It was the middle of the afternoon at Duel Academy, and Jaden and Syrus were walking through the woods carrying a load of duel disks. "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?" Jaden asked, and Syrus asked him if knew about the river on the other side of the forest, Jaden nodding.

"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," Syrus informed, and when Jaden noticed Syrus wasn't wearing his duel disk, he asked if Syrus lost to him.

Syrus told him that most of the students had stopped carrying their duel disks with them because of the guy, and that he would've told him, but given how word's been spreading around the school, he thought Jaden would've already known. "Well, it's time someone puts a stop to him," Jaden said as he walked off.

They made their way to the bridge and found the duelist in question, being the one who called Crowler and Bonaparte old men at the start of the year. "Stop right there civilians," Hassleberry said, and Syrus considered bailing, but Jaden stood firm. "I like your courage. My name is Tyranno Hassleberry. And this is my platoon," Hassleberry said as he gestured to the other Ra Yellows beside him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jaden. Now let's throw down," Jaden challenged. "First let me lay down the rules of battle. If you lose, I get those duel disks you're a carryin'," Hassleberry informed, but Jaden told him that if he won, Hassleberry would have to return all the duel disks he stole.

Hassleberry accepted, saying Jaden was just another wimp anyway, but Syrus demanded he take it back. Hassleberry told Jaden to get a handle on Syrus, but was sure he would defeat Jaden. The two moved to opposite ends of the river and put on their duel disks, shuffling their decks.

"You ready for boot camp, son?" Hassleberry asked, and Syrus told him not to call Jaden "son" as he was in his second year. One of Tyranno's men said that meant he was old news before they all began cheering for Hassleberry. "Am I the only one who hasn't gone insane?" Jaden asked himself before Hassleberry shouted "Rally up! All hands on deck!"

"He just answered that question loud and clear. Fine, if you can't beat 'em, you gotta join 'em. Game on, general," Jaden said as he placed his deck in his duel disk. "You mockin' me? I'm a sergeant, and this ain't no game, this is combat!" Hassleberry shouted as he put his deck in his duel disk as well.

Jaden: 4000 LP

Hassleberry: 4000 LP

"Alright, then get your combat on. Ready, chief? I declare war and summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in defense mode," Jaden declared.

Level 4/Earth/Warrior

ATK 1500/DEF 1600

He then ended his turn, wondering how Hassleberry would respond. "Trench warfare time. Here goes. Gilasaurus, front and center." Hassleberry declared.

Level 3/Earth/Dinosaur

ATK 1400/DEF 400

"And it's about to get a whole lot worse. You see thanks to Gilasaurus' special ability, 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

"Not bad. You played a monster with 2400 attack points in your first turn," Jaden complimented, and Syrus shouted at him, telling him not to compliment his opponent. "It's time to go commando. Dark Driceratops, attack Wildheart with Flying Phantom Nosedive!" Hassleberry shouted as Driceratops divebombed Wildheart, its tail striking Jaden as it passed.

Jaden: 3200 LP

Syrus asked why Jaden lost life points if his monster was in defense mode, and Hassleberry explained that when Dark Driceratops attacks a monster in defense mode, it deals piercing damage. "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," he finished.

Hassleberry's men continued to cheer for him, and Syrus told them to take down the volume. "Sorry little man, but the serge needs support. If it's too loud, then get lost," one of them said, and Syrus turned to Jaden, shouting "Jaden, beat the khaki pants off this guy so we can shut them up!"

Jaden asked Syrus if he thought he was trying to throw the match before starting his turn. "I play Monster Reincarnation! By sending a card in my hand to the graveyard, I can add Wildheart to my hand," Jaden informed, and Hassleberry asked if he really went through all that trouble to get Wildheart back.

"Not exactly. You see, what I really wanted was to get this guy in the graveyard," Jaden answered as a ghostly image of a skeletal monster appeared behind him. "Sam Hill, that's Necroshade!" Hassleberry exclaimed, and Jaden confirmed it saying that since Necroshade was in his graveyard, he could summon his Elemental Hero Bladedge without having to make any sacrifices.

Level 7/Earth/Warrior

ATK 2600/DEF 1800

"Now attack his Dark Driceratops with Power Edge Assault!" Jaden ordered as Bladedge extended his blades and rushed Dark Driceratops, cleaving the dinosaur in two.

Hassleberry: 3800 LP

Jaden then ended his turn and Syrus complimented him on his comeback before asking Hassleberry's men if they had anything to say now, but they were too stunned to speak. "This civilian ain't half bad, but the sergeant still has a few tactics up his sleeve," Hassleberry mused to himself before his men shook themselves off and cheered for him again. "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," Hassleberry thought to himself as he remembered his entrance exam for the academy.

"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 shoo-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 my 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," he continued, not realizing he said it aloud.

"Alright, enough with the monologue, get back to the duel already," Syrus shouted, alerting Hassleberry to his slip. Jaden commented, "You're a pretty funny guy Bumbleberry," but Hassleberry angrily corrected him before starting his turn. "Excellent, terrain advantage. I activate the field spell Jurassic World!" he shouted as the ground rumbled and they were surrounded by a prehistoric forest.

"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. Now, it's battle time. Archeonys, report for duty!"

Level 3/Wind/Winged Beast

ATK 300-600/DEF 1300-1600

Syrus said that with only 600 attack points, Archeonys was no match for Bladedge, but Hassleberry told him that Bladedge wasn't his target. "You see, Archeonys can attack directly. Now, debilitate the enemy with Screaming Eagle Attack!" he shouted as Archeonys soared up in the air and unleashed a barrage of sound waves on Jaden.

Jaden: 2600 LP

"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?" Hassleberry asked, but when he turned to the side, all he saw was his men sitting on the ground. Hassleberry asked why they were so relaxed, and they said that he always won his duels once he activated Jurassic World.

"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!" Jaden shouted as Bladedge charged at Archeonys. "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," Hassleberry explained as a wave of amber flowed from his trap, forcing Bladedge into defense mode.

"Nice move, but you forgot something. My Wildheart isn't affected by trap cards, which means your Amber Pitfall won't work on him. Attack Archeonys with Wild Slash!" Jaden ordered as Wildheart raised his sword and charged at Archeonys, but it landed and crossed its wings, blocking Wildheart's attack.

Jaden asked what happened, and Hassleberry said it looked like Jaden forgot something as well, as since his Jurassic World was in play, he could switch Archeonys to defense mode, and thanks to the boost it gains from Jurassic World, its defense is higher than Wildheart's attack.

Jaden: 2500 LP

"I'll throw down two face-downs and call it a turn. That'll teach me. Oh well, live and learn," Jaden said with a smile. Hassleberry's men noticed Jaden was smiling, and said they thought it was strange, but Syrus said that's just how Jaden is, and the whole troop began to laugh, much to Hassleberry's dismay.

"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," he thought before focusing his attention on Jaden, and Jaden could practically feel the anger coming off of him. "Grr, no more Mr. Nice Serge! I draw! And I play my Earthquake spell card, which will switch your Wildheart into defense mode," Hassleberry explained as the ground beneath Wildheart cracked, forcing him to drop to his knees.

"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. 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

"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!" Hassleberry shouted as Black Tyranno ran towards Jaden and slammed his tail on the ground in front of him, kicking up a massive dust cloud. Hassleberry thought he had won the duel, but when the dust cleared, Jaden was still standing.

Jaden: 100 LP

Hassleberry asked why Jaden still had life points left, and Jaden explained that he activated his Insurance trap card, letting him return a face-down spell or trap on the field to its owner's hand, and when Insurance returns to a player's hand, that player gains 500 life points. Hassleberry pointed out that it returned another card and not itself, but Jaden revealed his other face-down was a second copy of Insurance.

Syrus complimented Jaden on his play, and Hassleberry's troop complimented Jaden as well. "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," Hassleberry lamented.

Jaden suggested that maybe they were bored, and Hassleberry said that was just ridiculous. "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?" Jaden asked, and Hassleberry was starting to get the idea.

"Now it's my move. And I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Now getting back to the whole evolution thing, I play my own field spell," Jaden said as the whole field was covered in ice before skyscrapers sprung up from the ground, surrounding them in a bright city. "This card is called Skyscraper, and it's gonna change this duel," Jaden declared.

Hassleberry declared he hated change, and that's when it clicked. "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," he thought to himself. Jaden said he was getting it now, assuring him that he wasn't thinking aloud again and that he could tell by the look on his face that he understood.

"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

"And now I play his special ability. By discarding one card, your Amber Pitfall is destroyed, meaning I can switch Bladedge to attack mode. Now Wild Wingman, attack Black Tyranno!" Jaden shouted, and although Hassleberry pointed out that Wingman was weaker than Black Tyranno, Jaden told him that due to Skyscraper's effect, when his Elemental Heroes battle monsters that are stronger than them, they gain an extra 1000 attack points during the battle.

Wingman: 1900-2900 ATK

"Now, destroy Black Tyranno with Wing Impulse!" Jaden shouted as 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 then ordered Bladedge to attack directly, the armored hero dashing towards Hassleberry before giving him a swift punch to the chest.

Hassleberry: 900 LP

Hassleberry said he still had life points left, but Jaden just smiled and revealed the last card in his hand. "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!" Jaden shouted as Avian flew up in the air before firing a volley of feathers from his wings at Hassleberry.

Hassleberry: 0 LP

Winner: Jaden

"I gotta hand it to you son, that was one of the most intense- Woah!" Hassleberry exclaimed as he began walking over to Jaden, but forgot about the river and stepped off the edge into the water as the holograms faded. Jaden asked if he was alright, and Hassleberry said he was fine before saying he owed Jaden some duel disks.

"Oh yeah. I was having such an awesome time, I almost forgot. Thanks, admiral," Jaden said, and although Hassleberry started to correct him, he just gave up. Later on, Jaden and Syrus were sitting in their room when someone knocked on the door. Syrus opened the door and Hassleberry walked in with a large bag slung over his shoulder, setting it down before beginning to empty it.

"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?" Syrus asked, and Chazz piped up from the top bunk, saying they didn't need any freeloaders, although Jaden was quick to call him a hypocrite as they were letting him stay with them until his room was finished.

"My mind's made up. I'm giving Troop Tyranno some time off. Anyway, Jaden showed me I still have a lot to learn. Hassleberry reporting for duty sir. It's truly an honor, Sergeant Jaden," Hassleberry said formally, but Jaden said to just call him by his name.