"Chancellor Sheppard, sir! As the Head of Practical Duels, I feel that we cannot entirely blame Jiang He, Alexis, and the others for this," Crowler blurted out, his attitude doing a complete 180-degree turn the moment he saw the camera.
He leaned over the desk with both hands, pleading with the bald Chancellor. "Please, we must give them another chance!"
"Hmm?" Sheppard looked completely bewildered. He hadn't said he was definitely expelling them yet. He was just using a bit of "tough love" to set the stage.
Alexis and Syrus, who knew Professor Crowler's personality, were also caught off guard. They couldn't understand why the professor, who had been nodding along with the punishment a second ago, had suddenly changed his tune.
"Since Professor Crowler has said as much, then perhaps we can settle on an alternative punishment... a duel," Sheppard proposed.
Though he didn't quite understand why Crowler had suddenly turned into a comedian, it provided a perfect bridge for him to step down from the harsh ruling. He never intended to expel these students so hastily. After all, "that event" was likely to start soon, and Duel Academy needed strong students.
This group happened to contain two or three of the strongest candidates...
Not to mention, among those who went there was Alexis Rhodes, the sister of Atticus Rhodes, who had disappeared in a previous incident at that very dorm. It was hardly appropriate to simply expel her.
"Settle it with a duel?" Jiang He raised an eyebrow. He didn't mind. In fact, he had already guessed where the plot was going. He asked casually, "And who are our opponents?"
"I have already sent out invitations to two legendary Tag Duelists. Therefore, you will need to compete in a two-on-two Tag Duel," Sheppard explained with a smile. "If you win, we can act as if this never happened."
"A Tag Duel?" Alexis, Syrus, and Jaden were all stunned. They hadn't expected those rules.
"So that's how it is..." Only Jiang He had a look that said I knew it.
Although his presence had caused some slight shifts in the timelineoriginally, the mushroom-headed professor would have summoned the duelists to punish Jaden and Syrusthe bald Chancellor had taken over that role now. Even though the number of punished students had increased, the general structure remained the same.
"But Chancellor, there are five of us. What happens to the extra person?" Jaden raised his hand awkwardly, having counted himself, Jiang He, Alexis, Syrus, and Chumley.
"Alexis's situation is special; she had a valid reason for going there, so perhaps..." Sheppard began, stroking his beard as he looked toward her.
"No, please let me participate as well!" Alexis interrupted, glancing at Jiang He and reflexively refusing the special treatment.
"Oh? Well then..." The Chancellor looked troubled. "Then what about the remaining slot?"
"Chancellor Sheppard, why don't we use my exemption on Chumley?" Alexis suggested after a moment of thought.
Jiang He nodded in approval. Chumley's goal was to become a card designer, and his dueling skills were even lower than Syrus's. He was the type of player who would forget to Set a monster with a FLIP effect. In a Tag Duel, adding Chumley to the mix would genuinely jeopardize their chances of winning.
"If that is what you wish, then so be it," Sheppard agreed quickly. "Tomorrow, when the two Legendary Duelists arrive, you may form your own pairs. Once the teams are finalized, you will duel. Be warned: once the pairs are set, they cannot be changed."
The implication was clear. It wasn't enough for just one pair to win; they all had to duel these so-called Legendary Duelists and win their respective matches. If they lost, they would be expelled.
Jiang He suspected that even if they lost, the Chancellor would probably change his mind again... but he wouldn't count on it.
After leaving the office, Chumley immediately thanked Alexis for giving him her exemption.
Jaden turned to Jiang He with excitement. "Jiang He! Team up with me! Let's take on those Legendary Duelists together!"
"Big Brother! Don't leave me behind!" Syrus wailed instantly. He grabbed Jaden, his eyes streaming with wavy "noodle tears," clinging so hard Jaden could barely move.
"Syrus, let go! Let go! I get it!"
"..." Jiang He watched the scene with a sigh. It was a moment truly radiating "brotherly love."
"Pfft." Alexis couldn't help but giggle. Then, putting on a look of mock resignation, she smiled at Jiang He. "Well, since they've already decided on their pair, I guess I'm stuck with you for the Tag Duel against the Chancellor's guests."
"Since you've put it that way, I can't exactly refuse, can I?" Jiang He shrugged helplessly.
In truth, compared to teaming up with a hot-blooded idiot like Jaden or a crybaby like Syrus, he would choose Alexis every time! Jiang He told himself that her looks didn't matterhe simply wanted to prove the old saying true: When a man and a woman work together, the burden is halved!
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