Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

“Although I don’t know what you’re imagining, Jaden, I’m not naive at all.” Ignoring Jaden’s surprised look, Hayato said calmly, “Saotome Rei is only 11 years old and in the fifth grade of elementary school. Not to mention the main campus of Duel Academy, even the junior high school affiliated with it, she is not old enough to enroll.”

"Eh!?"

Judai stared wide-eyed at Fubuki, who patted him on the shoulder and said, "While a lady's age is a secret, Judai-kun, if you can't even tell this much, isn't that a bit too bad? Do you need me to share some experience?"

Even now, Fubuki still doesn't forget to promote his "secret techniques".

Ryo noticed the look of utter disappointment on Saotome Rei's face after Hayato told her she couldn't enroll, and thought for a moment before saying, "Although that's the rule, Principal, don't you always say your power is unlimited? In that case, it's feasible to approve Rei's early enrollment, isn't it?"

"Yes, I could do that, but what's the reason? I don't have a reason to help a brat who easily believed I was some kind of villain." Although he was talking about Saotome Rei, Hayato's gaze was on Marufuji Ryo, knowing that he must have thought of something and was asking him specifically.

Noticing that not only Hayato, but also Jaden, Fubuki, and Saotome Rei were looking at him, Marufuji Ryo didn't mince words and directly stated his idea: "The annual academy exchange competition, although initially intended to allow students from each academy to showcase their skills and gain exposure for better recruitment the following year."

"But this is just an unofficial reward for the winning academy. There are other rewards for the winning academy and its students. And if this year's rewards are the same as the previous two years, the champion of the exchange competition should still have the ability to make a wish within their power to any teacher in the academy, including Principal Hayato, right?"

"A wish?! The champion gets this kind of reward?!" Jaden looked at Hayato. "Really? Hayato-sensei?"

"Of course it's true. While you can't get wishes like world peace, access to the Root, or growing ten centimeters taller, and the person whose wish is granted has the right to refuse a wish against their will, most common wishes can be granted." Hayato nodded. "Besides, there are many other benefits to being a champion, such as being able to transfer to any dormitory unconditionally. After all, winning the championship already shows that you have enough strength. One of your seniors who has already graduated achieved the achievement of moving from the red dormitory to the blue dormitory in just one year by winning the championship."

"As for Saotome Rei's enrollment, if the champion of the exchange competition makes this wish of mine, then I will agree."

Upon hearing Hayato's affirmative answer, Jaden immediately smiled happily and said to Rei Saotome, who was standing next to him, "That's great! As long as I win the championship, Rei, you'll be able to get into college!"

"Oh? You're actually willing to use your rare wish on someone you've just met? Judai-kun, you might be a genius in some field, you don't need my guidance or experience at all." Seeing Saotome Rei blush and feel a little shy as Judai subconsciously held her hand, Fubuki revealed a subtle smile, and couldn't help but think to herself what kind of interesting scene would occur if her younger sister were here.

He paused, then continued, "However, Judai-kun, the prerequisite for you to help Saotome Rei get into college is that you win the exchange competition. That's quite difficult for someone who's only a first-year student, isn't it?"

As she spoke, Fubuki put her hand on Marufuji Ryo's shoulder and patted her chest: "Ryo and I are known as the 'Twin Pillars of the Academy,' can you climb over these two mountains?"

Judging from Fubuki's tone and demeanor, it's hard to believe how strong he is. An uninformed person might even think he's the type who "goes on a rampage with Marufuji Ryo—Ryo is in charge of the rampage, and he's in charge of the chaos."

Jaden knew exactly how powerful Fubuki was. This was not only because he knew how high Marufuji Ryo's dueling skills were through their usual sparring and that Fubuki, who was on par with him, was not weak at all, but also because he had dueled Fubuki in her "Darkness" state before. Even when she was controlled and lost her self-awareness, Fubuki was still a duelist not to be underestimated. Jaden was also very much looking forward to the answer to how strong Fubuki was now.

“The stronger the opponent, the more exciting and interesting the duel will be, right? A hero can’t run away in the face of battle.” Jaden said, revealing a smile full of fighting spirit, while Saotome Rei, standing to the side, was somewhat stunned by Jaden’s bright smile.

Chapter 1248 Lin Youde and Li Abao

The following day, at the Duel Academy's island pier.

"Not only Judai, but even Ryo said he'd grant you admission if you won the championship," Hayato said, arms crossed. "But, unfortunately! You're not a student at the academy now, so you don't deserve to stay on the island!"

"Ahem, to translate what the principal meant, elementary school students should act like elementary school students." Next to Hayato, Marufuji Ryo coughed lightly and said to Saotome Rei, "Rei, your school shouldn't be on holiday yet, right?"

"Eh~ Why is it like this?" Saotome Rei puffed out her cheeks, looking very unhappy.

“Don’t be willful, be polite,” Marufuji Ryo patiently comforted. “Besides, you didn’t tell your family about coming out this time. Your parents and teachers are very worried about you running off to Duel Academy Island without permission.”

"No matter what, it's never good to make your parents worry. After the qualifying rounds for the exchange tournament, Rei, you can still come to the island as a spectator for the official matches, right?" Jaden said, seeing Rei Saotome's somewhat dejected expression after hearing Marufuji Ryo's words. He then gave her a thumbs-up. "See you then, Rei!"

"Hmm... Hmm!" Seeing the smile on Judai's face, Saotome Rei felt encouraged and energetically made the same gesture as Judai. "I'm looking forward to Judai-san... and Ryo-san's performance at that time!"

While the island where Duel Academy is located is normally only accessible by a regularly running ferry, there are many ways to get there if you're willing to spend the money, just like Jonouchi and Mai can take a speedboat, and Kaiba prefers his high-tech jet. And, coincidentally, Hayato doesn't hesitate to spend the academy's money, since he has Kaiba, the big spender, to reimburse him.

Although a regular cargo ship had arrived on the island yesterday with supplies and left after loading and unloading, Hayato easily dispatched another ship with just one phone call. After a night's voyage, it docked at the pier this morning and will set sail again soon.

It wasn't that Hayato was eager to send Saotome Rei away; the main reason was that besides the little girl, there was another person who was going to travel on this ship. However, compared to Saotome Rei, who was being deported as an illegal immigrant, the other person's treatment was far worse.

Besides the ship's crew, two police officers also arrived at Duel Academy Island by ship. After handing things over with Professor Chronos, they escorted the gloomy-faced David Labb to the dock.

"This kid is so young and he's already learning bad habits, stealing other people's card decks. What's wrong with kids these days?"

“Yeah, my kid is much better behaved.” The policeman with the rather peculiar eyes, devoid of whites, echoed his partner, pressing on David Labb’s shoulder. “Be a little glad you didn’t commit a crime in Domino Town, kid. If it were in Domino Town, you’d be arrested and jailed for stealing cards, regardless of age.”

“But don’t get too excited. This island isn’t much different from Domino Town; they’re both considered Mr. Kaiba’s ‘territory.’ Normally, if you were caught stealing someone else’s deck, you’d still go to jail.” Another brown-haired, brown-eyed policeman pressed down on David Labb’s other shoulder. “If Mr. Hayato hadn’t said that all he had to do was fire you and take you to make a statement, that would have been fine.”

"Ha, according to you, I should thank Hayato Kobayashi?" David Labb smiled coldly after hearing the two policemen's words, looking quite contemptuous.

“Those who ignore the good intentions of others will regret it for the rest of their lives, kid.” Shaking his head, the brown-haired policeman said helplessly, “Is fighting monsters more important than the future? Humans always repeat the same mistakes…”

Clearly, from the brown-haired policeman's words, David Rabble wasn't the first person he'd encountered to be arrested for stealing cards, and he probably wouldn't be the last. It's foreseeable that as Duel Monsters become increasingly important in the world, the number of people driven by profit to steal will likely increase as well.

“Ah, the same mistake, that’s what I’m most indignant about.” The policeman’s words provoked David Labborg. He turned to look at Kobayashi Hayato, who was also on the dock, his eyes filled with anger, and his voice rose. “I know that I’m not the only one who did something like ‘stealing the deck’ last night. I won’t be easily fooled like those ignorant people!”

"Rehearsing on the beach beforehand for a deck exhibition demonstration? Who would believe such a ridiculous story that was made up on the spot without even thinking for a minute!"

"Then, the person who stole Yugi Muto's deck was able to receive applause and recognition, blatantly cover up the fact that he committed the crime, and continue to stay in the academy as if nothing had happened, while someone as outstanding as me was expelled for merely peeking at the deck and not even taking it!"

"The excellent one like me gets fired, but that dull-witted weakling gets away scot-free? This is unfair—ughhhhh?!"

David Labborg was halfway through his rant when Professor Chronos, drenched in sweat, rushed forward and covered his mouth with his handkerchief to stop him from continuing. David Labborg stared at the handkerchief that Professor Chronos usually used to wipe his nose and tears, pressed against his face, his expression contorted with rage, yet powerless to resist.

"That's not true! Honestly, even if you can't accept being expelled, you can't just say things like that." Professor Chronos was clearly quite nervous, and his occasional verbal tics were now coming out without stopping. "Kagurasaka-san is already in the exhibition hall preparing to duel with the visitors, how could it be fake?"

However, what Professor Chronos didn't know was that Hayato had watched the entire duel between Jaden and Kagurazaka the night before, so how could he not know the truth? He couldn't hide the fact from Hayato from the very beginning that "Kagurazaka stole Yugi's deck." Hayato even invited Yugi, the person whose deck was stolen, to watch the duel together.

Hayato waved his hand, signaling Professor Chronos to let go, and looked at David Rabb, who was spitting to the side looking disgusted: "Even if others stole the decks, they weren't caught red-handed and expelled like you. What, you're not satisfied? In the end, how do you know whether you're the excellent one or the mediocre one?"

"Hmph, you know perfectly well! For a duelist, isn't there only one criterion for judging whether someone is excellent or not?" David Labb said, shaking off the two police officers who were holding his shoulders. The two officers released David Labb temporarily at Hayato's nod, watching him point a thumbs-up at them. "In my Western branch, I am undoubtedly the strongest. If I were here at headquarters, I would at least be ranked among the top three."

"My ranking during the qualifying rounds is the best proof!"

As an exchange student from another school, David Labborg achieved an impressive third place in the points rankings as of today. This is no easy feat, considering that compared to students like Judai who can easily arrange a card game with Manjoume and the others by sending a text message or using cryptic phrases like "?" and "!", he had to find people one by one to earn points. Achieving third place certainly demonstrates his skill.

It's worth mentioning that Marufuji Ryo remains in first place, given his immense fame and the countless challenges he receives that have propelled him to such a high ranking. However, the second-place player isn't Judai or Manjoume, but rather the remarkably low-profile Misawa Daichi. He seems to have devised a perfect method for racking up points and rapidly increasing his ranking. If it weren't for Marufuji Ryo's numerous "helpers," he might have even reached first place without anyone targeting him.

Even during the selection tournament, Judai and Manjoume frequently sparred with each other, resulting in their scores falling short of Misawa and David Rabber, who consistently worked to improve their rankings. Consequently, they were placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Asuka, who ranked sixth, also gained a significant number of points by defeating boys who pursued her, such as Ayanokouji Mitsuru from the tennis club.

The seventh-ranked student is Rachel Mackenzie, from the Western Branch Campus, just like David Labbour. Also a girl, she closely follows Asuka. Their rankings frequently swap due to score increases, suggesting a fierce competition. The eighth-ranked student is a rare sight, representing a school outside the main campus and the Western Branch Campus. Edogawa Yuuri from the Northern Branch Campus barely clings to eighth place. If she can maintain this position until the end of the qualifying rounds, she might have a chance to give the Northern Branch Campus some recognition in the official competition.

The fact that David Labborg achieved third place among so many exchange students from the four branch campuses and all the students from the main campus, even though it was just a points-based selection competition rather than an official competition, shows that he has some ability. That's why he was unwilling to be expelled for being so outstanding.

“Excellent? Do you really think that much?” Hayato looked at David Labbour and shook his head. “Then prove it to me. Pick one of the students who came to the docks. Whoever you think you can beat, challenge him and defeat him to show me how excellent you are. If you can prove your excellence through a duel, I might be willing to rescind my verdict against you.”

Although Marufuji Ryo and Jaden arrived at the dock early in the morning with Hayato to see Saotome Rei off, making it seem like the place was bustling, there were actually only a handful of people at the dock. After all, today was the day the legendary duelist Yugi Muto's deck was to be exhibited, and most people had gone to the exhibition hall to queue up early in the morning.

On the dock, besides the two police officers, Hayato and Professor Chronos, there were only Jaden, Ryo Marufuji, and Rei Saotome who was about to leave. Rei Saotome wasn't a student at the academy, so David Labbum could only choose between Jaden or Ryo Marufuji.

If David Luber can demonstrate the strength to defeat Judai or Ryo Marufuji, Hayato might give him a chance. After all, he only said he would "withdraw his sentence," not that he would exonerate him from his criminal record. This means that when David Luber leaves the Duel Academy after the exchange tournament, he will receive another "surprise" from Hayato.

David Rabb was unaware of this, and immediately looked at the only two students on the dock, pondering who he should choose as his opponent.

First, we can eliminate Ryo Marufuji. Let me state upfront that David Labborg isn't afraid of this "Caesar." Although Fubuki, who was still alive at the time, left David Labborg with a psychological scar from the inter-school exchange competition two years ago, he believes that after two years of growth, he would never lose to Fubuki so easily again if given the chance.

He reiterated that he was not afraid of Caesar, but rather wanted to hold the duel with this "Caesar" in the official competition of the exchange tournament, defeating him in front of the whole world to make a name for himself.

Finally, let me reiterate that I am not afraid of losing to my opponent at all. I am just playing it safe, so I have to choose a weak duelist, and the weaker the better. After all, this duel is a gamble on my future as a student.

However, upon seeing Judai, David Labb couldn't help but frown and hesitate. Although he wasn't a student at the school, he had learned some information about "Judai Yuki," the "bad student" of the Red Dormitory, from other sources over the years.

Nicknames like "The Monster of the Red Dorm" and "The Unspeakable God of Luck" all refer to him. Since enrolling, Yuki Judai has made quite a name for himself within the academy. David Labbour, from the Western branch campus which does not have a dormitory assignment system, would not look down on Judai just because he is from the Red Dorm. Based on the available information, Yuki Judai might be a strong person who can rival Marufuji Ryo!

This is a rather difficult choice...

Just as David Labb was wondering, he suddenly saw a green-haired boy leading two school workers to the dock in the distance, pointing at Professor Chronos and saying, "I knew Professor Chronos would be here."

"Thank you, classmate." After thanking the boy who had led them the way, the two school workers approached Professor Chronos and, under his questioning gaze, whispered something in his ear.

The next moment, Professor Chronos suddenly straightened up, a look of disbelief on his face, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Even the wall is broken? Are you kidding me! When I left yesterday, only the glass was broken!"

—Although when Professor Chronos left the exhibition hall last night, only the glass of the display case was broken, he never imagined that Jonouchi and Saiou had played cards in the exhibition hall later that night and broken countless other things.

While leading two school workers to Professor Chronos, the green-haired boy didn't waste any time. He hurriedly ran towards Judai on the dock and said, "Something big has happened, big brother! Maeda's father came to the school and said he wants to expel Maeda!"

"Sho? What happened to Maeda?" Turning his head and seeing the green-haired boy, Judai couldn't help but show a puzzled expression. Meanwhile, Marufuji Ryo, who had initially thought that Marufuji Sho's "big brother" was calling him, calmly turned around without saying a word.

Before Marufuji Sho could explain to Judai what had happened in detail, David Labborg, who had been hesitating, suddenly pointed at him and said with a confident smile, "Any student at the dock will do, right? Then it's decided on this guy!"

Who else could he be referring to? Only Marufuji Sho was completely bewildered, not knowing what had happened or what the other person meant.

"Xiang!?" X2

When they saw that David Labb had actually chosen Sho Marufuji, Judai and Ryo both showed surprised expressions. They didn't expect that the other party would seize this oversight and choose Sho Marufuji, who later came to the dock. David Labb also smiled smugly.

Compared to Jaden Yuki and Ryo Marufuji, this guy who looks so weak is practically a match made in heaven, and I don’t even know how I could possibly lose!

Chapter 1249 Challenger Triggered

Ryo Marufuji was the first to step forward and say, "Isn't Sho not among the choices offered by Principal Hayato? If it's a duel, I'll take it."

"That's right, Hayato-sensei clearly meant for you to choose between me and Caesar for a duel, it has nothing to do with Sho, right?" Jaden stepped forward and stood between Marufuji Sho and David Labborg.

Marufuji Sho looked completely bewildered, because he had no idea what was going on. As soon as he arrived, the exchange student from another school, whom he had seen a few times at school, pointed at his nose and challenged him to a duel.

Had he been given the wrong directions? Or had he blocked someone's way? Thinking this, Marufuji Sho looked behind him, but couldn't find anyone. It was Saotome Rei who noticed Marufuji Sho's confusion and told him what Hayato had said to David Labbour earlier.

"Eh?!" Marufuji Sho, upon hearing that he was actually the one to duel with that seemingly fierce and domineering exchange student, panicked and took a step back, trying to refuse, "Me? I-I absolutely can't, right?! No, no, no, absolutely not!"

"Oyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

Although Marufuji Sho shook his head vigorously, it wasn't very effective because he wasn't as cute as the "Perfectly Ripe Mango" guitarist who could do the same thing. Instead, it only drew ridicule from David Labb: "Just as he looks, a cowardly, incompetent, and timid nobody."

"But even if you protest, it won't make a difference, right? The condition of choosing an opponent within the 'dock' area wasn't proposed by me, but by your respected principal, wasn't it? Would a dignified Duel King really go back on his word and change the conditions because of some unexpected situation beyond his control?"

The fact that David Labborg dared to use such a sarcastic tone to belittle Hayato shows just how arrogant he is.

Hayato, however, said with great interest, "What can you do to me if I break my promise? You can't challenge Marufuji Sho as your opponent—although I could say that, I'm actually quite interested in whether you can defeat Marufuji Sho."

"So, let's duel, David Rabber and Marufuji Sho! This duel will determine your fate!"

Not only did he not deny David Labb's choice, Hayato even increased the stakes of the duel, upgrading it from "determining David Labb's fate" to "determining the fate of both duelists"—that is, regardless of who wins, the winner will stay in the Duel Academy, while the loser will be expelled!

"W-How could this happen!" Marufuji Sho was on the verge of tears. He had only come to the dock to deliver a message, and he hadn't even used the priority admission ticket for the exhibition that he had managed to get with great difficulty. How did he end up with such bad luck for no reason?

Moreover, there's no way to win against an opponent like that... Looking at David Rabb, who had already put on his Duel Disk and was adjusting his deck, Marufuji Sho was so scared that his legs trembled uncontrollably.

“I’ve always known that Principal Hayato likes to do whatever he wants, but dragging unrelated people into this…” Looking at his younger brother, who hadn’t yet drawn his deck and was just holding the Duel Disk, preoccupied with fear, Ryo Marufuji’s eyes were filled with worry and disappointment. He was worried about Sho Marufuji’s strength and what his chances of winning against David Rabble were, and he was also disappointed that with Sho Marufuji’s current lack of fighting spirit, even if he had a chance, he probably wouldn’t be able to seize it.

While Jaden was equally unwilling to accept that Marufuji Sho would be chosen by David Luber for a duel that would cost him his entire student life, he shouted from the sidelines as Marufuji Sho stood rooted to the spot: "Believe in yourself, Sho! You can definitely beat that guy!"

"Mr. Judai?" Slightly startled by Judai's loud voice, Saotome Rei was also a little puzzled. "But it's impossible, isn't it? Even though I haven't seen either of them duel, I can tell that the short guy from the red dormitory is definitely no match for that exchange student. Because their auras are completely different."

Saotome Rei, who is only eleven years old and in the fifth grade of elementary school, is the same height as Marufuji Sho, but the fact that he can only be compared with elementary school students is enough for Saotome Rei to have enough reason to call him "shorty".

“But Rei, didn’t you mistakenly think that Hayato-sensei was a bad person? Don’t trust what you see with your eyes too much, Rei.” Judai said firmly, “Although we’ve only known each other for less than a year, as Sho’s friend, I know him very well. He’s definitely not a weakling or an idiot, he’s just not confident enough.”

"The problem is that he has no confidence at all right now. Rather, he's so scared that he wants to throw away the Duel Disk."

After David Rabow finished adjusting his deck and inserted it into the Duel Disk, David looked at Marufuji Sho with a dangerous gaze, silently urging him not to waste his time. Marufuji Sho then put on the Duel Disk with trembling hands, hurriedly adjusted his deck, and hastily finished his preparations, unfolding his deck as well. The Duel Disks of both players were now connected.

Seeing this, Saotome Rei remarked, "They've completely lost in terms of momentum, and even their preparations are so perfunctory."

"Isn't it delightful? Because it's obvious, isn't it? I'll win, and you'll lose." After the Life Points were revealed on the Duel Disk, David Rabber calmly drew five cards, looking arrogantly at Marufuji Sho, who was still carefully drawing cards from his hand. "Although you'll be expelled for this, I'll be pardoned. Thinking about it that way, you might be happy that you, a nobody, can actually be of some use."

"Duel".