Long Ya... a character from the GX manga. In the manga, he was a complete scoundrel who would abuse his position as a probationary teacher to forcibly win students' cards through card-wager duels, arrogantly stating, "These cards will be happier with a stronger duelist like me."
Furthermore, in the manga, he seemed to use underhanded tricks. Once he found the situation unfavorable, he would activate a special electromagnetic wave to interfere with the opponent's duel disk, preventing them from activating Spell Cards. In the manga, the requirement for his promotion to teacher was that Long Ya had to win fifty duels against students. Honestly, You Xuan found it quite absurd that he wasn't discovered despite using such dirty tricks more than once; most opponents seemed to just think their duel disks were malfunctioning.
However, the current situation wasn't entirely consistent with the manga, so You Xuan wasn't sure if the opponent would use such methods. But to be on the safe side, he still called Kaiba for a consultation. The conclusion he got was that the duel disk he was currently using was the latest smart model, leading the market, and there was no risk of its system being interfered with. This meant he didn't have to worry about underhanded tricks.
But actually, this confirmation was just for peace of mind. Because You Xuan felt that even if he didn't use Spell Cards, he wouldn't necessarily lose.
The next day, when the time came, You Xuan accepted Chronos's invitation and arrived at the Academy Duel Arena. Many students who had heard the news also rushed over to watch. Especially You Xuan's fellow students from the Yellow Dorm.
"Nani? The new teacher is assigned to duel a student? And that guy?"
"The new teacher is so unlucky."
"Don't say that. What if the new teacher is unexpectedly strong?"
"..."
At this moment, both duelists had taken their positions facing each other according to the rules, entering the shuffling phase.
"You must be You Xuan-kun, right? Professor Chronos speaks very highly of you," Long Ya said with a light chuckle.
"You flatter me."
You Xuan appeared humble and polite, his attitude respectful. He could probably guess why Professor Chronos had invited him to be this test opponent. On one hand, it was like the Professor always calling on him to answer questions and give demonstrations in class, a routine way of giving him academic credits. Moreover, this wasn't just an ordinary classroom demonstration; if he won this match, he would naturally receive much more credit reward than a typical answer. The Professor had already guaranteed him this, making it a rare opportunity. Even if he lost, it wouldn't really affect him.
On the other hand, it was likely that Professor Chronos himself was interested in his strength. As a student he was focusing on nurturing, the Professor certainly wanted more opportunities to see him duel against strong opponents. This would both give him a chance to hone and improve his skills, and also allow the Professor to gauge his progress and true level.
To be honest, Professor Chronos had always been curious about this student's actual strength. So far, the most serious You Xuan had seemed in a public duel was against Bastion Misawa in the mid-term exam. Bastion had thoroughly researched, analyzed, and countered You Xuan's common tactics, but ultimately, You Xuan had effortlessly countered them and won. At least to outsiders, it seemed Bastion hadn't managed to force out You Xuan's full power.
Professor Chronos stood in a high position, hands clasped behind his back, smiling as he watched You Xuan on the field.
"You Xuan-kun, to what extent has your strength reached? Let this Professor see clearly, noné."
"..."
At this moment, Long Ya, who was shuffling his deck, narrowed his eyes and said with a smile: "The Professor says you're extraordinary. So, how about it, dare to play for higher stakes?"
You Xuan's eyes flickered: "Teacher, are you saying...?"
"Let's wager our rare cards," he pushed up his glasses, lowering his voice. "The winner can choose any one card from the loser's deck. How about it?" You Xuan's humble and polite image made him seem like a bright, good student at a glance, and his grades were probably good too. Combined with Chronos's high praise, he must have received excellent resources. Therefore, he must have some quite valuable cards in his hand.
You Xuan's face showed difficulty: "Ah? Is that really alright?"
Long Ya's lips curled into a smirk: "What, are you scared?"
"No, I mean, only wagering one card?" You Xuan blinked. "Wouldn't that not be exciting enough?"
Long Ya: "???"
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