Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

Principal Samejima, looking embarrassed, rubbed his thumb while glancing at the two people in front of him.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "...Um, Prince Auchin is the next king of the Serpent God Kingdom, um... he's a member of the World Government..."

Subconsciously, Principal Samejima wanted to make some excuses, but under the scrutinizing gazes of Professor Chronos and Coach Napoleon, he finally forced himself to admit his mistake: "Uh, okay... it was indeed me who invited him over here, I was wrong..."

Ultimately, if he had refused King Jai's request and hadn't invited Prince Auchin, none of this would have happened.

Objectively speaking, he was not a very good principal; he was not as responsible as Miss Jie, who had temporarily served as the acting principal.

At least during the time Miss Jie was the principal, none of these messy and troublesome things happened.

"Um..."

Seeing that Principal Samejima had adopted an attitude of admitting his mistake, Professor Chronos exchanged a glance with Coach Napoleon, nodded in satisfaction, and then took out a pre-prepared list, holding it up in front of the bald principal: "I remember... Prince Aukin wasn't on the original list, was he? What's going on?"

Rei Saotome, who won the GX championship, was not actually on the list. She was included in the list of contestants who joined later, but everyone tacitly avoided mentioning it.

"...Actually, it was the King of the West's request. He begged me to bring Prince Auchin here to the Duel Academy. At the time, he was followed by a large group of students he had bewitched. I didn't think too much about it and agreed to his request..."

Feeling somewhat guilty, Principal Samejima dared not look Professor Chronos in the eye. As he spoke, he subconsciously turned his head away and looked at the wall to the side.

At that time, he was thinking that if he refused the King of the West, would the King of the West directly break off relations and let the students attack him?

Ultimately, he did chicken out.

"...So? Have you realized your mistake, Principal?"

Professor Chronos, with his handsome face resembling the "Pot of Greed," moved closer to Principal Samejima's face and continued to press for answers.

"Hmm... I was also a member of the Society of Light, and I assisted Saiou in destroying the world... I was wrong..."

Bowing his head to the two of them, Principal Samejima finally admitted his mistake with a bitter expression.

Regardless, as the principal of the Duel Academy, he bears an undeniable responsibility for the riots caused by Saiou.

Fortunately, thanks to the intervention of Yusei and his friends, the matter was brought to a safe conclusion.

People in society are unaware that the world was almost destroyed and that they had actually walked on the edge of death; they continue to live their lives as usual.

Not many people knew the inside story behind this incident, so naturally, not many people sought to hold anyone accountable. Everyone tacitly agreed to treat it as if it never happened.

"...The principal also bears responsibility for this incident."

"After condemning him so much, our stance has become more stable~"

"That's right, that's exactly it~~~ Hehehehehehe..."

Walking down the deserted corridor, Professor Kronos and Coach Napoleon, having left the principal's office, glanced at each other, their faces simultaneously displaying expressions of perfect planning.

With this reprimand, Principal Samejima, who had been in the wrong in front of the two of them, could no longer order them around at will based on his own position.

Ultimately, we're all in the same boat, all sharing the same secret.

……

"The public has treated the launch of the 'Sura' satellite as an accident, and President Kaiba personally took responsibility for the incident on my behalf... so no one has connected this matter with Duel Academy."

"Could this be considered... a sign of societal wisdom?"

After Professor Chronos and Coach Napoleon left, Principal Samejima stood up, went to the transparent floor-to-ceiling window, and looked in the direction of Osiris's Red Dormitory.

Through the floor-to-ceiling window, his eyes seemed to see the figure of Yusei.

"However, I know very well that the people who saved the world were Osiris Red Yusei and his team... It was their deep love for dueling that saved this world from a crisis."

The "King of the Seven Stars" and "Disorder of the Phantom Demon" incidents in the past, caused by Chairman Kagemaru, and the "Light of Destruction" incident caused by Saiou.

Thanks to the intervention of Yusei and his group, these crises were able to be weathered safely.

The stronger the opponent, the more their potential is unleashed, and the more they grow...

"...If we could invite Professor Cobra, who recently gained considerable fame, to come here, it would surely elevate our students' level to another level, wouldn't it?"

Principal Samejima took out his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. It showed the image of a middle-aged man with a sharp pompadour, dark skin, a serious face, and a strong, soldier-like physique. He looked like he was good at playing cards.

That is none other than the outstanding teacher who has recently made a name for himself at the Duel Academy—Professor Cobra.

……

"...Judai? Where are you? Judai?"

"The person I love deeply... Judai Yuki..."

In some unknown space.

From the void of darkness, a series of calls suddenly rang out, filled with a multitude of emotions including resentment, longing, and remembrance.

As the voice rang out, a terrifying creature, resembling a flower seed and similar in appearance to a parasitic plant, emerged from the darkness and opened its single, terrifying eye, which occupied most of its body.

An indescribable negative emotion spread wildly in all directions as my eyes opened.

Having traversed vast distances across the universe and endured countless long and agonizing nights, "it" finally gained the opportunity to see the person it deeply loved, as it had always wished.

Judai, Yujo Judai...

My beloved... my light of life!

I'll be coming to find you right away!!!

After that, as his eyes closed again, the terrifying aura that had permeated the surroundings vanished without a trace.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

……

"...On October 11th, they apparently sailed safely to the waters near the Duel Academy."

"The boat specially prepared for our trip by Haima Group is very comfortable."

"However, the only flaw is that there are only 5 passengers on this luxurious cruise ship, and there is almost no sign of any living people."

“And one of them was me, Amon Garlem.”

"The other few... The second person I met was [Jim Claudel Cook, let's just call him Jim]. He was a strange man who lived with crocodiles, practically inseparable from them, even strapping them to his body when he walked, and who liked to take afternoon naps in the sun."

Beneath the boundless azure sky lies a calm and undisturbed deep blue sea.

On the seemingly boundless Pacific Ocean, a luxurious cruise ship is slowly and steadily sailing in a certain direction.

On a deck near the bridge of the cruise ship, a young man with spiky hair, square-framed glasses, a strong and muscular build, and a smile was observing his surroundings while recording the daily events that had occurred over the past period.

"...The third and fourth people are the recently famous Professor Cobra, and Austin O'Brien, who is with him. Both of them are black foreigners who look like they are from military backgrounds. They may be from the same place... In any case, these two people almost never leave their rooms."

"I tried to talk to them, but I didn't get any response. These two aren't people who like to communicate."

Amon paused for a moment after recording this, then continued with a smile, "As for the last fifth person... let's call him [Ghost] for now."

"...Although this person is on the list, there is actually no Ghost on this ship."

"Heh, in any case... once we get to the Duel Academy, we'll naturally find out his identity."

After the bespectacled, spiky-haired youth, Amon Garlem, finished recording the known information about the five guests on the ship, the island where the Duel Academy was located appeared at the horizon.

After seeing the distant islands through the binoculars and the silhouette of the Duel Academy standing at the foot of the volcano, Amon stopped recording and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Duel Academy...

That will be the best stage for him to showcase his talents and realize his own plans.

661 John of the Jewel Beast

The five people who came to the Duel Academy this time were representatives from the four branch schools in the east, west, south and north, as well as Professor Cobra, who was specially invited by Principal Samejima.

The moment Amon finished recording, as if sensing that the destination was about to be reached, Jim, who had been leisurely sunbathing in a chair, suddenly stood up and picked up the crocodile beside him—whom he called "Karen," as if she were family.

"...Duel Academy! It's beautiful!!!"

Jim, who walked onto the deck with Karen, squinted and gazed at the Duel Academy in the distance.

Unlike Amon's light attire, Jim was dressed more like a cowboy from the West.

Half of his face, including one eye, was obscured by the cowboy hat he wore and white bandages, making it impossible to see what was actually happening beneath.

With this unusual attire, revealing only half an eye, he whistled and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Although he didn't have the same strong sense of purpose as Amon, he was still full of expectations for the Duel Academy headquarters.

at the same time.

In a dark room at the bottom of the ship's cabin, in the rest area, the fourth person, O'Brien, sat alone like a lone wolf, wiping his deck one card at a time.

Having been in a state of high tension for a long time, even though he was temporarily out of danger, he was still habitually preparing for battle.

He took out his golden Duel Disk, which looked like a gun, placed his cleaned deck into the magazine-like deck area, then turned his back to the door, unfolded the Duel Disk, and quickly assumed a fighting stance.

Tuk-tuk-tuk...

Suddenly, O'Brien, who was in a fighting stance, heard a regular knocking on the door.

"……who is it?"

"it's me."

"……I see."

Upon hearing the knock, O'Brien cautiously inquired about the person's identity, and the person, after a brief pause, quickly responded.

O'Brien, who recognized the voice instantly, narrowed his eyes, then put away his duel disk, opened the door, and looked at the person who had entered.

"Professor Cobra, you've arrived."

"Yes, I came to see you."

Standing in front of O'Brien's door was Professor Cobra, whom Amon referred to as the third person.

Like O'Brien, he came from the West Branch of Duel Academy. At the invitation of Principal Samejima, he came here with representatives from various branches.

O'Brien, representing the western branch, was his most prized student, or rather, his most outstanding achievement.

Seeing O'Brien open the door, Professor Cobra, with his hands behind his back, nodded slightly and then stepped into the room.

Even though there was no one else around, the two still habitually surveyed their surroundings before closing the door and entering the room.