Bastion was walking through the academy hall when he saw Syrus sitting off by himself. Bastion asked Syrus if he wanted to have lunch with him, but Syrus declined the offer. "Still down and out about Jaden?" Bastion asked as he sat next to his friend, and Syrus just sighed. "Yeah. I know he had to leave to get better, but I just wish he'd come back soon. I miss him so much I'm starting to see him everywhere," Syrus answered.
He looked up and saw Jaden's face in front of him, saying he was seeing it right now, but Bastion told him he could see it as well. Syrus looked again and saw that Hassleberry had made an iron-on of Jaden's face and stuck it to the back of his uniform. "Check it out soldiers, now Jaden's really got my back. Wherever I go, he goes. After all, he is my best friend," Hassleberry said, making Syrus quite angry.
"Jaden's only got one best friend: me! And I don't need an iron-on to prove it," Syrus insulted, and Hassleberry told him not to make fun of his jacket. "You're just jealous of us because we're a two-man army and you've been demoted. If you want, you can carry our supplies, little man," Hassleberry offered, but Syrus just got even angrier.
"Listen you lug nut, you're just a third wheel!" he shouted, and Hassleberry said he would roll right over him. The two locked eyes with each other, and Bastion could tell what was about to happen. Fifteen minutes later, Syrus and Hassleberry were being bandaged up in the Slifer dorm by Lily and Alexis.
Syrus yelped in pain, and Alexis told him to sit still. "Cut me some slack, I'm the victim here," Syrus said, but Hassleberry argued that the only thing Syrus was a victim of was poor combat training. "Scratching and hair-pulling are illegal maneuvers, which is why I deserve to be Jaden's best friend," he said as Lily tried to doctor him.
"Come on you two, this is the third time this week you've gotten in a fight, and your pointless arguing is doing nothing but eating up the supplies in the first aid kit," Lily pointed out, and Bastion asked why they couldn't both be Jaden's best friend, but Syrus and Hassleberry both refused.
"I guess I showed up at a good time," Atticus said from above them. Everyone directed their gaze upwards and saw Atticus lying on one of the rafters. Alexis asked him how long he had been up there, and Atticus said he had been there the whole time. "I was just trying to find a good spot to chill for a while, but when I heard these two going at it, I had to step in to keep the band together. I mean you can't let your fans down," Atticus said, but Bastion was confused.
Lily said that wiith Atticus, everything's a music reference. "Look, you both wanna be frontman, but you're singing backup, just like my sis. She dreams of stardom but takes a backseat to her bro," Atticus said as he pointed to his sister, and Alexis got fairly annoyed by the statement. She calmly walked up to Atticus and picked up Pharoah, who was lying at the man's feet, but before he could ask what she was doing, Alexis squeezed Pharaoh's tail, causing him to scratch Atticus across the face.
"Ahh! My face! My pure, unblemished face!" Atticus exclaimed, and Alexis assured him there was more where that came from. Syrus told Alexis to watch her temper, Hassleberry adding that violence wasn't the answer, and that proved to be the woman's breaking point. "Like you two are ones to talk! Look, if you want to settle this best friend business, then just shut up and duel already!" Alexis shouted.
"She's right. Suit up soldier, and prepare for an assault," Hassleberry challenged. "You're on serge. I'll take your tough talk and wrap it up in a box, then I'll mail it right back to you!" Syrus responded, and Atticus said that at least his analogies made sense. That night, Alexis was brushing her hair out in her room when she got a call from Bastion.
"Sorry to bother you, but is Syrus at the red dorm?" Bastion asked, and Alexis said she thought he was at the yellow dorm. Bastion said he wasn't, and that this wasn't the first time Syrus had left the dorm at night. "Are you serious? You know, I've noticed that ever since Jaden left, he hasn't been himself. Bastion, do you think he could be looking for Jaden?" Alexis asked, and Bastion said that's what worried him, as aside from his lack of sleep, he hadn't been eating much lately either.
Meanwhile, Syrus was searching the woods, calling out for Jaden. As he was walking, a flock of birds flew out of a bush next to him, startling him for a moment, but he shook it off, reminding himself what he was doing. "I can do this. No fear. No fear!" he said to himself as he walked past the lake, but if he had stayed a little longer, he'd have found Jaden, who surfaced shortly after Syrus left.
"Oh man, catching these fish is harder than I thought. I'm starving. Guess there's nothing to do but sleep," he said to himself before he put his clothes back on and curled up next to a nearby tree. The next day, everyone was in front of the Slifer dorm to watch the duel between Hassleberry and Syrus, but the latter of the two hadn't shown up yet. "I don't like this. Syrus should've been here by now," Alexis noted.
"Hey, half-pint! We said 1300 on the dot! Unless you've chickened out!" Hassleberry shouted, but Syrus shouted he was there from the treeline. He came out of the woods, his uniform scuffed up, and Alexis wondered if he had been searching for Jaden all night. "Well, I'll be. I thought you'd surrendered, but since this battle's still on, let's review the conditions. If I reign victorious then I get awarded the title of second in command to Sergeant Jaden Yuki," Hassleberry reminded.
"And if I win, you'll accept that Jaden's my best friend. And then you'll become my second in command," Syrus informed, and Hassleberry shouted that Syrus couldn't add conditions at the last second, but Atticus approved it. Hassleberry asked who made Atticus the referee, and Lily said he preferred the term "celebrity judge". Syrus asked Hassleberry if he was afraid he'd lose, but Hassleberry said that wouldn't be happening before accepting Syrus' terms.
Syrus: 4000 LP
Hassleberry: 4000 LP
"I'll go first. I play Ambulanceroid in defense mode," Syrus declared.
Level 3/Earth/Machine
ATK 300/DEF 1200
"Next, I'll place this face-down and give you a shot. You'll never break me and Jaden up. He never gave up on me, and I won't give up on him!" Syrus shouted, and Atticus clapped for him. "Nicely done. You've got pizazz, and that'll take you far. You get three stars for execution, and five stars for originality," he said.
Bastion said he was confused, and Alexis told him to just ignore Atticus, as his dream was to judge a talent search reality show, so he was practicing. "So maybe you have a longer history with Jaden, big deal. I'm here to fortify our future plans, not to wallow in the past. Report for duty Archeonys," Hassleberry ordered.
Level 3/Wind/Winged Beast
ATK 300/DEF 1300
"This monster has a special place in my heart, because I played it on the day I met Jaden. But as I said, that's in the past. I play New Ultra Evolution, so by sacrificing Archeonys, I can summon Black Tyranno in attack mode!"
Level 7/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 2600/DEF 1800
"I dedicate this move to Jaden, in honor of the day our bond began," Hassleberry declared, and Atticus was moved by his statement. "Way to show us your tender side. That's exactly what this competition's about," he said. "Due to Black Tyranno's special ability, if all your monsters are in defense mode, it's allowed to bypass them to strike at you directly. This'll teach you to try and outrank me. Black Tyranno, relieve the enemy of some of his life points. Rex Bomber!" Hassleberry shouted as Black Tyranno charged forward and slammed his tail on the ground at Syrus' feet, narrowly missing him.
Syrus: 1400 LP
"Depleted of more than half your points, and I'm still fighting at full capacity. Well soldier, ready to surrender?" Hassleberry asked, but Syrus said he wasn't quitting. He pointed out that Hassleberry used the same strategy when he dueled Jaden, and he was there for the duel, but Hassleberry said that didn't mean he could beat him. "We'll see about that serge. I draw! And I summon Submarineroid in attack mode!" Syrus declared.
Level 4/Water/Machine
ATK 800/DEF 1800
"And due to his special ability, he can attack you directly. Go, Deep Depth Impact!" Syrus shouted as his monster dove underground and launched a missile at Hassleberry that exploded at his feet.
Hassleberry: 3200 LP
"And due to his other special ability, after he attacks he can switch to defense mode. Next, I'll place down two face-downs and end my turn," Syrus finished. Hassleberry noted that Syrus' attack barely did any damage, and that the duel was practically his, but Syrus said the duel wasn't over until the last card was played.
Hassleberry said that was bad advice, but Syrus said Jaden had taught him that, and Hassleberry said it probably sounded better coming from Jaden. The dino duelist then started his turn, noting he was going to have to take a risk before summoning his Giant Rex in attack mode.
Level 4/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 2000/DEF 1200
Hassleberry ordered Giant Rex to attack Submarineroid, and his monster charged forward, smashing the machine with its tail. "Since you attacked a machine type monster, I can activate my Supercharge trap, letting me draw two cards," Syrus explained. "Black Tyranno, attack directly! Anyone trying to get between me and Jaden is gonna get squashed like a skunk on a freeway," Hassleberry declared.
"Five stars for word choice. That earned you a spot in the semifinals. What you lack in grace you make up for in that grittiness we've come to love," Atticus said, and Alexis said that if anyone asked, the two of the weren't related, Lily sharing the sentiment. "I play my continuous trap, Cyber Summon Blaster! Now, every time a machine type monster is special summoned, you take 300 points of damage," Syrus explained, but Hassleberry just smiled.
"Now that we've narrowed down the field, I play the Dino Stamp spell card, which means your remaining face-down is destroyed," Hassleberry said as Syrus' remaining face-down was crushed. "Actually, I was hoping you'd do that. The card you just destroyed was Wonder Garage. Since this card was sent to the graveyard, I can special summon a level 4 or lower machine type monster from my hand, so I summon Drillroid in attack mode," Syrus explained.
Level 4/Earth/Machine
ATK 1600/DEF 1600
"Not a bad move. Since he summoned it in attack mode, Hassleberry can no longer attack him directly," Bastion pointed out, Alexis adding that since Syrus special summoned a machine-type monster, Hassleberry takes 300 points of damage. Syrus' Cyber Summon Blaster charged energy in its dish before firing a beam of energy at Hassleberry.
Hassleberry: 2900 LP
"Big deal, 300 points is nothing. But you're gonna lose a whole lot more, because now Black Tyranno attacks your Drillroid," Hassleberry said as Black Tyranno slammed his tail into Drillroid, sending it flying into the air before it exploded.
Syrus: 400 LP
Hassleberry then placed a card face-down and handed the duel off to Syrus. "Alright, I draw! And I play Polymerization to fuse Ambulanceroid with the Rescueroid in my hand to summon Ambulance Rescueroid in attack mode!" Syrus shouted.
Level 6/Fire/Machine
ATK 2300/DEF 1800
Hassleberry asked if that was it, and Syrus said that since his Summon Blaster was still activate, Hassleberry loses another 300 life points.
Hassleberry: 2600 LP
Syrus ordered his Ambulance Rescueroid to attack, and it revved its engines before it ran over Hassleberry's Giant Rex.
Hassleberry: 2300 LP
Syrus then summoned his Decoyroid in defense mode.
Level 2/Wind/Machine
ATK 300/DEF 500
"I'll place one card face-down and end my turn. By the way, as long as Decoyroid's in play, it's the only monster you're allowed to attack," Syrus informed. Hassleberry realized that since Rescueroid was in attack mode, he couldn't use Black Tyranno's effect to attack directly, but he could destroy Decoyroid easily.
"Wrong. When Ambulance Rescueroid is on my field, once every turn I can bring back a monster that was destroyed in battle," Syrus explained, and Hassleberry realized he was stuck unless he drew the right card. He started his turn and saw he drew the card he had been hoping for.
"Just the card I needed. I sacrifice Black Tyranno to play the spell Big Evolution Pill, which means for the next three turns, I don't have to sacrifice any monsters to summon my dinosaurs, which means I can summon Ultimate Tyranno in attack mode!" Hassleberry shouted.
Level 8/Earth/Dinosaur
ATK 3000/DEF 2200
"When Ultimate Tyranno is in attack mode at the start of my battle phase, it has to attack first, but it attacks all your monsters. Now go and take out Decoyroid!" Hassleberry shouted as his monster snatched Decoyroid in its jaws before biting down, crushing it in an instant. "I activate the effect of Ambulance Rescueroid! I summon Decoyroid back to the field in defense mode!" Syrus declared as a panel in the side of his monster opened and Decoyroid came out of it, Cyber Summon Blaster zapping Hassleberry again.
Hassleberry: 2000 LP
"Nice try little man, but since you can only use that ability once per turn, it's my win," Hassleberry said, but Syrus just smirked. "Not quite. I play the spell De-Fusion, which will split my monster back into Ambulanceroid and Rescueroid!" Syrus shouted.
Level 6/Fire/Machine
ATK 1600/DEF 1800
Hassleberry: 1700 LP
"You may have summoned new monsters, but it doesn't change the fact your Decoyroid is destroyed!" Hassleberry said as Ultimate Tyranno stomped on Decyroid, smashing it to bits. "Maybe, but now Rescueroid's special ability activates. Whenever one of my roid monsters is destroyed in battle, I can return that monster to my hand. And doing that activates Ambulanceroid's special ability. Whenever a roid monster is returned from my graveyard to my hand, I can special summon that monster, so I'll bring out Decoyroid in defense mode," Syrus explained.
"I see what's happened. Whenever Decoyroid returns to the field, it counts as a new monster, which means Ultimate Tyranno has to attack it again because of its special ability," Bastion pointed out, and Lily said that every time it comes back, Cyber Summon Blaster activates its effect again, dealing Hassleberry damage. "It's an infinite loop," Alexis marvelled as Cyber Summon Blaster shot a blast at Hassleberry.
Hassleberry: 1400 LP
The loop continued four more times, leaving Hassleberry with only 200 life points. Alexis noted that Syrus had the duel in the bag, Bastion saying that Syrus' plan was impressive. "Syrus knew exactly how Hassleberry would duel, so he set up the ultimate counter play against him," Bastion noted, and Lily admitted she was impressed by Syrus.
"One more blast and this duel is mine. Guess you're gonna be my subordinate after-" Syrus began to say, but before he could finish, a wave of dizziness hit him, causing him slightly lose his balance. Hassleberry reached to activate his face-down, but he stopped when he heard Alexis call out to Syrus.
"Syrus, you look like you're about to collapse," Lily cautioned, and Syrus said he was okay, and that he just hadn't been sleeping much lately. "You've been searching for Jaden every night, haven't you?" Alexis asked, and Bastion pointed out that he had barely been eating either. "What? A search and rescue? But Jaden may not even be back to the island yet," Hassleberry reasoned, but Syrus said Jaden had to be.
"I mean, he promised he'd be back as soon as he could, and Jaden never breaks his promises. Besides, dueling is Jaden's whole life, and Duel Academy is like his home," Syrus said, and Hassleberry asked if he thought Jaden was just wondering around or something, but Alexis chimed in that Jaden had probably gotten lost, Bastion adding that certainly sounded like Jaden.
"That's why I've been searching. If Jaden is lost, I wanna do everything I can to bring him home," Syrus said, and Hassleberry conceded that Syrus really was Jaden's best friend. Ultimate Tyranno attacked one last time, causing Cyber Summon Blaster to activate.
Hassleberry: 0 LP
Winner: Syrus
"I did it, I-" Syrus tried to say, but his celebration was halted when he dropped to the ground and passed out. Alexis and Bastion ran to check on him, and Bastion said Syrus was just finally getting the rest he needed before asking Alexis to help him bring Syrus to the nurse just to be safe.
Hassleberry pulled out the last card in his duel disk and looked at it, a trap with a picture of a meteor crashing towards Earth. "Jurassic Impact. When your life points are lower than your opponent's, you can activate this card to destroy all monsters on the field and deal 1000 points of damage for each to the players that controlled them. If I had played it, I could've ended the duel in a draw," Hassleberry thought to himself before Atticus walked up to him.
"Minus five stars for not believing that Jaden's out there," the man said, and Hassleberry said he was starting to get annoying. "Besides, I realized that Syrus is the one who deserves to be Jaden's best friend, not me," the dino duelist admitted.