"How did you find out!?"
The two professors were horrified.
Jaden and the others exchanged glances.
"Professor, it's really not a secret anymore," Jaden said, scratching his head.
Syrus added, "The whole academy's talking about it. Everyone's saying so."
The two professors turned to stone on the spot.
"It's spread… everyone's saying it…"
Suddenly, they had the feeling that their dismissal had already been set in stone—and that the whole school was watching.
Former mortal enemies, they suddenly clung to each other like brothers in misfortune and burst into tears.
"It's finally time to pack our bags and go, noné!" Crowler wailed.
"How am I supposed to explain this to Josephine, da aru!?" Bonaparte sobbed too.
Crowler: "I still have twenty-six years on my mortgage, noné!"
The more they talked, the more tragic they felt, and they sobbed louder and louder.
Just then, Crowler caught sight of Kira and Jim walking past behind Jaden and the others. Something seemed to occur to him, and he abruptly stopped crying.
"Hm? Kira? And this is…?"
Jim greeted him politely. "Jim. I'm the representative from the Duel Academy's Southern Branch."
"Oh oh, Student Jim." Crowler nodded, then looked at the two of them curiously. "And you two are…?"
"Oh." Jim spoke straightforwardly. "Last night, I foolishly challenged Mr. Kira… and, haha, got taught a lesson.
"But, he said he saw my potential and invited me to come develop with him at the lab later. We were just headed there to take a look."
Professor Bonaparte had also stopped crying and seemed to notice the key point, his eyes lighting up.
Kira's lab…
The two professors exchanged a glance.
They were well aware this was the most special organization in the academy. It had started as a student club, but with the academy's strong support, top external talent joining, and investment from big corporations and wealthy families, Kira's research department had long since overshadowed the main campus itself.
Rumor had it the salaries there were comparable to designers at Industrial Illusions, far better than what professors at the academy were getting.
For the two who'd just been fired, wasn't Kira basically a life-saving straw within arm's reach?
They looked at each other again, and then Crowler made the first move.
That Pot-of-Greed face broke into a fawning smile. Rubbing his hands together, he said cheerfully, "Um… Student Kira, your professor has always treated you well, hasn't he?"
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned, their thoughts struggling to catch up.
To be fair, Kira did remember Crowler's kindness. Though the professor was once a professor who looked down on poor students, vain and somewhat extreme, that attitude was reserved for the weak.
For outstanding students, he would do everything in his power to teach and help them. As long as your grades were high enough, he'd even praise you if you slapped him.
Still, Kira teased him with a smile. "Oh? Has he? I don't quite remember."
Crowler panicked. "Student Kira, you can't just stand by and watch us die! Or at least give me a chance—let me intern in your department! Your professor has loads of experience!
"For you, it might just be a small favor, but for your professor, it's a major turning point in his life, noné!"
Bonaparte chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! Same for me! If you won't give Crowler a chance, at least let me try, da aru!"
The onlookers were dumbfounded.
Professor begging a student for a chance—this might be the first time in the academy's history.
But clearly, the professors had decided that their livelihoods were more important than their pride. At this moment, their entire future lay in Kira's hands.
No—if this worked out, getting fired might actually turn into a blessing in disguise. Once they boarded Kira's ship, their later careers could soar far past where they were now!
"They look kind of pitiful," Jaden said, glancing at Kira. "How about giving them a chance?"
Kira rested his chin on his hand.
He was interested in Professor Crowler's Ancient Gear deck. He knew that Ancient Gears would get a lot of future support in the real cards, quite different from the anime version, and therefore had a lot of potential for development.
As for Professor Bonaparte…
According to the setting, his teaching experience and dueling skills were supposed to be on par with Crowler's—or he wouldn't be a worthy rival. But unfortunately, he'd debuted late and exited early in the anime. He had too little screen time, and his deck never even got printed in real life. Not much potential there.
That said, Kira wasn't ungrateful. He still remembered the help he'd received from his professors when he first enrolled. A chance was definitely something he'd give them.
"All right…" Kira said. "But the lab's approval process is pretty strict now. Every month, lots of people from all walks of life want in. Even I can't just open back doors at will…
"So how about this."
He raised his Duel Disk.
"Let's use a duel as a replacement for the interview. How about it?"
Bonaparte and Crowler both went pale.
A duel?
Against the Yellow-Clad Lord?
Uh…
They suddenly felt like this was just an indirect way of refusing them—and that he meant to put them through a round of torture first.
"To save time, why don't you both come at me together?"
At those words, hope flared again in their ashen eyes.
Together?
That actually sounded doable.
No chance one-on-one—but two against one, could they really lose?
"Good! It's a deal!" Crowler agreed at once, afraid he'd change his mind.
The bystanders all looked excited.
"Ohh, this is getting interesting!" Jaden said.
The two sides took their positions. Crowler and Bonaparte stood left and right, with Kira opposite them. Their positions formed a triangle.
"Duel!" x3
[Kira, LP 4000]
[Crowler, LP 4000]
[Bonaparte, LP 4000]
"We'll use Free-for-All rules for this Triangle Duel. You each have 4000 Life, but your fields and graveyards aren't shared," Kira explained.
In other words, the two professors weren't treated as a team; they were each their own side.
That meant they not only had double the resources compared to Kira, but also double the number of turns. You could say they held a huge advantage.
"Pretty confident, huh," Jaden laughed.
"I'll go first. Draw!"
Crowler took a deep breath, rallying his spirits.
This duel would determine the rice bowl for the rest of his life. It was no exaggeration to call it a turning point in his fate. He absolutely could not afford to choke now!
"I activate the Spell Card 'Magnet Circle LV2'!" Crowler declared. "I Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Machine-Type monster from my hand!
"I'll Special Summon this card…"
He slammed another card onto his Duel Disk.
"Come forth! Ancient Gear!"