It was another day at Duel Academy, but Jaden and Syrus were walking through the woods carrying a load of duel disks.
Jaden: This is so unchill. I fall asleep during one of Crowler's boring lectures and he makes us lug fourteen replacement duel disks across campus. Why is everyone losing theirs anyway?
Syrus: Well, I heard this rumor. You know the west river by the main bridge, right?
Jaden: What about it?
Syrus: Well, there's this Ra Yellow student that challenges anyone who tries to cross the bridge, and when people lose to him, his gang takes the loser's duel disk.
Jaden: Wait, is that why you're not wearing your duel disk? Because he beat you?
Syrus: Most of the students have stopped carrying their duel disks with them because of the guy. I would've told you, but with the way word's been spreading, I thought you would've already known.
Jaden: Well, it's time someone puts a stop to him.
Syrus: You mean you're gonna duel him?
Jaden: Of course I am.
They made their way to the bridge and found the duelist in question, him being the one who called Crowler and Bonaparte ladies at the start of the year.
Ra: Stop right there civilians.
Syrus: Jaden, maybe we should go.
Jaden: You kidding? After we came all the way out here?
Ra: I like your courage. My name is Tyranno Hassleberry. And this is my platoon.
Jaden: Nice to meet you. I'm Jaden. Now let's throw down.
Hassleberry: First let me lay down the rules of battle. If you lose, I get those duel disks you're a carryin'.
Jaden: Okay, but if I win you give me the ones you stole.
Hassleberry: I accept those terms, you're just another wimp anyway.
Syrus: You take that back! No one insults my best friend!
Hassleberry: Control your subordinate, will ya? When I'm done with this runt, they'll have to scrape him off the ground with a squeegee.
Jaden and Hassleberry moved to opposite ends of the river to duel.
Hassleberry: You ready for boot camp son?
Syrus: Stop calling him son. He's in his second year.
Ra Troop 1: Then he's number two. And who's number one?
Platoon: Troop Tyranno!
Syrus: Will you give it up?! You're not in the army!
Platoon: Who's the best? Troop Tyranno! And who's gonna win?
Syrus: Troop Jaden!
Jaden: Am I the only one who hasn't gone insane?
Hassleberry: Rally up! All hands on deck!
Jaden: He just answered that question loud and clear. Fine, if you can't beat 'em, you gotta join 'em. Game on general.
Hassleberry: You mockin' me? I'm a sergeant junior, and this ain't no game, this is combat!
Jaden: 4000 LP
Hassleberry: 4000 LP
Jaden: Alright, then get your combat on. Ready chief? I declare war and summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in defense mode.
Level 4/Earth/Warrior
ATK 1500/DEF 1600
Jaden: I'll call it a turn.
Hassleberry: Trench warfare time. Here goes. Gilasaurus, front and center.
Level 3/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 1400/DEF 400
Syrus: It could be worse.
Hassleberry: And it's about to get a whole lot worse. You see that there was a special summon, which in layman's terms means I can summon another monster. Gilasaurus is dismissed so I can summon Dark Driceratops in attack mode!
Level 6/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 2400/DEF 1500
Jaden: Not bad. You played a monster with 2400 attack points in your first turn.
Syrus: This is war! Don't give the enemy any props!
Hassleberry: It's time to go commando. Dark Driceratops, attack Wildheart with Flying Phantom Nosedive!
Driceratops divebombed Wildheart, its tail striking Jaden as it passed.
Hassleberry: Due to Dark Driceratops' special ability, when it attacks a monster in defense mode, the extra damage is inflicted to you.
Jaden: 3200 LP
Syrus: You okay Jay?
Hassleberry: Get up son. My prehistoric patrol isn't through with you yet. But since I'm nice, I'll give you a chance to recoup and end my turn.
Troop 1: Hassleberry, Hassleberry, he's our man,
Troop 2: If he can't win,
Syrus: We will. Now take it down a decibel.
Troop 3: Sorry little man, but the serge needs support. If it's too loud, then get lost.
Syrus: Jaden, beat the khaki pants off this guy so we can shut them up!
Jaden: What do you think I'm trying to do, let him win? Okay lieutenant, my move.
Hassleberry: For the last time, it's sergeant, now play something!
Jaden: Okay then, I play Monster Reincarnation! By sending a card in my hand to the graveyard, I can add Wildheart to my hand. How do you like that?
Hassleberry: You want that wimp in your platoon?
Jaden: Affirmative. But what I really wanted was this in my graveyard.
Suddenly, a ghostly image of a skeletal monster appeared behind Jaden.
Hassleberry: Sam Hill, that's Necroshade!
Jaden: 10-4. And I'm guessing you know what that means. I can summon a high-level Elemental Hero without a sacrifice, so come on out Elemental Hero Bladedge!
Level 7/Earth/Warrior
ATK 2600/DEF 1800
Jaden: Now attack his Dark Driceratops with Power Edge Assault!
Bladedge extended his blades and rushed Dark Driceratops, cleaving the dinosaur in two.
Hassleberry: 3800 LP
Jaden: That should do for now.
Syrus: Awesome! Way to play Jay!
Jaden: Thanks Sy.
Syrus: You guys speechless?
Hassleberry: This civilian ain't half bad, but the sergeant still has a few tactics up his sleeve.
Platoon: Uh, ra, ra, go serge?
Hassleberry: They try so hard them boys. That's why I gotta show 'em that even though we're not the top ranked dorm, we're winners. When I first tried out for Duel Academy, I had my eyes on the Obelisk Blues, and when I aced my entrance exam, I thought I was a shoe in, so when they stuck me in the yellow barracks, I thought they made a tactical error. Turns out you had to go to a fancy prep school to be a blue, so I made do, and just like ma daddy told me I would, I emerged as a true commanding officer. He also taught me that the uniform doesn't make the soldier, and before long, I formed a squadron, and we let it be known that Sergeant Tyranno Hassleberry, son of the great General Hassleberry, is a giant among men, and I guard this bridge to prove that no matter what, I will not stand down.
Syrus: Alright, enough with the monologue, get back to the duel already.
Hassleberry: Was I thinkin' out loud again?
Platoon: Yep.
Jaden: You're a pretty funny guy Bumbleberry.
Hassleberry: It's Hassleberry! Sergeant Hassleberry! I draw! Excellent, terrain advantage. I activate the field spell Jurassic World!
The ground rumbled and they were surrounded by a prehistoric forest.
Jaden: Sweet move.
Hassleberry: You ain't seen nothing soldier, now get this: every one of my dinosaurs and winged beasts gain 300 attack and defense points, and they can't be affected by any of your trap cards. And not only that, if they're attacked while in attack mode, then they have the right to dig into the trenches and switch themselves to defense mode.
Syrus: Now that's what I call a major advantage.
Hassleberry: It's battle time. Archeonys, report for duty!
Level 3/Wind/Winged Beast
ATK 300-600/DEF 1300-1600
Syrus: With only 600 attack points, Bladedge can beat that no problem.
Hassleberry: He's not my target. You see, Archeonys can attack directly. Now, debilitate the enemy with Screaming Eagle Attack!
Archeonys soared up in the air and unleashed a barrage of sound waves on Jaden.
Jaden: 2600 LP
Hassleberry: I'll place one card face-down and defer to you. Face it son, it's over. Before long, you'll be extinct, wouldn't you agree squadron?
He turned to the side and saw his men sitting on the ground.
Hassleberry: What? You men were supposed to cheer just now.
Troop 1: Sorry, we were moved internally, but we'll be sure to have an outward display next time sir.
Hassleberry: *sigh* What am I gonna do with you boys?
Jaden: Hey major, better keep those eyes on the prize. My move. And I play Wildheart in attack mode! Now Bladedge, attack Archeonys with Power Edge Assault!
Hassleberry: Not so fast soldier, I play my Amber Pitfall continuous trap! With this card in play, each time you attack with a monster, that attack is negated and your monster changes to defense mode, and on top of that, it can't change battle modes while my trap is out.
A wave of amber flowed from his trap, forcing Bladedge into defense mode.
Jaden: Nice move, but you forgot something.
Hassleberry: What's that?
Jaden: My Wildheart isn't affected by trap cards, which means your Amber Pitfall won't work on him. Attack Archeonys with Wild Slash!
Wildheart raised his sword and charged at Archeonys, but it landed and crossed its wings, blocking Wildheart's attack.
Jaden: What just happened?
Hassleberry: Looks like you forgot something too. Since my Jurassic World is in play, I can change my Archeonys to defense mode when you attack it, and thanks to the boost it gains from Jurassic World, its defense if higher than your monster's attack.
Jaden: 2500 LP
Jaden: I'll throw down two face-downs and call it a turn. That'll teach me. Oh well, live and learn.
Troop 1: That's weird.
Troop 2: He's smilin'.
Syrus: Jaden always has a good time when he duels, unlike the serge.
The whole troop began to laugh, much to Hassleberry's dismay.
Hassleberry: My battalion's desertin' me. This always happens. I find a group of soldiers I can trust and they wind up sidin' with the enemy. Grr, no more Mr. Nice Serge! I draw! And I play my Earthquake spell card, which will switch your Wildheart into defense mode. And now I play New Ultra Evolution. This card lets me reverse the whole evolutionary process, meaning I can sacrifice a winged beast on my field to summon a dino from my hand. You see they say some birds evolved from dinosaurs.
Jaden: Really?
Hassleberry: Yep. And so when Archeonys undergoes reverse evolution, it becomes a dinosaur. So I sacrifice Archeonys to bring out Black Tyranno!
Level 7/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 2600-2900/DEF 1800-2100
Hassleberry: And due to his special ability, when there are no monsters on your field that are in attack mode, it can attack you directly. Now Black Tyranno, attack directly with Rex Bomber!
Black Tyranno ran towards Jaden and slammed his tail on the ground in front of him, kicking up a massive dust cloud.
Hassleberry: Mission accomplished.
Jaden: Not quite.
Jaden: 100 LP
Hassleberry: How is it you still have life points boy?
Jaden: I activated my Insurance trap card. It lets me take a face-down spell or trap on my field and return it to my hand. Also, when Insurance returns from the field to my hand, I gain 500 life points.
Hassleberry: But it returned one of your set cards to your hand, not itself.
Jaden: Right, but the set card it returned was a second copy of Insurance.
Syrus: Nice one Jay!
Troop 1: Sergeant Jaden is the best!
Hassleberry: Deserted again. It's nothing new. Guess the only person I can trust is me. Time and time again, it's always the same. I gather a battalion of supporters, and when I need 'em the most, they just up and desert me. But why? I'm a great leader, and I always win. Take this duel for example: I'm beating you just like how I beat my last 12 rivals, and no one's cheering.
Jaden: Well colonel, maybe they're just bored.
Hassleberry: Come on, bored with my dueling? Now that's just crazy talk.
Jaden: Think about it though. You said yourself you've used the same moves the last 12 duels in a row. Don't you think it's time you evolved?
Hassleberry: Huh?
Syrus: Nice dinosaur reference Jay.
Troop 2: Ditto.
Hassleberry: I get it now.
Jaden: I'm glad. Now it's my move. And I play Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards. Now getting back to the whole evolution thing, I play my own field spell.
The whole field was covered in ice before skyscrapers sprung up from the ground, surrounding them in a bright city.
Jaden: This card is called Skyscraper, and it's gonna change this duel.
Hassleberry: I hate change! Wait, that's my problem! I've been stuck in the past, relying on the same tactics instead of learning from my mistakes and evolving.
Jaden: Exactly. Don't worry corporal, you won't thinking out loud this time, but I assume by the look on your face that you figured it out. And now that your field spell is gone, Black Tyranno's attack and defense return to normal. And now it's time for a little fusion action. I play Polymerization to fuse Wildheart and Avian to summon Elemental Hero Wild Wingman in attack mode.
Level 8/Earth/Warrior
ATK 1900/DEF 2300
Jaden: And now I play his special ability. By discarding one card, your trap card is automatically destroyed, meaning I can switch Bladedge to attack mode. Now Wild Wingman, attack Black Tyranno!
Hassleberry: But he's weaker than Black Tyranno.
Jaden: Not for long. Due to Skyscraper's effect, when Elemental Heroes battle monsters stronger than they are, they gain 1000 attack points during the battle.
Wingman: 1900-2900 ATK
Jaden: Now, destroy Black Tyranno with Wing Impulse!
Wild Wingman flew up in the air and unleashed powerful sonic waves from his wings that tore right through Black Tyranno.
Hassleberry: 3500 LP
Jaden: Now Bladedge, attack directly!
Bladedge dashed towards Hassleberry and gave him a swift punch to the chest.
Hassleberry: 900 LP
Hassleberry: I've still got life points left. Close, but no Medal of Honor for you.
Jaden: I'm not finished yet. I play the De-Fusion spell card, so Wild Wingman splits back into Avian and Wildheart, meaning Avian can now attack you directly. Go, Feather Storm!
Avian flew up in the air before firing a volley of feathers from his wings at Hassleberry.
Hassleberry: 0 LP
Winner: Jaden
Hassleberry: I gotta hand it to you son, that was one of the most intense- Woah!
He forgot about the river and stepped off the edge into the water as the holograms faded.
Jaden: You okay?
Hassleberry: I'm alright. But I do owe you some duel disks.
Jaden: Oh yeah. I was having such an awesome time, I almost forgot. Thanks admiral.
Hassleberry: It's sergeant, oh nevermind.
Later on, Jaden and Syrus were sitting in their room when someone knocked on the door.
Syrus: I'll get it.
He opened the door and Hassleberry walked in with a large bag slung over his shoulder. He came in and set his bag down before beginning to empty it.
Syrus: Uh serge, not to sound rude, but is there a reason you dumped your gear all over our floor, because I know you don't think you're shacking up with us right?
Chazz: Yeah, this place is cramped enough. We don't need any freeloaders.
Jaden: Kinda hypocritical of you since we're letting you stay here until your room is done Chazz.
Chazz: What I meant is we don't need any more freeloaders.
Hassleberry: My mind's made up. I'm giving troop Tyranno some time off for R&R. Anyway, Jaden showed me I still have a lot to learn.
Syrus: Oh no you don't. Jaden already has a wingman.
Chazz: Besides, if you want to learn, you should really be following me around.
Hassleberry just ignored him and continued unpacking.
Chazz: Hello, anyone home?
Hassleberry: Hassleberry reporting for duty sir. It's truly an honor Sergeant Jaden.
Jaden: Just call me Jaden.
Hassleberry: Sir yes sir.