He would push Professor Chronos de Medici down and take his place.
"May I ask, Professor, who my final opponent will be?"
Though calculating inside, Longya maintained a respectful expression as he bowed slightly.
"A teacher from Duel Academy? Or will you personally guide me?"
"No, no."
Professor Chronos de Medici smiled.
"I have specially arranged your assessment opponent. Your final test will be against a current student of Duel Academy."
Longya paused. "A student?"
"Yes. A first year who enrolled this year. After all, as a teacher at Duel Academy, you will be facing students. At the very least, you must prove in a Duel that you are superior to the elite among the current students to qualify in practical ability."
Professor Chronos de Medici leaned back in his chair, smiling.
When he said this, he seemed to have forgotten that during his own assessment, he had been thoroughly defeated by a certain bottom ranked student with Jellyfish Hair.
"I see. That makes sense. If I can use the Duel to let the students know me first, it should help my work after I take the position."
Longya suppressed the laughter rising in his chest and kept his usual modest expression.
What luck.
A student as the assessment opponent, and a first year at that.
It was practically a free win.
He was already imagining celebrating tonight.
"So, Professor, what is the name of my opponent?"
Professor Chronos de Medici smiled mysteriously.
"His name is Yugen Fujiki."
Sho Marufuji widened his eyes as he and Judai Yuki walked out of the building after class. He stared at Judai Yuki in disbelief. "You guys really went to Spirit World?"
"Yeah, no need to shout," Judai Yuki replied.
"But that is Spirit World!" Sho Marufuji said, clearly excited. "Did you see the Spirit of Dark Magician Girl? Or maybe..."
"Haha, sadly no," Judai Yuki said with a grin. "But we did see Marauding Captain, and we even had a Duel with him. Oh, Yugen?"
He spotted Yugen passing through the crowd and hurried over. "How was your rest yesterday?"
"Not bad."
"We are going fishing next. Want to come?" Judai Yuki asked warmly.
"Eh? I did not hear about that, big bro," Sho Marufuji protested.
"I need to organize my class notes, so I will head back first," Yugen declined.
Both Judai Yuki and Sho Marufuji looked shocked. "Huh? You even take notes?"
A voice sounded from the side. "That really is your style, treating every class with the same seriousness."
The three turned and saw Asuka Tenjoin standing there with her arms folded and a bright smile.
"I heard a rumor," Asuka Tenjoin said to Yugen. "You were chosen to be the opponent for the new teacher Longya's entry Duel. Is that true?"
"You are well informed. Yes, that is right."
Judai Yuki looked amazed. "You get to Duel a teacher during his assessment? As expected of Yugen, I am so jealous."
"Be careful," Asuka Tenjoin said in a lower voice. "There are some bad rumors about Longya. People say he likes to use Duel to take his opponent's Rare Cards. If it is him, he will probably suggest betting cards. Of course, Duel Academy does not allow that openly, so it would be done in private."
Yugen's eyes lit up.
So there was such a good thing?
It sounded like the same type of Duelist as him. Of course, he had never taken someone's Deck unless it was from villains using dangerous cards, and he had never actively asked for a bet. When he removed a Deck, it was to confiscate tools of wrongdoing in the name of justice.
Yes, that was how it was.
But if the other party sincerely made the request, it would be rude to refuse.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Asuka Tenjoin frowned. "Take it seriously. Longya is strong. He was a member of the Duel Academy Student Council when he studied at Duel Academy, and his record in tournaments is impressive."
"Got it. Thanks for the reminder, Asuka Tenjoin," Yugen said with a smile.
He remembered the character now. Teacher Longya had appeared in the GX manga.
In the manga, he was a petty man who abused his position as a trainee teacher to force students into card bets, then proudly claimed the cards would be happier in the hands of someone stronger. When things went badly, he even used special electromagnetic interference to disrupt his opponent's Duel Disk so they could not activate Spell Cards.
Back then, the requirement for promotion was fifty wins against students. It was hard to believe he had used such tricks more than once without being exposed, and most opponents just assumed their Duel Disk had malfunctioned.
Since events were not exactly the same as the manga, Yugen was not sure whether those tricks would appear. To be safe, he called Mokuba Kaiba to confirm.
The answer was reassuring. His current Duel Disk was the latest intelligent model on the market and could not be disrupted that way. Even so, he felt he could probably win without relying on Spell Cards at all.
The next day, at the appointed time, Yugen arrived at the Duel Academy Duel arena at Professor Chronos de Medici's invitation. Many students who had heard the news gathered to watch.
Several of his companions from Yellow Dormitory were especially vocal. "Nani?!? The new teacher is assigned to Duel a student? And it is him?"
"The new teacher is unlucky."
"Do not say that. Maybe the teacher is secretly strong."
Soon both sides stood face to face and began the shuffle and cut according to the rules.
"You are Yugen, right? Professor Chronos de Medici speaks very highly of you," Longya said with a light smile.
"You flatter me."
Yugen maintained a polite and respectful attitude. He could roughly guess why Professor Chronos de Medici had chosen him as the test opponent.
On one hand, it was similar to how the professor often called on him in class, giving him chances to perform and earn credits. If he won this match, the reward in credits would be far greater than answering a single question, and the professor had already assured him of that. Even if he lost, it would not harm him.
On the other hand, Professor Chronos de Medici himself was curious about his true strength. As a key student under training, more matches against strong opponents would both temper him and reveal his real level.
So far, the most serious public Duel he had shown was during the stage test against Daichi Misawa. Daichi Misawa had thoroughly analyzed his usual tactics and prepared counters, yet still lost as Yugen handled everything with ease. To outside observers, Daichi Misawa had not forced him to reveal his full power.
Professor Chronos de Medici stood with his hands behind his back, watching from above with a smile. "Yugen, let me see just how far your strength has reached."
While shuffling, Longya narrowed his eyes. "Since the professor says you are special, how about we make this more interesting?"
Yugen looked at him. "You mean?"
"We bet our Rare Cards." He adjusted his glasses and lowered his voice. "The winner chooses one card from the loser. What do you say?"
He saw a polite, outstanding student in front of him, someone clearly valued by Professor Chronos de Medici. Such a student must have access to excellent resources and valuable cards.
Yugen showed a troubled expression. "Is that appropriate?"
"What, are you afraid?" Longya smirked.
"No, I just mean... only one card?" Yugen blinked. "Would that not be a bit too mild?"
"Duel!" x2
Yugen, LP 4000 Longya, LP 4000
"Looks like I go first. Draw."
Yugen drew, then immediately played a card from his hand. "I Summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman in Defense Position!"
Elemental HERO Bubbleman, DEF 1200
From the sidelines, Judai Yuki blinked. "Huh? Is Yugen using Elemental HERO like me today?"