"Jewels? Something that valuable? You can't just sell that casually, you know!"
Two days later, Hikaru Amagi dragged Jaden along to Aunt Tome's shop, asking if she could help them offload the treasure they'd earned. But the moment she laid eyes on the glittering pile of gems, she shook her head firmly.
"At the very least, you'll need parental permission."
Hikaru and Jaden glanced at each other. Jaden shrugged and grinned. "No problem for me!"
Hikaru, on the other hand, hesitated.
According to his memories… he didn't have parents in this world.
"What if we asked a teacher instead?" he tried.
"If you trust them."
So, Hikaru reached out to Professor Crowler.
"You two—seriously! You encountered that kind of danger at night and didn't tell anyone!?" Crowler exploded in rare fury. "Mamma mia! Do I mean nothing to you as your professor!?"
"Sorry, sorry, Professor! We're telling you now, aren't we?" Jaden quickly clasped his hands together in apology.
Crowler sighed, exasperated, and listened as they explained.
A duel against a dark duelist, victory, and a reward of gemstones? He remembered how Yugi Mutou, the King of Games himself, once participated in a Duelist Kingdom event and walked away with treasure…
So it wasn't unprecedented for duelists to receive such things.
Still, what concerned him more was the possibility of these two students—so young—falling into temptation with such sudden wealth.
Come to think of it…
Jaden Yuki, as he recalled, was the son of a high-ranking KaibaCorp executive. Wealth wasn't a problem for him.
But Hikaru Amagi…
His file was… murky. No listed parents. Name was self-reported. Origin, unknown. A student with a mysterious background.
"If you want me to vouch for you, fine. But you need to tell me exactly what you plan to do with the money."
"Gourmet meals?" Jaden tilted his head. Then he remembered something. "Oh yeah! We should renovate the Red Dorm and the Fusion Club! Paint it red!"
"No unauthorized remodeling of school buildings!!" Crowler grumbled and turned to Hikaru.
"I want to buy a few rare cards, Professor."
"Oh? What are you after?"
"Future Fusion, Fusion Time, Scrap Fusion... and if possible, Dark Magician."
"Super mamma mia!! Don't even think about Dark Magician!" Crowler practically flailed. "Not only is it nearly impossible to find for sale, you couldn't afford it even with all those gems!"
"Yeah, he's right," Jaden chimed in, palms up. "I asked my dad once—nobody sells Dark Magician. You just can't get one."
Crowler understood.
Even if someone did own a Dark Magician, they wouldn't sell it. Its sentimental value outweighed any price.
And even if they tried… KaibaCorp would make sure they didn't.
"The other three, though—rare, but not impossible." Crowler mulled it over.
Hikaru collecting Fusion Spells? That was perfectly in-character. He hadn't let wealth warp his priorities, which was reassuring.
"Then it's settled!" Hikaru said excitedly.
Those cards were powerful Fusions:
Future Fusion (anime version) let you summon a Fusion Monster immediately and send materials to the GY at activation.
Fusion Time let you revive a Fusion Monster destroyed in battle by sending a card to the GY during the next Standby Phase.
Scrap Fusion let you use materials from your opponent's GY—and even from their Extra Deck—for a Fusion Summon.
Even if Fusion Time was a bit of a bonus, the other two were absolutely cracked. Perfect for Hikaru.
After some thought, Crowler finally signed off on their request forms. Then he turned to Hikaru, hands to chest, pridefully puffing up.
"If you trust me, Amagi-kun, I can procure the cards for you."
"I have a lot of contacts in the card market. Friends, connections—dealers who owe me favors. If you truly trust your professor…"
"Of course I do, Professor!" Hikaru answered without hesitation. "You're the one I trust the most at this academy!"
"...Hikaru!?" Crowler froze.
"Totally! When you stood in front of all of us that day—you were amazing! We believe in you, Professor!"
"D-Delinquent…"
Crowler whipped around, biting a handkerchief, his eyes welling up. "Mamma mia… I never thought… I never thought I'd hear that…"
"Alright! Leave it to your professor!"
Until now, he'd always maintained his "dignity" as a teacher in front of the principal. Hikaru didn't need his help to score high marks—he was already top of his year by pure skill. Even though he didn't use Ancient Gears, he still respected Crowler and gave him face.
It was time Crowler returned the favor.
Without another word, he scooped up the paperwork and strode off, determined.
"Your teacher seems like a good one," Golden Captain commented.
Indeed.
Crowler may not be the most visually pleasant man, and his personality was… eccentric. But as a professor, his character and abilities were rock solid.
He may have lost to Jaden in a duel, and yeah, Camula cheesed him in the anime—but he was a legendary duelist for a reason.
Back in Hikaru's old world, getting a new card pack was as simple as ordering online or picking it up at the store. Sometimes they ran out, but you just waited for a restock.
But here?
In the original series, rare card packs were sealed in safes, protected by planes, guarded like military cargo until they arrived at Duel Academy. Before sales even began, they were under lockdown behind security doors.
Yet Crowler could still get insider info and pre-order rare cards.
He was way better connected than the students.
If anyone could get those fusions, it was him.
Later, Hikaru planned to take some of his spare time to study alchemy under Banner-sensei.
In the anime, Banner vanished around the fifth or sixth Shadow Rider arc. But in this world, he was still happily teaching Hikaru every day—even after the sixth Shadow Rider had appeared.
Hikaru didn't know when Banner would suddenly disappear… so he studied seriously while he had the chance.
The students, for once, enjoyed a stretch of peace. The first semester of the first year was about to end without disaster.
But as the term wound down, something else approached:
Academy Festival.
A perfect time for clubs to recruit new members.
And… one more thing.
"Wait… how the hell did I forget Dark Magician Girl!?"
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For this week I will do more release depending on the power stones !
100 Power Stones = 1 chapter (in addition to the daily update)
So give stones if you want mooooar !