"Winner: Hikaru!"
"Hehehe, looks like our academy has won again this year!"
"Damn it! Just you wait, next year I'll definitely get my revenge!"
Hikaru stood in the duel arena, still a bit dazed, his eyes filled with confusion.
'W-Was it over?'
By the time he came to his senses, the two academy principals, who had been arguing over Auntie Tome-san, had already finished their quarrel. The final reward for the "Duel Academy Exchange Match"—Auntie Tome's kiss—had landed on Principal Sheppard's face.
Only then did Hikaru recall what had happened.
His opponent had been a complete stranger, someone he had no impression of whatsoever, which made him nervous at first.
After all, an unknown duelist could be using any kind of deck. If they had something like the Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell or a Fusion-restricting Trap, victory wouldn't be guaranteed.
But his opponent had simply summoned an Armed Dragon LV3 with 1200 attack points and ended their turn.
'Not even a single set card?'
Hikaru patted his face to shake off his daze.
His deck contained plenty of next-generation fusion cards, but since he had to find and assemble his own lower-level and Extra Deck monsters, he never felt like he was overpowering anyone. When dueling well-known characters, he always played cautiously, carefully planning every move.
But today, for the first time, he didn't even have to think, he just steamrolled with Future Fusion, Over Future Fusion, and similar cards.
Even the spectators were annoyed.
"What the hell was that?"
"Come on, I wanted to see an intense duel like the ones from the past few days!"
Many students left disappointed, while Jaden and Hikaru's friends sighed in relief and congratulated him.
However…
"Hahaha! So weak! Is this really the branch academy?"
"I told you, the branch academy is trash!"
Hikaru frowned as he noticed some upperclassmen from the Fusion Club mocking the branch academy.
The Fusion Club's problems were serious.
Originally, he thought his opponent would be "Chazz Princeton." In the anime, after dueling Jaden and Bastion, Chazz was expelled due to shady behavior. Left with no choice, he went to the North Branch alone and eventually became its "king," returning to Duel Academy as its representative.
Although Chazz was supposed to be the deuteragonist, he was constantly overshadowed by Zane Truesdale, Aster Phoenix, and Jesse. Still, he was technically Jaden's rival, and at this point in the story, he was on the same level as Jaden. Hikaru figured dueling him would at least let him absorb some good energy.
But to his surprise, Chazz had never gone to the North Branch in this world!
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Until yesterday, he had assumed his opponent would be Chazz. He never expected that, in this world, Seto Kaiba's obsession with "other dimensions" had led the Chazz family corporation to intervene, investing in KaibaCorp's various projects.
As a result, Chazz had been forced into KaibaCorp and somehow achieved what his manga counterpart hadn't, becoming Kaiba's disciple!
Of course, in the anime, he had always been portrayed as a Kaiba tribute without any real connection.
According to Syrus, after losing to Jaden, Chazz's pride took a huge hit. So, he returned to KaibaCorp, training seriously with the goal of coming back to Duel Academy for a rematch during midterms.
And judging by the timing… that was soon.
Hikaru could only wish him luck. As far as he could recall, Chazz almost never beat Jaden, though there was that one time during the Genex Tournament when he managed a win, under rather unusual circumstances.
"Hahaha! Well done, Amagi!" Sheppard grinned ear to ear, repeatedly praising Hikaru while saying, "Professor Crowler really taught you well!"
"Uh… yeah, is… is that so?" Crowler, standing nearby, was sweating nervously.
"Oh, right! Hikaru, this is the stable dimension coordinate the North Academy discovered." The principal cheerfully took out a card and handed it to Hikaru, instructing him to keep it safe.
Hikaru took the card. It only had an image, a blurry three-dimensional cube.
He could only sigh in admiration. As expected of the Yu-Gi-Oh! world, even space-time coordinates could be marked on a card.
"Next, we'll have Yellow Dorm—"
"Principal!"
Just as the principal was beaming, a voice interrupted him.
"Hmm? And you are?" Principal Sheppard, instead of getting annoyed, looked curiously at the student.
"Principal, I am Kaname Shinrin, a third-year from the Fusion Club!"
"Fusion Club…"
Principal Sheppard furrowed his brows slightly.
Now that he thought about it, why hadn't Professor Akaba come to watch the match, despite Fusion Club students being the ones representing the academy?
To be honest, he didn't actually know much about Leo Akaba. All he knew was that Akaba was personally appointed by the council—so much so that even as principal, he could hardly give him orders. In past years, aside from annual exams, he had never even seen Leo Akaba.
So when Akaba recommended a student as a representative this time, Sheppard thought maybe he was finally ready to socialize with the other professors.
Turns out, he was just as reclusive as ever.
"Principal, the professor says that for members of the Fusion Club, being chosen as representatives and defeating the North Academy isn't just an honor for Amagi but for the entire club!"
Kaname Shinrin continued, his expression unreadable. "A student who has achieved such merit shouldn't just receive academic credits but also recognition from the Fusion Club. That way, all students will feel more motivated to study and duel with enthusiasm!"
"Professor Akaba actually thinks that way?" The principal looked surprised but pleased.
Standing to the side, Hikaru rolled his eyes.
'No wonder you didn't do anything when Professor Crowler was making a mess in the early part of the original series. You really are too kind, Principal.'
But he understood, this was clearly aimed at him!
"Our Fusion Club also has a dimensional gate. There's no need to waste Yellow Dorm's monthly energy quota. We can use our own gate to send Hikaru instead. This way, in the future, he can still use Yellow Dorm's gate to travel to other dimensions!"
"How thoughtful, Professor Akaba…" Principal Sheppard nodded continuously before turning to Hikaru. "Well, Amagi, what do you think?"
"Of course, I'm fine with it!" Hikaru answered without hesitation.
He had never been able to figure out what that bald guy was up to, and now was the perfect opportunity!
"Hmm… That is, after all, an unknown dimension. Although the North Academy has guaranteed its safety, we can't let our guard down completely." Principal Sheppard didn't approve the plan immediately.
Instead, he continued, "Let's follow tradition, two people in a team. One will explore, and the other will be responsible for safety. That way, if necessary, they can use emergency equipment to retreat."
The Fusion Club student hesitated briefly but eventually nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, Amagi, do you have any friends you'd like to recommend?" The principal had barely finished speaking when several students who had been eavesdropping immediately stood up.
Among them, besides Fusion Club members drawn in by Hikaru's dueling, Jaden and Syrus raised their hands instantly, waving to get his attention.
"Uh… If it's for safety, then can I ask if Professor Crowler can go?"
"Sweet mother of Pharaoh! me!?" The professor yelped, pointing at himself.
But when he noticed the principal's skeptical gaze, he immediately straightened up, putting on a serious, dignified expression. His face grew solemn as he adopted the demeanor of a great master, nodding.
"D-Don't worry, Principal! I will absolutely ensure Amagi's safety!