Hurry, hurry!'
'Faster, faster!'
Jaden was sprinting across the wilderness alone, his speed surpassing that of most athletes. He could leap several meters in a single bound, even flipping up into the trees, but still, he thought he was too slow.
'Too slow, too slow!'
Ever since arriving in this dimension, his already exaggerated physical abilities had only grown stronger. But he didn't care about that. All he cared about was one thing:
Dueling and happiness.
At first, he had been having a blast, traveling, adventuring. But a Duel against the Legendary Flame Lord in a spirit village had cast a shadow over his heart. Then came the invasion of the Dark World, which left his head spinning.
Almost instinctively, he began protecting the ordinary students, trying to keep them safe.
Thankfully, KaibaCorp and the senior students from the Academy had responded quickly. When he later checked the Academy forums, he found that the rescue operations had gone smoothly, with very few casualties.
Thanks to Amaki Hikaru's warning, most students in the Fusion Club were unharmed. Only people like him, wandering recklessly in the wild, were in real danger.
But…
Not acceptable!
Not a single one!
He made that vow in his heart.
This event had been the final project of the principal he respected, Principal Sheppard, before retiring. A tournament uniting Duel Academy students from all over the world, even featuring many professional Duelists.
He didn't want this final effort to be marred by misfortune. Principal Sheppard, already under fire, didn't deserve more blame.
Back at the entrance exam, Jaden had been late and was going to be expelled on the spot. It was the principal who gave him a chance, letting him Duel Professor Crowler, which allowed him to stay.
After enrolling, the principal had continued to give him breaks. That was why he had such a happy school life.
Now, to see this last effort tainted, he couldn't accept it.
So, he wasn't going to give up on anyone.
Unfortunately, things never go how you want. Even though he had saved many people, protected many students, there were still those who didn't listen to him, who wouldn't follow.
"Damn it!"
Ch-ch-chhhhhhh
He slid down a hill. Beside him, Avian emerged and pointed into the distance. "Jaden, over there!"
"Got it!"
A lone student wandering in a demon-infested wasteland was practically demon bait. Unless you were strong enough, it was basically suicide!
Up ahead, he saw the student's figure. Around them, several little demons wielded pitchforks, clearly about to attack.
Faster, faster, faster!
He kept urging himself.
"Ahhh!!"
The scream echoed, and Jaden's heart clenched.
Though then;
Just as he was panicking, a few "pew pew" sounds rang out. Three cards shot out from behind a massive boulder across from him, striking the demons and bursting into flames, engulfing them.
Eyes wide, Jaden landed and rolled without hesitation, grabbed the student, and shielded them with his back, taking the brunt of the flames on his clothes.
An instant later, a loud boom signaled the demons' destruction. They vanished in a blaze.
"J-Jaden!"
The rescued student sobbed his name.
"It's okay. I'm here." Relieved, Jaden let go, stood up, and patted out the burn marks on his clothes.
"Hey! That was too dangerous! Are you okay?" A voice called out, and Jaden realized someone else had appeared during his dive.
A boy in denim, with a bandage over his right eye and a piercing left eye, had rushed out from behind the boulder, carrying a massive green crocodile on his back.
"Ah, sorry, sorry, I just panicked," Jaden said, scratching his head and laughing.
At the same time, a dark-skinned, dreadlocked boy stepped out from behind the boulder too. In his hand was a gold Duel Disk shaped like a pistol. Jaden figured those three cards must have been fired from that.
Jaden moved the student behind him and greeted the two. "Hi, I'm Jaden Yuki, a second-year at Duel Academy Main Campus."
The one-eyed cowboy adjusted his hat. "South Academy rep, Jim. Jim Crocodile Cook."
Then he pointed to the crocodile behind him. "This is Shirley, my family."
"Axel Brodie. Just call me Axel. West Academy rep," the dreadlocked guy said, reloading his pistol.
All three were the same age.
"Oh!" Jaden's eyes lit up. "Two academy reps at once? Lucky me!"
"Jaden, what are you doing out here? This place is dangerous," Jim said.
"Well..." Jaden looked back at the student. "I've been searching for stragglers nearby. There's a camp over there, and today I heard someone was out here, so..."
Not quite true.
He told a small lie.
Shirley the crocodile let out a grunt, and Axel raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, we can talk later." Jaden kept smiling. "What about you two? Lost? I have a map. You can head to the nearest checkpoint."
The two exchanged a glance, then shook their heads.
"Actually, we just came from a Duel Spirit's place and don't know what's been going on," Jim said. "We figured we should get some information first."
"An isolated zone? Is anyone still there?" Jaden was more interested in that.
"No one left," Axel replied.
"Hmm..." Jaden was about to speak when the student whispered in his ear.
Then Jaden thought for a moment. "Sorry, it's not safe here. Can we go back to our camp first?"
The two looked at each other again. Eventually, Jim nodded.
Though it was their first meeting, and Jaden had lied right to their faces, something told them, this guy wasn't bad.
Meanwhile, Jaden kept walking and smiling, but in his heart, the worry only grew.
Right...
There were still students in isolated zones, still Dueling, completely unaware of the outside world.
They had to find them, too!
Far above, in the distant sky, a pale door was slowly opening...