Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Wanted to let you know before reading this particular chapter, that what you're about to read is not my writing. Full credit for this goes to Blackbird's_Fallen_Angel who's been helping me with the story, and has given his full permission to add this in. You can find this story on AO3 under the title: A New Hero-Jackson's Journey.
I would add a link, but somehow I'm unable to.
With that, I hope you all enjoy!
North Academy. Located in the northernmost portion of Alaska just beyond the Arctic Circle, this institution has dedicated itself to training the next generation of Duelists. Prioritizing power and individual strength as a way to further their own goals, students are encouraged, even explicitly told to take every advantage they can in a duel with their peers. There is only way to advance in this school: beat everyone. If a Duelists can't, then they'll stagnate in the lower ranks and will go nowhere as a result. Just about everyone who attended North Academy appreciated the "survival of the fittest" mentality, embracing their own inner do-or-die natures. Everyone but a select few. One of these students was Jackson Corvus.
The young man stepped out of his cabin in the Snow Caps area of North Academy, the most prestigious housing area in the entire complex. As only the top 10% of the best students in North Academy could reside here, the population was already limited, though Jackson would attribute that more to the lackluster average skill level around campus. Jackson's skill put him here. His skill and his Dragons. Ask him, though, and he'll say it was the abysmal skill of everyone else at the academy save for a select few duelists who deserved better.
His black blazer and matching shirt were his customary attire, and his dark blue jeans and boots finished off the look. He looked up into the sky, shielding his crimson eyes from the harsh sun before slipping on a set of amber-tinted aviator sunglasses.
"Great. More snow. You'd think there'd be enough of the stuff around here," Jackson muttered, brushing some fresh powder from his sandy-blond hair as he headed down towards the main area of the Academy. Barely in the middle of his first year at North Academy, Jackson had already defeated everyone there was to beat in the complex, save for the eccentric headmaster of the Academy, Chancellor Foster, though only because the odd old man with an even odder hair style utterly refused to fight his students.
Jackson had celebrated his 17th birthday barely a month earlier, and celebrated the only way he knew how: cooking up a storm of recipes from his native New Orleans and enjoying each one with his three Spirit Partners at his side, Felgrand Dragon, Decoy Dragon, and Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand.
In spite of all his victories, all his triumph, there was one singular word that could epitomize Jackson: boredom. The Undefeated Dragon Champion was, in no uncertain terms, bored out of his mind. If no duelist on the frozen tundra of North Academy could offer a challenge, how was he supposed to improve or even enjoy his victories? But all that was soon to change.
"What? The School Duel?" Jackson asked the one duelist he actually enjoyed dueling. The energetic young man he was talking to nodded emphatically, his southern drawl coming through with each word he spoke.
"Yeah! Duel Academy has issued its yearly challenge, and this year they're picking first-year students! That means you and me could be headlining! I can already see it now! Jesse Anderson, School Duel Champion!"
"Uh, Jess, I think you've been using too much hair dye. If anyone is gonna be School Duel Champion, the odds of it being anyone from this sorry excuse for a school are slim to none." Jackson jabbed his thumb at the local Russian brute, currently in his favored seat. "You'd have better luck seeing Czar out of his rocking chair!"
The two young men laughed, sparking a growl from the muscular Siberian native. "I heard that!"
"You were supposed to, Granny!" Jackson fired back. Czar sat back down and grumbled, unwilling to press further, knowing that it would inevitably end with a duel against the Undefeated Dragon Champion, and another loss on his own scorecard.
Jesse grins broadly as the two approach the back half of the campus near their preferred dueling grounds. "Well, you are aware that the format has changed, right? There's still gonna be the standard one v one duel for the school's honor, but they're also gonna have a Tag Duel, followed up by the team captains going one on one. And guess who's been selected as the team to represent North Academy?"
Jackson skidded to a halt, a small puff of snowy powder kicking up at his feet. "Jess, tell me you're not gonna say what I think you're gonna say…."
Jesse turned to his friend and smiled almost apologetically. "Sorry, bud, but we've been chosen. And don't make any cracks about hair dye. You know full well I'm a natural Blue."
"Jess, you should've told me about this earlier! You know school spirit isn't exactly my thing, especially with this dump. How can I be expected to be a good representative of the so-called power around here when everyone else is barely at the level of a predueler? Present company excluded, Mister Runner-Up." Jack grins, slipping on his Academy Duel Disk and slotting his deck in place.
"Well, if you won't duel for the school, then duel for your pride as the Undefeated Dragon Champion! I mean, that's gotta be worth something, right? Or are you all talk?" Jesse grinned, seeing his minor taunt already making Jackson's eye twitch in annoyance. "Let's consider this match here to be for the top spot on our team? Winner becomes captain, loser buys at the mess hall?"
Jackson smirks and shrugs, holding up his disk as the two Duelists prepare to go to war, their Spirit Partners anxious for the battle to come. "Looks like lunch is on you then."
The two young men grin, shouting simultaneously
"DUEL!"
JESSE ANDERSON - 4000 LP
JACKSON CORVUS - 4000 LP
"I'll take the first move, Jack!" Jesse declares, drawing his sixth card and smiling broadly. "Alright! I'll start with this! Come on out, Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!"
A large Mammoth appeared before Jesse, trumpeting grandly at its own entrance before staring Jackson down from across the field.
Amber Mammoth:
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / BEAST / 1700 ATK / 1600 DEF
"... What? You're not still mad at me for what happened last time, are you?" Jackson asked the spirit, prompting it to trumpet again in an affirmative. "... Okay, maybe you are… would a bag of peanuts make up for it?"
Jesse laughs softly before slipping another card into his Disk. "I'll follow up my summon with the spell card Rainbow Bridge! With this, I can search my deck for a 'Crystal' spell or trap! And I'll be going for Crystal Abundance!" Jesse grins and adds the new card to his hand before popping out the Field Zone of his disk and slotting in another card. "Up next, how about a change of scenery? Welcome to the Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!"
Jackson was grateful for what happened next. The frozen tundra around them began to change, replaced with a Greco-Roman theater, complete with a glorious rainbow arcing across the blue sky above.
"I'll kick out a face down card, and I'll let ya off with that. You're up, Jack!"
"Going for your 'Abundant OTK' I see." Jackson thinks to himself, grinning as he pulls his sixth card and scans his hand before pulling a card from it and slotting it into his Disk. "I activate Dragon Shrine! With this, I can send one Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard, then, if that Dragon was a Normal Monster, I can send one more! For starters, I'll send the Gemini Monster Darkstorm Dragon to the grave, and since Gemini are treated as Normals in the Graveyard, I can also send Arkbrave Dragon! Next up, I'll be summoning out Dragon Knight of Creation!"
Jackson grinned as a humanoid figure clad in gold armor and sporting a blade large enough to be the fang of an ancient Dragon, the double-edged sword being easily as tall as the knight himself. The knight lept into existence before Jackson, a flowing mane of crimson hair trailing behind him.
Dragon Knight of Creation:
LIGHT / LEVEL 4 / DRAGON / 1800 ATK / 600 DEF
"Battle! This won't win me any favors here, but Dragon Knight of Creation! ATTACK AMBER MAMMOTH!"
The draconic knight nods and jumps skyward, bringing his sword down on the mammoth beast, cleaving it in two before it shatters into pixels.
JESSE - 4000 LP 3900 LP
As Jesse's LP drops, Jackson smiles and holds his hand out. "Now, since he destroyed a monster in battle and sent it to the Graveyard, Dragon Knight of Creation gets to fire off a neat little skill…"
"Sorry to cut you off there, Jack, but I'm chaining this trap to your monster's effect! Specifically the Trap Card Crystal Pair! With this, when a Crystal Beast on my field is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can take a Crystal Beast from my deck and place it in my Spell and Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell. So, I'll go with Topaz Tiger!" Jesse slots the chosen card into his back row, prompting a lustrous yellow topaz ore to appear at Jesse's right hand.
"Well, looks like now I can resolve my effect. Since Dragon Knight of Creation destroyed a monster you control and sent it to the Graveyard, I can send one level seven or eight Dragon from my Deck to my own Graveyard! Darkblaze Dragon, you're who I chose." Jackson sends the selected card to his Graveyard, then takes three cards from his hand and slots them into his Disk. "I'll set three cards, and call it a turn. You're up Jess!"
Jesse nods and draws his top card, glancing at it and grinning even wider as a result. "Alright! I activate Crystal Bond! Now I can add one Crystal Beast from my Deck to my Hand, then another Crystal Beast can go from my Deck right to my Spell and Trap Zone. I'll add up Sapphire Pegasus, and set Cobalt Eagle!" Jesse grinned with a broad self-satisfied smile as a second gemstone ore materialized in front of him, just before a horned Pegasus soared down from the sky, braying proudly as it stomped the ground before it. "I'm sure you two have already met, but say hello to Sapphire Pegasus!"
Sapphire Pegasus:
WIND / LEVEL 4 / BEAST / 1800 ATK / 1200 DEF
Jackson grins and waves to the mythical beast, the two previously acquainted. The Pegasus bows its head regally, remembering his adversary from previous encounters.
"Since you two already met, I don't think I need to explain his special ability. But just in case you forgot, here's how it goes! When Sapphire Pegasus is Summoned, I can take a Crystal Beast from my Hand, Deck, or Graveyard, and place it in my Spell and Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell! Amber Mammoth, welcome back!" Jesse hollers, slotting the card into his Disk and materializing a caramel-colored Amber ore in his back row. Jesse's grin grows wider as he pulls another Spell Card from his hand. "Up next, don't space out on me, because I'm activating Dark Hole!"
Jackson winced as a singularity spawned in the middle of the field, drawing both Dragon Knight of Creation and Sapphire Pegasus into its depths, only for Sapphire Pegasus to bray loudly and vanish in a beam of light, sending itself to Jesse's Spell and Trap Zone, materializing in the form of a brilliant blue Sapphire ore. Jackson smirked, seeing Jesse's plan laid out before him.
'So that's it, huh? Sapphire Pegasus saved himself by jumping into his back row. Now there's four Crystal Beast ores. Pretty clever, Jess.' Jackson thought to himself as the singularity faded, leaving Jesse smiling broadly. "But not clever enough!" Jackson roared, smiling as he triggered one of his facedown cards. "In response to Sapphire Pegasus' ability resolving, I activate Oasis of Dragon Souls!"
Jesse's eyes widened, his plan about to crumble before him.
"With Oasis, I can resurrect a monster from my Graveyard in defense mode. ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT, ARKBRAVE DRAGON!"
Jesse blinked and covered his eyes, letting out a gasp as a burst of light shown behind Jackson. From the brilliant light flew a gold-and-white scaled dragon, roaring its presence and spreading its four wings wide in a show of power.
Arkbrave Dragon:
LIGHT / LEVEL 7 / DRAGON / 2400 ATK / 2000 DEF
As Arkbrave Dragon hovered behind his duelist he started thrashing his wings harder, kicking up a windstorm in the process.
"Arkbrave Dragon's Special Ability! When he's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, he banishes all face-up Spells and Traps you control, and he gains 200 ATK for each one!"
Jesse paled, deflating at the reality before him. "You mean…"
"Yeah, that means your Crystal Beast collection and Rainbow Ruins aren't going to be around much longer." True to Jackson's word, the four Crystal Beast ores and Rainbow Ruins were soon blown away by the windstorm, and Arkbrave Dragon roared mightily at his newfound power.
Arkbrave Dragon:
2400 ATK 3400 ATK
The two young men shivered, suddenly remembering where they were now that the stone amphitheatre and sunny sky had faded away, replaced with North Academy's permafrost and Sub-Zero temperatures. After seeing his entire combo come crashing down, as well as most of his favorite cards, Jesse didn't seem deterred in the slightest. If anything, he seemed even more hyped up.
"Nice little trick there, Jack. But come next turn, you'll be the one on the ropes. I set a card, and end my turn." The second Jackson's turn began, Jesse's facedown card went face-up. "I activate Crystal Cut! By sending a Crystal Beast from my Deck to my Graveyard, I can cut one of your Monster's ATK in half. This'll spare me until next turn, and when that comes, I'll-"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Jess, but there is no next turn. It ends here. I activate my face-down card! Return of the Dragon Lords!" Jackson's second set card went upright, the Spell Card shining a brilliant blue before turning red and erupting in flames, a column of crimson fire soaring into the sky and materializing into another Dragon, this one nearly identical to Arkbrave Dragon, with the only difference between the two being the black and red scales on the newer dragon.
Darkblaze Dragon:
FIRE / LEVEL 7 / DRAGON / 1200 ATK / 1000 DEF
"You probably already know, but Return allows me to Special Summon a level 7 or 8 Dragon from the Graveyard. You may remember Darkblaze Dragon from the last time Czar challenged me, the look on his face when I summoned a level 7 monster with 1200 ATK? Remember how surprised he was when… this happened?" Jackson snapped his fingers and Darkblaze Dragon roared powerfully, his body beginning to glow with an iridescent flaming red Aura. "When Darkblaze is Summoned from the Graveyard, his ATK and DEF double."
Darkblaze Dragon:
1200 ATK 2400 ATK / 1000 DEF 2000 DEF
"So, like I said, Jess, it's game over. Battle! Arkbrave Dragon and Darkblaze Dragon! Direct Attack!"
The twin dragons roared in unison, unleashing a crimson blaze from their maws that swirled and combined into one single stream of flame, engulfing Jesse in an instant.
Jesse Anderson - 3900 LP 0 LP
A few minutes later, Jackson had helped his friend up off the snowy ground
"I can't believe you had me scouted that far ahead." Jesse groaned, his hands behind his head as he walked towards the mess hall, prepared to make good on the previous bet. "What, from turn one you knew?"
"Pretty much." Jackson grinned and chuckled. "I mean, you did search it out turn one with Rainbow Bridge. The rest was just waiting for you to commit to it."
Jesse stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Jackson with mouth agape. "You… you baited me. Those three back row cards…" Jesse grinned and punched Jackson's shoulder. "YOU BAITED ME!"
"Hehe, well, I knew you needed at least three of my cards to be destroyed for your combo to work," Jackson replied, rubbing his arm where his friend slugged him. "So I kinda… gave you the three you wanted. Slight advice for next time, though, aim more for monsters than back row to destroy with Abundance. You never know who could have a trap waiting." Jackson smiled, patting Jesse on the back as they headed into the mess hall.
After a lavish meal, begrudgingly paid for by Jesse, Jackson and his friend parted ways for the day. As the two head to their respective cabins in the Snow Caps, Jackson made a detour past the housing area, making his way off campus toward a small wooded area. He pulled out the small scraps of rare beef he'd saved from lunch, unwrapping them from the Loosely wrapped napkin that contained them.
"Hope y'all are hungry. I've got a special treat for you today…" Jackson spoke softly as he approached a snowy hill that had what appeared to be a hole dug into the side. At the sound of his voice, a small white fox tentatively poked its head out of the hole, soon joined by a couple more young cubs. Jackson smiled, setting the pieces of meat by the opening to the den and took a few steps away, sitting on a nearby rock as the cubs came out and ate the offered snack. The kits were soon joined by a larger fox, clearly female, her snow-white fur smooth and elegant, her motions deliberate. She looked at Jackson with her eyes as blue as pure ice and appeared to nod a thank-you to him, a gesture he returned as she joined her cubs in eating the meal he had brought them.
This small family of foxes had been in Jackson's care for the last two months ever since he saw the skinned body of a male fox less than 20 feet from the den, apparently the father of the family, clearly the victim of poachers. Since then, he'd been doing what he could to earn the trust of the mother, and bringing them food whenever he could. Only Jesse and he knew about this particular family of foxes, and Jackson hoped to keep it that way until the kits could fend for themselves a bit better. As is, the kits couldn't be more than four months old, so that time was soon approaching.
Jackson spent a few minutes with the cubs, watching them play wrestle before heading back into their den with mother in tow before deciding to head back to his cabin. If there was one thing he enjoyed about North Academy, it was its proximity to local wildlife. Little did he know that someone not too far away was watching this same fox family, but for completely different reasons…
The next day, Jackson made preparations to visit the fox den, including packing several different snacks for himself and for the cubs, ranging from fresh fish to some tundra berries he'd picked up at a local farmer's market in the nearby town of Barrow. As he was just about to leave, there was a kind of panicked animal scratching on his cabin door, which stopped suddenly, and was replaced by a knock. Jackson shrugged on his jacket and answered, seeing Jesse Anderson holding one of the pups.
"Hey Jack! Ain't this one of those fox pups you were looking after? Why's he clawin' at your door?" Jesse asked, cradling the little furball in his arm. The pup looked distressed, and a closer inspection revealed why. Its paws had a small amount of blood on them.
"Jess, take the pup to Dr. Hesher, then meet me at the fox den. Something isn't right." Jackson rushed off as Jesse took the kit to the local vet. Jackson made his way as fast as he could towards the den, seeing the cub's pawprints in blood as he got closer. Following that trail, Jackson found the source of the blood, a beartrap partially buried in the snow. It seemed to be designed for a much smaller target than a bear, and its proximity to the fox den Jackson was watching over meant only one thing to him.
"Poachers." Jackson spat out the word like it was an insult. A quick scan of the surrounding area proved him right. A set of bootprints in the snow led away from the trap, and slight droplets of blood followed the tracks. He knew that if he followed that trail, he'd find the poachers.
"Hurry up and get those things loaded. We don't have too much more time here before someone sees us!" A brusk southwestern voice spoke. "Those beasts need to be prepped if the pelts are going to fetch a good price."
"Yes boss!" Another man said, loading a crate into a truck, said crate housing a female Arctic Fox with a badly wounded leg.
The first voice belonged to Giese Hunt, also known as Trapper. He considered himself to be a hunter of the highest caliber, but according to everyone else who met him he was a scoundrel and a ruthless poacher. His dark brown hair was slicked back into spikes, accompanied by blond highlights near his temples. A full goatee completed whatever look he was going for.
The second voice belonged to Geise's lackey Terry Grunt. Of the two, Terry was the only one who dressed for the weather. Where Geise was wearing a dark green full-body jumpsuit and long johns, Terry wore a white parka and snow boots.
Jackson observed the two from a nearby snowbank, just out of sight of the two but not out of earshot. The second he saw the wounded fox being loaded into the truck, he knew he had to act.
'Don't do anything rash, partner.' A gentle female voice sounded in Jackson's head, a voice he was very familiar with. 'These men may be dangerous. Be careful.'
"Don't worry, Fel," Jackson told the Spirit of Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand. "I know exactly what I'm doing. Clearly these goons don't, or they would have stayed away from us."
Jackson slowly made his way towards the truck, staying low to the ground to avoid being seen until he hid by the driver's side door. Staying low and using the bed of the pickup for cover, he made his way towards Terry, the goon completely oblivious to his presence, right until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Terry turned with a "huh", only to be met with a stiff elbow to the jaw. Jackson grabbed the stunned man in a headlock and pitched his shoulders downward, slamming the goon's head crown-first into the truck's tailgate. Skull met steel with a satisfying thud, sending the goon into unconsciousness.
Jackson left the goon where he was, letting him slump onto the snow before he turned his attention to the mastermind of the affair. Jackson was just about ready to kick the bastitch's head in, until he saw a belt-mounted deck box attached to the man's hip. Suddenly he had a better idea, one his Spirit Partners agreed with wholeheartedly. Apparently they wanted a piece of this poacher as well, and Jackson wasn't willing to deny them. He smirked, knowing the perfect lure to bring the big boss over as he eyed a nearby stack of empty cages.
Trapper groaned softly, lamenting his lackey's lack of speed in loading his new merchandise in potentia. The sudden sound of crates clanging around as they were knocked over made him flinch slightly, then sigh and roll his eyes. "You just can't buy good help these days," Trapper grumbled as he stomped over toward his truck. "Terry you idiot, tell me you didn't-"
"Sorry, Terry's kinda napping right now. Might even have a minor concussion…"
Trapper whirled around and searched for the voice that had cut him off, seeing a young man seated atop the cab of his truck with a cocky grin.
"Who the fuck are you and…" Trapper stopped himself short when he saw what was in the kid's right hand. He then noticed that his driver's side window was broken in. "You brat. Is that my apple?"
Jackson grinned and took another bite of the apple in question. "Dunno. Is this piece of crap rust-bucket your truck?" Jackson asked, hitting the side of said truck with the heel of his foot as they dangled over the edge of the cab's roof.
"Yes you stupid kid, now get off!"
"Huh, since this truck's yours, guess that means all these wild animals in cages are yours, too, huh?" Jackson nodded at the array of scared-looking animals in the crates, one of which being the wounded Arctic Fox he was taking care of. "You are aware poaching's illegal, right?"
Trapper glared at the kid and scoffed. "So's breaking and entering, but you don't seem to have a problem with that."
"Nope. I do it just fine," Jackson tossed away the half-eaten apple as he leapt down from the roof of the truck, smirking at the annoyed twitch in Trapper's right eye. "What I do have a problem with is people taking what isn't theirs, especially if what they're taking is the life of an innocent." Jackson turned to face Trapper, watching as the man held his hand over his whip.
"So what are you gonna do about it, Mr. Hero?"
"Simple. Duel me."
"Huh?"
"What, are you as deaf as you are ugly? I saw the deck box on your belt, and I know there's a duel disk in your glove compartment, so duel me. I win, you let the animals go and don't come back. Do, and I'll beat the crap out of you and leave you as a snack for the local coyotes or a random Canadian Lynx. You win, I pretend I never saw you and be on my merry way with nothing more to show for it than a half-eaten Sekai Ichi apple."
Trapper paused at the kid's gaul. Not even slightly expecting this turn of events. "And what makes you think I won't just snap your neck with my whip? Wake up my useless partner, take our spoils, and leave you as a snack for some other beastie that I'll probably catch later on?"
"Simple. Because if that were what you'd do, you'd have done it already. The duelist in you is actually contemplating it, giving you pause, wondering if you really are good enough to take down the best that North Academy has to offer. So, whaddya say, old man? Think you can beat a wise-ass kid? Or do you just wanna crack your overcompensation whip and just kill me now?"
Trapper responded by pushing past Jackson and popping open his passenger side door to pull his duel disk out. "Just for that, I'm gonna curb stomp you before I kill you."
Several minutes later, Jackson and Trapper had moved away from the truck and had enough space for a duel amid the frozen tundra. As the combatants slotted their Decks into their respective Disks, Trapper looked quizzically at his opponent. "Say, kid, why are you doing this, anyway? Why not just run to the cops and spill your guts like a normal brat?"
"First off, call me brat again and you'll be eating a mouthful of permafrost after I shove my boot up your ass. And as for why, well, I'm giving you something that you wouldn't give any of the animals you captured. I'm giving you a fighting chance."
Trapper cocked an eyebrow as he powered on his Disk. "You're one weird kid, you know that?"
Jackson scoffed as he activated his own Disk. "Coming from a guy who's dressed like a bad Steve Irwin cosplay, that doesn't mean very much. Also, it's still too soon, dude. Now enough bullshitting. Let's get this over with."
"DUEL!"
GEISE "TRAPPER" HUNT - 4000 LP
JACKSON CORVUS - 4000 LP
"First move's mine, kid! Draw!" Trapper shouted, pulling his sixth card from his deck. "I summon Giant Rat in Defense mode!"
A large bipedal rodent appeared on Trapper's field, crouching with its arms crossed over it's chest. In the rat's left hand was clutched a human skull.
GIANT RAT:
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / BEAST / 1400 ATK / 1450 DEF
"Up next, I'll toss out a face-down card, and end my turn."
"Huh, the rat kinda looks like you. Just prettier. My move!" Jackson taunts before drawing a card and checking his hand.
"Giant Rat…. Well that doesn't give me much about what he's playing. Easily one of the most splashable Death-Searcher/Summoners in Duel Monsters," Jackson thought to himself as he eyed a Monster in his hand. "Either way, that fat ugly vermin has to go. And Giant Rat, too."
"I summon Paladin of Felgrand," Jackson roared. Before him lept a regal-looking knight clad in light blue metallic armor and brandishing a matching sword. His golden hair and eyes seemed fixated and determined, and his white cape only added to his air of knightly power.
Paladin of Felgrand:
LIGHT / LEVEL 4 / WARRIOR / 1700 ATK / 300 DEF
"Now Paladin's special ability kicks off! When he's called to arms, he can call upon the spirit of a level 7 or 8 Dragon from my Deck to aide him! Felgrand Dragon, how about you give our friend a morale boost?" Jackson grinned as he slotted his chosen Dragon into his Spell and Trap zone, resulting in the spectral image of Felgrand Dragon wrapped its wings around its paladin, turning the knight's cape a shimmering gold color. "And this morale boost isn't just cosmetic. Now, my Paladin is immune to your monsters' effects! Battle! Paladin, cleave that rat in two!"
At Jackson's order, the knight jumped into the air, letting out a small roar as he brought his blade down and split the over-sized rodent in half, then back-flipped back into his position on Jackson's field as the rat exploded in a shower of pixels.
In spite of all of this, Trapper apparently couldn't stop smiling. "What do they teach you in that Academy, kid? You just fell for the most basic trick a poacher knows: Bait. See, when Giant Rat is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an EARTH monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck. So, out with ya, Moja!"
Where Giant Rat had been, a small, black, bean-shaped figure appeared, sporting what appeared to be inverted horns and a large yellow face with big beady black-red eyes.
Moja:
EARTH / LEVEL 1 / BEAST / 100 ATK / 100 DEF
"Oh crap." Jackson muttered. He'd seen that monster before, and knew exactly what was coming. "I'll set one card face-down, and end my turn." Jackson said, slotting in a card for his back row. "Awe crap. He's playing THAT strategy. With what I have now, I can't beat that monster. But at least Castle of Dragons Souls can boost a monster by 700 ATK, but I need to Banish a Dragon in my grave first. Let's hope it won't come to that."
"My move, kid!" Trapper smiled and laughed. "I take it you're familiar with Moja? Judging from your reaction, I'd say so. In that case, you probably knew that this was coming! I tribute Moja to activate the effect of a Monster in my Hand!"
Jackson winced, covering his ears as Moja let out a blood curdling scream. Slowly, the small pill-like beast's mouth spread wider and wider before a large, black, demonically possessed evolved form of the little Moja took its place. The new monster stood at least ten feet off the permafrost, with skeletal legs protruding out from the base of its undulating black form.
King of the Beasts:
EARTH / LEVEL 7 / 2500 ATK / 800 DEF
"This big lovely is the King of the Beasts. When Moja is on my field and I've got him in my Hand or Graveyard, I can ditch Moja and bring him out. Now, Battle Phase! King of the Beasts, slaughter that Knight! SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!"
The demonic beast roared and reared its head back, a small black ball appearing at its teeth before it lurched forward and fired a dark beam that engulfed the warrior and melted him away. Jackson covered his eyes, watching as Felgrand Dragon and Paladin of Felgrand were destroyed.
Jackson - 4000 LP 3200 LP
Trapper grins and pulls another card from his hand. "I'll set a card, and end my turn. You sure you're the best North Academy has to offer?"
"Believe me, I wish that wasn't the case. Most of them are as bad at the game as you are, but only half are as ugly. My move!" Jackson winces slightly, not liking what he sees very much. 'It's nothing I can't work with. I've been in tighter spots before…' Jackson thought, pulling a monster from his hand and placed it on his Duel Disk. "I summon Golem Dragon in Defense Mode!"
A brown-scaled dragon with large forearms appeared before him, covering its lower face with its stone-like arms and almost daring Trapper to do something.
Golem Dragon:
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / DRAGON / 200 ATK / 2000 DEF
"Next, I'll be equipping him with Dragon Shield!" Jackson's equip spell metamorphosed his dragon's back, turning it into a hardened, spiked armor tinted black. "Now, my dragon can't be destroyed by battle or card effects! To round things out, I'll set a face-down of my own. Your move!"
Trapper grinned darkly, looking at the card he just drew and knowing it spelled the end for the brat he faced. Before he could make a single move, Jesse sprinted towards the two, having followed Jackson's footsteps.
"JACK! There y'are! I told Headmaster Foster about the traps near the fox den. He said the cops should be here soon! Who's tall, dark n' creepy?"
Jackson opened his mouth to answer, only for Trapper to turn tail and run. Jackson, however, would have none of that, giving chase immediately while shouting over his shoulder at Jesse to guard the animals in Trapper's truck. Neither men made it too far, though, both failing to notice the sign they passed read 'DANGER THIN ICE'. They slowed down considerably, hearing the ice around them begin to crack under their weight.
"Where do you think you're going? You're gonna wait right here for the cops!" Jackson hollered, before shaking his head in disbelief as Trapper turned toward him, Duel Disk at the ready.
"Not a chance! I beat you, I get away Scott free. So we're finishing this! I set one card face-down, and Summon Beast Striker!" He yelled as he slapped the card onto his disk. Seconds later, the Solid Vision projections of their cards and fields reappeared, including a new humanoid beast wearing belted blue jeans and welding a large hammer about twice as big as the beast itself.
Beast Striker:
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / BEAST / 1850 ATK / 400 DEF
"Are you serious? Look around you! We're on thin ice, literally!" Jackson gawked, seriously considering if Trapper had a death wish.
"Yes, kid, I am serious. I beat you, the ice breaks, and the cops waste their time rescuing you while I get away. So I'll end it all this turn. I activate Super Rush Recklessly!" Trapper said, triggering one of his set cards. "By destroying a Beast on my field, I can shuffle a monster on yours into your deck, so say goodbye to Beast Striker," he said as his monster exploded into pixels, "and say goodbye to your Golem Dragon!" With Trapper's word, Golem Dragon turned into a beam of light and flew into Jackson's deck, destroying his equip card and leaving him all but defenseless.
"My next card will end this. I activate Horn of the Phantom Beasts, and equip it to my King of the Beasts!" Trapper triggered his second face-down, a Trap Card that equipped itself to King of the Beasts and materialized as two red-orange grotesque deer antlers atop King of the Beasts' head. "This card boosts King's attack power by 800. More than enough to kill you." Trapper gloated with the confidence of a criminal about to escape justice.
King of the Beasts:
2500 ATK 3300 ATK
"BATTLE PHASE! KING OF THE BEASTS, SEND THAT SNOT-NOSED PUNK TO HELL! SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!" Trapper roared in concert with his Beast, laughing as his monster unleashed another torrent of black energy at his foe. When the smoke and snow dust faded, trapper growled as he saw Jackson was still standing.
Jackson Corvus - 3200 LP 700 LP
"That attack should have killed you. What happened."
"Easy. Twin Twisters." Jackson pointed to his upright Quick-Play Spell Card. "By discarding a card from my hand, I can target and destroy up to two Spell and Trap Cards on your field, so I chose Horn of the Phantom Beasts and the other face-down card." Jackson grinned, sending Arkbrave Dragon to the Graveyard to pay the cost of the Spell.
"Wise-ass. One way or another, you're dead." Trapper set another face-down and ended his turn. 'Especially after this,' trapper thought. 'No matter what you Summon, what line of defense you have, I'll still kill you. And with your own cards, no less.'
Jackson looked at his deck for a second before drawing, knowing that at this moment, with his field bare of useful cards, and only having Trade-In left in his hand, he needed to pull a true Destiny Draw. He closed his eyes and placed two fingers at the top of the deck, then smirked as he heard a familiar female voice in his head.
'Draw me, Jack. Draw me and let's end this!'
Jackson's smile broadened and he nodded. "Yes, Fel. Let's. MY TURN! DRAW!" Jackson smiled even more broadly, seeing his ace in his fingertips. He had everything he needed now.
"During the Standby Phase after the turn in which Arkbrave Dragon is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Level seven or eight Dragon from my Graveyard!" Jackson extracted the card and held it to his forehead before placing the card on his Disk. "ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT! MY FELGRAND DRAGON!"
A golden-scaled dragon roared to life, bursting from the thin ice as his powerful voice raged loudly.
Felgrand Dragon:
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF
Trapper smiled and began laughing as he slapped his Duel Disk. "I WAS WAITING FOR THAT! YOU'VE TRIGGERED MY TRAP! FORCEFUL DEAL!"
Trapper flipped up his final set card. "With this, if I ditch half my remaining LP and nuke my monsters, I CAN STEAL ALL OF YOURS!"
A massive explosion engulfed Trapper's field, the smoke of it bleeding across to Jackson's side. When it cleared, Felgrand Dragon had taken up position behind Trapper. The gilded Dragon snarled and growled, almost as if the spirit himself was angered at this turn of events.
Trapper - 4000 LP 2000 LP
This was it. Trapper's perfect combo. He would back his opponent into a corner and force them to summon their best monster to combat him, which he'd then steal and use against them. His nickname was "Trapper" for a reason, after all. In spite of his impending success, Trapper felt something was off. Something didn't feel right. He finally figured it out when he saw the look in Jackson's eyes. Nothing but pure murderous intent lay within them. Jackson's blood was boiling hot enough it could melt the permafrost around him.
"At first, this was all business. Bitch, YOU JUST MADE IT PERSONAL! I ACTIVATE TRADE-IN!" Jackson roared, slotting in his card. "By discarding one Level eight monster, I can draw two cards from my deck!" His two new cards showed him something else; his Dragons were as angry as he was. The first card was Dragon's Rage, and the second…
"I ACTIVATE RETURN OF THE DRAGON LORDS!" Jackson held the card high as a large statue depicting what appeared to be a more elegant and almost divine embodiment of Felgrand Dragon appeared behind him. Paladin of Felgrand then appeared and knelt before the statue, as if praying at the altar of a beloved deity.
"With Return of the Dragon Lords, I can Special Summon one Level seven or eight Dragon from my Graveyard. A being of pure ethereal beauty and power." Jackson spoke slowly as he removed the card from the Graveyard, closing his eyes as he set her on his Disk.
"LET THE LIGHT OF THE HEAVENS SHINE DOWN ON THOSE WHO SEEK YOUR MERCY! THE RAYS OF JUDGEMENT SMITE THOSE WHO OPPOSE YOUR LAW! ROAR…. ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT! DIVINE DRAGON LORD FELGRAND!" At her partner's call, a brilliantly golden-scaled dragon shimmered into life as it burst through the clouds above as if flying down from Heaven itself. Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand was a beauty to behold, appearing like a more elegant and powerful form of her counterpart and coincidentally younger brother, Felgrand Dragon.
Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF
"NOW, LORD FELGRAND'S ABILITY ACTIVATES! When she's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, she can banish one monster you control, and she gains 100 Attack Points times the level of the monster she banishes. FELGRAND DRAGON! TIME TO COME HOME! DIVINE LAW!"
Felgrand Dragon nodded and spread his wings, roaring in concert with his sister as he slowly turned into scattering light that was absorbed into the body of Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand.
Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:
2800 ATK 3600 ATK
"Now this game is truly at its end. BATTLE! FEL, END THIS! DIVINE FELGRAND GIGATON CANNON!" Jackson roared as his partner roared with him, letting loose a golden stream of pure energy at Trapper and obliterating what was left of his lifepoints, knocking the poacher back from the force of the blast.
Trapper - 2000 LP 0 LP
Trapper stumbled backwards, collapsing onto the ice as Jackson returned his cards to his Deck Box. "You made a few mistakes there, but I'll just tell you the most egregious. First, you practically shouted that your face-down was a game-ender. True, I was expecting something like that, but not that specifically. Second? You pissed me off. And if there's one thing you don't want to do, it's piss of a Dragon that's protecting something."
"Screw you, you damned brat. I'll see you in Hell!" Trapper fired back and pulled his whip, smashing the handle into the ice, causing it to break and fracture. Before he could raise his hand to break through the thin sheet, Jackson swung his foot up in an arc, bringing it down hard a bare inch in front of where Trapper was kneeling with a thundering axe kick, shattering the ice and causing Trapper to fall through into the Arctic waters.
"Hope a nice swim will cool off that hot head of yours." Jackson murmured as he walked away, letting the poacher fish himself out.
Back at the truck, Jesse had finished releasing all of the caged animals, watching them bound away happily, all except for the fox that Jackson was caring for. She was seen by a medical professional, and now had a bandage on her leg where the trap had snagged her, but she refused to leave the truck until Jackson came back. Jesse was seated on the tailgate of the truck, the fox lying next to him, and a small contingent of police and game wardens a couple feet away, who had already taken Terry Grunt into custody.
The fox suddenly perked up and stood, looking into the middle distance. She knew someone was coming. Jesse grinned and waved the person over.
Jackson made his way up the snowbank and to the nearest law enforcement officer, pointing over his shoulder in the direction he'd come. "About 250 meters that way. Might wanna hurry, I'd guess he's about two and a half minutes from being a Popsicle."
The police officers nodded and headed off in the identified direction as Jackson held his arms out to the fox, who summarily jumped into them and crawled up to his shoulder, wrapping herself around his neck like a scarf.
"Huh… that's new. Looks like I've got a friend." Jackson chuckled softly as he and Jesse made their way back to the fox's small den. At her stop, she crawled down Jackson's arm, licked his hand softly, and headed inside. "Let's get back to the Academy. I'm kinda anxious to see something, anything, NOT covered in ice and snow."
As the two friends returned to the academy, they saw a familiar sight, Czar laying on his back after being defeated in a duel. What they didn't recognize, or rather who, was a black-haired young man in a royal blue blazer, currently being congratulated by North Academy's Headmaster.
"Chazz, you've earned the right to be called the best at North Academy." Foster smiled at his newest student. "Welcome to your new home."
'Juuust perfect,' Jackson thought. 'Another upstart with an overblown ego fed by Foster's lies. Guess he'll be coming after me pretty soon...'