By the way, I am aware that this first chapter isn't that different from the actual show aside from some subtle changes, but there are more changes to come in later chapters starting with chapter 2.
Jaden was running to school tryouts for Duel Academy. If she passed the exams, she could get into the school for dueling. However, before she could do that, she would have to get to the exams before they closed. She was running so fast that and trying to dodge people she didn't notice that she was about to crash into someone before it was too late.
"Oops. Sorry about that Mr….Yugi! It's good to see you again," Jaden greeted her old friend.
"As am I. So, where are you headed off to in such a hurry?" the King of Games asked the teen.
"I'm heading to the enrollment tryouts for Duel Academy. I need to hurry though or else I won't be able to make it in," Jaden explained.
"Then you better get going. But before you go, I would like for you to have this card. Something tells me that it is better off with you," Yugi said as he handed over a card to Jaden.
Jaden looked at the card and it was Winged Kuriboh. "Thank you, I'll make you and the others proud."
Yugi nodded his head before he walked away. Once he was gone, Jaden remembered that she was heading to the enrollment tryouts and started to run towards the enrollment building.
Jaden arrived at the building and started to climb up a wall on the side of the building. While she was climbing, she heard someone saying to mark all the no shows no shows. Fortunately, Jaden got to the top of the wall just in time.
"Wait! You can count Jaden Yuki as present, thank you. At least, as long as I don't lose my grip," Jaden joked as she hung over the wall.
"All right, if you want to get a test duel, you should head in right away," the man said. "Don't worry about the paperwork. We will fill it in for you."
"Thanks," Jaden said before running inside.
The Duel Academy logo is on a big screen over the stadium; the turquoise-haired kid from earlier isn't looking at it as he breathes a nervous sigh of relief, on the sidelines after his match. Jaden runs up beside him and grabs the railing separating them from the top row of bleachers.
"Haha, wow, look at 'em go!" Jaden cried out.
Below, another test duel is in progress. This applicant, with sleek black hair and sharp grey eyes, is neat in a white school suit, Battle City duel disk, and has 3200 lifepoints. Crowler is watching the match with a satisfied smirk; he likes this one. The students in the stands are watching with interest. We may be seeing the Big Shield Gardna duel from earlier, continuing. The proctor has Big Shield Gardna on the field in defense mode, along with Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, also in defense. The applicant has Vorse Raider in attack mode and a card facedown. The proctor said "Alright, new guy. Multiple choice- Ya got two monsters starin' ya down. Do you, A, throw in the towel; B, beg for mercy; or C, run home to mama!"
The applicant, whose name was Bastion, responded with, "I'll go with "D", none of the above!" Bastion activated his set card.
"A trap?!" the duel proctor was shocked.
"Exactly. You see, with "Ring of Destruction", I can destroy any monster on the field that's in attack mode- and then we both take damage equal to that monster's attack points," Bastion explained. The student destroys his own Vorse Raider. His lifepoints fall to 1300; the Proctor loses all 1900 of his remaining lifepoints. The crowd roars out in excitement.
"Clever move, applicant. Welcome to the Academy," the proctor congratulated Bastion.
"Thank you, O wise proctor," Bastion thanked the proctor. The Proctor's monsters fade from the field. The duel is over.
Up in the stands, a trio of blue-blazered students have just watched the duel conclude. The first to speak has smooth, slate-blue hair and little glasses. "Wow, that guy's pretty good, don'tcha think Chazz?"
The second has spiky brown hair sticking straight up. "Guess the rumors about him being some kinda whiz-kid were true, huh, Chazz? Huh?"
The third, sitting between them, affects a posture of detached disdain; he's the leader of this little cadre of bullies, the other two his halfwit sidekicks, and he's not impressed with the new potential freshmen, not even this one. He has spiky black hair, brown-grey eyes, and exceptionally pale skin. This is Chazz Princeton. "He's a punk. We went to duel prep school for the past three years, we're ready for the Academy. These kids don't know what they're getting into, but they'll learn. The hard way. The Chazz Princeton way!" Chazz said.
"Wow, that last guy really tore it up!" Jaden said.
"Yeah, Bastion Misawa. They say he got the highest score on the written exam of all us applicants," Syrus responded.
"Wow, I just barely passed," Jaden admitted.
"Yeah, me too. My name's Syrus, by the way, nice to meetcha. I kinda have a thing where I get test anxiety; I don't know how I won my match…" Syrus admitted.
"So you're in!" Jaden gave Syrus a friendly slap on the back, startling him.
"Uah!" Syrus cried out.
"Congratulations! I'll be in, too, as soon as I win my duel!" Jaden congratulated.
"Wait. You haven't dueled yet?" Syrus said in shock
"Naw," Jaden admitted.
"Then you might have a problem. I think this was supposed to be the last one!" Syrus revealed.
"Ggh!" Jaden reacted in shock.
The purple-blazered proctors in the teachers' seats are chatting amongst themselves. The first one to speak is one seat to Crowler's left, and he's answered by the guy sitting between him and Crowler. One row up from them is another proctor, wearing sunglasses; one row above him is a glum-looking brunette female proctor, and next to her is another guy proctor wearing sunglasses. "Looks like we have a pretty good crop this year," one proctor said.
"Yes, indeedy." another one of the proctors said.
The man from the parking lot approached Crowler as Crowler closes his book, getting ready to pack up. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but one last applicant has arrived to take his exam, Mister Crowler," the man said.
"Did you just call me Mister?!" Crowler growled in annoyance.
"Oh, sorry, I'm new here, Missus-" the man apologized only to be interrupted.
"I have a PhD in dueling, I've earned the title Doctor, thank you! Now, tell the truant that he'll just have to come back next year."
The proctor who said it was a pretty good crop is the first to object, the second is over to Crowler's right, with grey hair that's pointy in the back like Bastion's, and the third is the one who said 'indeedy'.
"Oh, come on, Doctor Crowler. We have time for one more," the first proctor said.
"Yes, let's give this duelist his chance, another proctor said.
"He was just a bit late, that's all," a third one said.
As they speak, Crowler fumes, then finally explodes. Everyone recoiled, terrified. "LATE IS RUDE! I've no- time- for slackers-" As he stood, ready to do something cruel and arbitrary, his cell phone rang. He answered it irritably. "Hello, and who may I ask is-"
"It's Sheppard," the man on the other side of the line introduced himself.
"Ah, Chancellor Sheppard!" Crowler said in a fake happy tone.
"I just wanted to check in to make sure that you are giving everyone a fair chance to enter into Duel Academy. We don't want a repeat of last year where you eliminated part of the list because they called you "Mrs." Chancellor Sheppard then said under his breath, "Seto Kaiba's still mad about that."
"Oh don't you worry sir, I'll give everyone a fair shot," Crowler responded.
Bastion, the student who won the last exam duel, takes a seat in the top of the bleachers, primly removing his duel disk. "Tight duel, Bastion!" Jaden congratulated the young duelist.
Bastion looked over his shoulder at Jaden, leaning over the divider next to Syrus, then, having satisfied his surprise, answers with aloof modesty. "Thank you."
"From the looks of it, you just might be the second best duelist here!" Jaden complimented.
Bastion gasps, and both he and Syrus stare at Jaden, then they hear another announcement over the loudspeaker, "Jaden Yuki, please report to exam field four."
"That's my cue. Now, can you please pick a number between one through four?" Jaden asked the duo.
"Um, one I guess?" Syrus muttered out nervously.
"Ah! Go-time! Wish me luck, guys!" Jaden started to leave.
"Hey, wait. ...If I'm the second best, who's first?" Bastion asked the young duelist.
"Yours truly! It's what I'm best at!" Jaden said with pure confidence.
Bastion gasps at this blatant declaration, then becomes very pensive. "Wow. He's so sure of himself. I wonder if he's really that good?" Syrus said.
"He's going to need to be; look who he's dueling," Bastion responded.
Four ceiling panels light up above the arena. Down on the field below, the two yellow-jacketed ladies who helped at the sign-in table in the parking lot are helping Jaden's opponent put on his duel disk. They finish and exit the arena to either side as Jaden enters the arena through a rising floor platform, looking around in the wrong direction. Crowler is his opponent. "All right- test time!" Crowler said. "So, son. Your name?"
Jaden finally figures out which direction to face, and snaps to attention. "Uh, Jaden! Jaden Yuki!" Jaden introduced herself.
"Well, uh, Jaden Yuki, I'm Doctor Vellian Crowler, department chair of Techniques here at Duel Academy," the man introduced himself.
"Wow, a department chair, I had no idea!" Jaden said. "From how you were dressed, I was thinking' you were some kinda' weird Academy mascot; like, a majorette, or a cheerleader!" Crowler was not pleased by this.
Meanwhile, up with Chazz's group, the blue haired student said, "Hey, y'know, now that he mentions it…"
"This kid's got *some lip*, huh, Chazz?" The brown haired student said. Chazz, meanwhile was furious with Jaden and how she was acting.
Crowler presses a button on the unusual and futuristic duel disk he's wearing. Crowler called out, "Duel vest on!"
Jaden watches, amazed, as Crowler operates the duel vest. The central piece that houses the deck and graveyard is strapped across his chest with brown leather, and the disk itself can hang from those straps, or, for gameplay, be cradled with one arm, as Crowler is doing now. The button he pressed causes the deck to spit out five cards for an opening hand, and Crowler smoothly catches them. His posture with the duel vest conveys the appearance almost that he is playing a musical instrument with grace and ease. Jaden called out, impressed with the device, "Whoa, pretty sweet, teach! How do I get one a' those cool blue duel blazers?"
"Oh, a lot of hard work and extremely high marks." Crowler explained. He then thought to himself, "Of course, you first have to get into Duel Academy, and I intend to make certain that won't be happening!" Jaden has a big huge goofy grin on her face. Crowler is rebuffed by his exuberance.
"Well, I'm ready!" Jaden called out.
"So let's duel!" Both duelists cry out.
Before she could draw her first card, she heard a coo noise come from her deck. "Winged Kuriboh? Hey, how's it going?" Winged Kuriboh then cooed to Jaden, saying that he was fine. "Great to hear. As for me, I'm about to face off against this proctor that is a guy that looks like a girl."
Crowler, meanwhile, was listening in on the conversation and was not happy at all, not only because this child was talking to himself, but also because he was called a girl. "Can you please just get on with the duel?!" Crowler yelled out in frustration.
"Okay, fine. Sheesh," Jaden draws first, and then says, "Here goes!" Jaden drew E-H Avian, and her hand also contains Monster Reborn, Draining Shield, Hero Signal, Polymerization, and The Warrior Returning Alive. "Sweet! I'm gonna summon, Elemental Hero Avian in defense mode!" E-H Avian is a superhero dressed in green with large, feathery wings. [Elemental Hero Avian 1000/1000/L3/wind]
"Hm." Crowler groaned.
"I'll also throw down a facedown. All right- get your game on!" Jaden calls out. Both duelists' lifepoints stand at 4000, and it's Crowler's turn now.
"Yes, very good." Crowler pretends to be supportive, then mutters, "Don't tell me what to do! Hahahaha…" He draws and examines his options. Crowler then thought to himself, "After all, since I'm using my own personal deck, rather than one of those test ones, I'll be calling all the shots. I'll fail that insolent little brat and send him home in no time." We glimpse Crowler's hand also. He just drew Statue of the Wicked, and his hand contains Ancient Gear Golem, another Statue of the Wicked, Heavy Storm, Confiscation, and a high-level monster called Emes the Infinity. "All right, for this first move I think I'll start nice and easy. I choose to play the spell card- "Confiscation"!"
Jaden looks slightly nervous. Jaden asks, "Okay- so what's it do?"
Crowler responds, "What it does is allow me to pay one thousand lifepoints for the chance to peek at your hand, and toss one of your cards into the graveyard!" Jaden's cards glow, and holographic images of them appear in front of Crowler. "Hm. Oh yes, I remember some of these from back when I was a naïve rookie. Hm, now, which one should I banish? "Monster Reborn", to the graveyard!"
"Agh…" Jaden groans as his card is sent to the graveyard.
"Next I'll lay two cards facedown on the field. And last but not least, I'll play "Heavy Storm"! This spell card destroys every other spell and trap card that's out on the field! Hmhmhmhmhm…" Lots of wind forms, and Jaden's facedown "Draining Shield'' is destroyed, along with both of Crowler's Statue of the Wicked traps.
"Whoopsie! Didja forget that you had two trap cards out on the field yourself?" Jaden reminds Crowler.
Crowler responds by saying, "Hmhm. Now, now- you mustn't speak out of turn, young scholar." Grey, stormy clouds appear around Crowler, as through the two of them are dueling atop an imminent rainstorm.
"Uh... What's happening?" Jaden was curious.
"Nothing's happening. Not yet!" Crowler said in mock reassurance Two golden serpents in masks and headdresses, the images of the Statue of the Wicked cards, appear on Crowler's side of the field. "But that's about to change."
Bastion and Syrus are up where we left them at the edge of the audience, watching the duel. They appear to be sitting near several girls not wearing duel blazers, possibly other applicants. Their reactions to this range from indifference to bug eyes. "Uh, could somebody tell me what's goin' on?" Syrus asked.
"The two trap cards that Doctor Crowler had on the field were called "Statue of the Wicked". It's a special trap that creates a vicious token monster when destroyed. That's why he played "Heavy Storm"," Bastion explained.
"Oh…" Syrus started to understand.
Chazz's group in the bleachers. The lackies look stunned, and Chazz looks smug. "A card that strong couldn't be in one a' the test decks. Crowler must be usin' his own," The blue haired kid said.
"Then this is over. No applicant could beat the deck of an expert like Doctor Crowler," The brown haired kid said.
"Yeah, it's impossible. Don'tcha think, Chazz?"
"Yeah, whadda you think, Chazz?"
"I think I'm gonna enjoy watching Crowler mop the floor with our mouthy little friend down there. Chazz finally answered. "I only wish he'd treated all the other second-rate duelists who applied at this Academy the same way! Heh!"
The pair of older students in blue-trimmed white, on the walkway above the bleachers, are the next to weigh in on this turn of events. "What an elitist snob, bullying some amateur with his very best cards," the girl, named Alexis, said as she was unhappy with the turn of events.
"You're too soft, Alexis," the voice of a male, named Zane, responded to the girl, to the confusion of the girl. "I just hope we get to see that legendary rare monster Crowler has had stashed away in that deck of his."
The field still has a thin halo of smoke, and it dissipates after a moment longer. Crowler then said, "Ready for your next lesson?"
"Haha! You bet! I can't remember the last time learning was this much fun!" Jaden said excitedly.
Crowler isn't sure how to respond to that. The angry doctor then said, "Hm. Yes, well. I'm quite an excellent teacher, thank you. and now I sacrifice my two Wicked Tokens- and summon Ancient Gear Golem!" [Ancient Gear Golem 3000/3000/L8/earth]
Cut-screen. Chazz gasps at the same instant as Bastion and Syrus, all three speechless with awe. The Golem begins to rise from the mist, a robotic colossus made of gears and iron.
"There it is! The legendary rare card!" Alexis says.
Even Zane looks startled. "And I'd say we're about to find out just what makes it so legendary."
Ancient Gear Golem has taken the field, towering over Crowler. Jaden seems kind of stunned, amazed. "Now, now, I hope you're not too scared of my legendary Ancient Gear Golem?" Crowler said in false reassurance.
"Aw, no way! I've always wanted to take one on!" Jaden joyfully reassured.
The crowd gasps as one, unable to believe their ears. Syrus then said, "Ah! Either Jaden's brave or he's nuts!"
Around Chazz, the crowd is agape. He seems almost pleased with this development.
Above his head, Zane and Alexis haven't moved from their vantage point on the walkway. "He's staring down that legendary rare monster like he doesn't have a care in the world! I guess that youth and inexperience have their benefits after all, huh, Alexis?" Zane added in his two cents.
"Come on, give it a rest, Zane. At least the kid's showing some backbone," Alexis reprimanded Zane.
"There won't be much left of it to show after this…," Zane cynically added on.
"Ahahaha! Golem, atta-a-a-ck! Mechanized Melee!" Crowler cries out. The gears in Golem's face start to whir; it cranks back one massive first, and punches straight for E-H Avian. Jaden's monster is smashed.
"Aw, Jaden's monster didn't stand a chance! His defense points were way too low! This isn't looking good." Syrus showed concern.
"And it's about to look a lot worse. When that Ancient Gear Golem attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference between its attack points and the defending monster's defense points gets dealt to the opponent as damage," Bastion explained.
"But that would mean... Jaden's lifepoints are going to take a hit!" Syrus realized.
And the giant metal fist turns on Jaden, and the hologram punches right through him; his lifepoints drop from 4000 to 2000, leaving him momentarily winded. His shoulders are shaking. "Hahahaha! Don't feel bad, this is the top dueling school in the country! Some people simply aren't... cut out... for…," Crowler was saying only to be interrupted by Jaden.
During the last few words, Crowler has started to notice that Jaden isn't crying- he's laughing! "Haha! Boy, I really wanna come to this school now! You really know your stuff, teach!"
Crowler then thought to himself, "Rggh, can't he take a hint?! He will not be allowed to pass this exam! And he certainly won't be permitted to make a mockery of my deck!"
Jaden was thinking to herself, "Just look at 'im tremble! He must really be impressed by me!" As Jaden reaches for her deck to draw her next card, she hears a faint coo, just like before. "Huh? What was that?" She draws; it's the little brown furry creature with the wings. "Huh? Oh, it's you!" As Jaden stares at the card Yugi gave her, the wings begin to glow. "Y'know, somethin's starting to tell me that Yugi was right!" She looks at the card a moment more, and the picture winks at her. "Um, all right! I'll take that as a sign to play ya. Yeah- definitely!" Jaden then proceeded to say aloud, "Okay, I summon Winged Kuriboh, in defense mode! And I'll place one card facedown! Not bad, huh, teach?" [Winged Kuriboh 300/200/L1/] Winged Kuriboh proceeded to coo to Jaden as he faced her, showing concern that she was losing. "Oh, you're worried that I'm losing. Heh, don't worry. I'll turn things around soon enough."
Crowler proceeded to take joy in the fact he was about to win, "Ahahahahahaha! No, not bad, but you must understand I'm a master technician. A Kuriboh, to me, is rather pedestrian. Even one with wings, you see, its defense points are still no match for my Ancient Gear Golem. It's a textbook mistake, don't feel bad. Now let's proceed. With the legend'ry- Ancient Gear Golem! Attack that Kuriboh with Mechanized Melee!" Golem attacks, and destroys Winged Kuriboh. Jaden shields his eyes from the blast. The shards turn to little sparkles in the air.
"Sorry, Winged Kuriboh…" Jaden apologized in her head.
"Hmph. Check your gear, your lifepoints haven't changed." Crowler sneered.
"My gear's fine. On the turn Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, I take zero damage." Jaden explained. Crowler is thunderstruck; he didn't know that!
"How 'bout that, a technique the good Doctor didn't know," Alexis said in awe.
"No one can be expected to know every technique, Alexis! Especially one as obscure as that," Zane was unimpressed.
"Yeah? Well, that kid sure knew it," Alexis defended.
Jaden picks up Winged Kuriboh from her duel disk and puts it in the graveyard slot. Crowler then grumbled in annoyance, "Fine, fine, I guess your lame little monster saved you there."
"Hey, slow down there, teach! You may've beat 'im, but that doesn't give you the right to call 'im lame!" Jaden countered.
"Oh yes, I forgot how attached you new duelists get to your monsters, I'm sorry," Crowler said sarcastically.
"Yeah? Well you should be, because by attacking my Winged Kuriboh, you set off a trap card! One a' my favorites, too! "Hero Signal"!" The trap reveals, and shoots a beam of light into the ceiling above the field, emblazoning a glowing letter H in the sky above the field. "And that brings out my second Elemental Hero! Burstinatrix!" Jaden pulls this card straight out of the middle of her deck. Crowler winces as an unnatural red fire flashes into existence in one of Jaden's monster card spaces. Amid the flames, this fire-themed superhero appears, a lady in a shiny red catsuit, boots, and gloves. The edges of her black hair are white, like burned charcoal, and she wears a gold helmet. [Elemental Hero Burstinatrix 1200/800/L3/] "My turn!" Jaden draws; it's Skyscraper. "All right, Winged Kuriboh, this next one's gonna be for you." She looks at the rest of her hand: The Warrior Returning Alive, Polymerization, and now Skyscraper. "Here goes nothin'. First off, I'm gonna bring back Avian to my hand with the spell card "The Warrior Returning Alive"! And now, I'm gonna summon him to the field!"
Crowler then said condescendingly, "Oh, okay, another amateurish mistake. But this is good, this is good. Now, would anyone like to tell me what our little friend did wrong here-" Crowler was suddenly interrupted by Jaden.
"Actually, I wasn't done yet. See, I know my two heroes aren't very powerful by themselves. But, if I can form them together it's another story! And I have just the card to unite them!" Jaden shows Polymerization.""Polymerization"! Join Avian and Burstinatrix! Fusion summon! There he is- the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" [Elemental Hero Flame Wingman 2100/] Flame Wingman, a melding of fire and wind, looks more alien. He has one huge feathery wing, and the other shoulder is all red scales and muscle, culminating in a dragon's head for a right arm. He has a long, red reptilian tail and talons for feet. "I hope your Gear Golem is ready for a clash a' the titans!"
"So. Teach. Whaddaya think?" Jaden confidently asked.
Crowler said in a false impressed way, "I think you're dueling very well, for an amateur, but next time try playing a monster that has more attack points than what's already out?"
"What's he mean?" Syrus was confused.
"He means that Wingman's attack points are no match for his Golem's three thousand. Shame, too, because when the Wingman destroys a monster, that monster's attack points are dealt as damage to its owner," Bastion explained to Syrus.
"Wait, you mean they're deducted right out of his lifepoints? Oh, that would've been a great way for Jaden to turn things around," Syrus was surprised, yet disappointed.
"Well, if your friend's as good as he says he is, he might still find a way."
"Wow, did we really seem like friends?"
"All right, young scholar. I don't mean to rush you, but I am a busy man. Are you done yet?" Crowler was getting impatient.
"Of course I'm not done yet! And of course, I knew my Wingman had less attack points than your Golem. That's why I have this."Skyscraper"!" Jaden says as she plays her spell card. She throws it into the field spell slot on the end of his duel disk. "Go!" The ground around Jaden starts to shimmer with iridescent light, and tall buildings begin to shoot up from the floor of the entire arena like fast-growing trees. Before we know it, Jaden and Crowler are dueling on a cityscape of humongous buildings, lit by the illuminated windows and the full moon above the tallest building. Some of the buildings are taller than Ancient Gear Golem is, standing on the ground, and some aren't. Flame Wingman, in his element, can be seen standing on the tip of the metal spire atop the tallest building, silhouetted by the moon. "All right, Flame Wingman! Go show those heroics- and attack that Ancient Gear Golem!" Flame Wingman faces his foe, below him in the streets of the city, and leaps into a glide.
"Fine with me! Bring him on! This silly little Skyscraper field card hasn't lowered my Golem's attack level by one point!" Crowler responds overconfidently. Flame Wingman continues his dive, darting between buildings too quick to be seen. He lands on the ground in front, then kicks off, soaring high into the air above Gear Golem's head.
"Y'know what, teach? You're right! This Skyscraper field hasn't lowered your Golem's attack points; what it's done is raise my Elemental Hero Wingman's, by a grand total of- one thousand!" Jaden explained.
"Wait! Time out!" Crowler's mood went from confident to panicked.
"Go! Skydive Scorcher!" Jaden calls out. Flame Wingman has hit the top of his upward arc, and his attack points soar to 3100 as he flips and dives straight downward, beginning to flame around the edges like a meteor, heading right for Gear Golem. Crowler is freaked, wringing his hair in agony as Flame Wingman collides with Gear Golem. The crowd collectively gasps. Huge explosion of golden light, with lots of smoke. Debris is raining down on Crowler.
"This can't be! He was my very best card!" Crowler yells in horror. A small block of falling concrete beans him on the head. Wingman lands nimbly next to Jaden.
"And 'cause a' my Wingman's super power, the attack points of that Golem are dealt straight to your lifepoints. Sweet, huh?" Jaden poses as she says this.
Crowler, already carrying a piece of concrete on his head and looking like a doofus, is just stunned. "No way...!" Gear Golem begins to creak; it's going to fall over! Crowler yelps and frantically looks around, looking for some way to take cover. Golem tilts, and collapses right on top of him. "Aaaagh!" Crowler can be seen under the pile of scrap metal, mussed and defeated. His lifepoints go to zero.
Jaden gives him a jaunty two-fingered salute and winks. "That's game! So I guess I passed the test- huh, teach?" Flame Wingman fades, the skyscrapers disappear, and so does the pile of metal. They're back in the test arena, and Crowler is lying on the field, completely shell-shocked.
"Impossible... there's no way this delinquent could defeat me," Crowler says, outraged. Jaden is jumping up and down on the field, cheering back at the crowd.
Chazz's toadies are agape. Chazz is even more thunderstruck; his eyes are wide, intense, almost frightened. "It must be dumb luck...! No way Crowler could lose to some flunky!" Chazz tries to brush it off.
"That kid's got a future here. Wow!" Alexis says, impressed with Jaden. She glances over to see if Zane agrees. He turns and walks away.
"Hmph." Zane responds.
"All right! Yeah, Jaden!" Syrus cheers her on.
Even Bastion is smiling. Bastion then thinks to himself, "Nice. I could use a little competition."
"I made the Academy!" Jaden says as she blows a kiss to the audience. "Mwah! I'm in! I'm in! Haha!" She picks up a card from the duel disk on her arm and looks at it; it's Winged Kuriboh. "We're both in. And from here on out, you and I will be partners." Kuriboh winks back, and we can hear a quiet coo.
Winged Kuriboh was jumping for joy, happy that he was able to help Jaden to win the duel and enter the academy.
"Guess what, Peggy? I managed to get into Duel Academy! Isn't that great?!" Jaden cried out in excitement to her adoptive father on the other line. Her adoptive father asked if she told anyone else yet. "Nope, I haven't told anyone else yet. I'll call them now. Oh, and by the way, how did CJ do on his exams?" Her adoptive father responded by answering yes, he did pass his exams. "That's good to hear. Well, I should go ahead and call the others. Bye!"