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Chapter 1 

  Jesse’s pen scratched busily over his paper as the teen was hunched over his desk, green eyes narrowed with concentration. There was still a good week until school started, but he hadn’t given his written assignments a glance. That didn’t do much to help him, as he was currently madly trying to finish them. 

  His pen slowed slightly as he thought of the past year at Duel Academy and he smiled to himself. Sure, the year had been strange… how many students go to alternate dimensions and nearly get themselves killed in the process? But he had made quite a few good friends, such as Jay and Sy and Alexis and Hassleberry and Jim… 

  Speaking of Jim, where was he?

  Jesse put down his pen and turned around, resting his hands on the back of his chair. They had gotten a room change over the summer. Sy was still bunking with Jay but he was with Jim. All of the South Academy champion’s things were neatly laid out on Jim’s bed, but he was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Shirley, his crocodile. 

  He said he’d be back in an hour, Jesse thought to himself. Wonder what’s keeping him?

  Something nudged his leg gently, and he looked down to see Ruby, his ruby-eyed cat-like Duel Spirit. “Hiya, Ruby!” he said happily as Ruby climbed onto his shoulder. “What’s up?” 

  Ruby’s tail flicked toward the door and she leaned into his neck, purring. At that moment Jesse heard his roommate on the other side of the door, his Australian accented voice slightly muffled.

  “I’ll just nip in and grab your books, and then I’ll walk you to your dorm. Why so sudden in the plans to come here, mate?” 

  The doorknob rattled for a few seconds, then:

  “Drat it! I took the wrong key! Shirley…? What are you doing, girl?” 

  A heavy thump answered that question. Jesse guessed Jim’s crocodile was banging her heavy tail against the door. He leaped up to open it before it collapsed. Though as soon as he did, a heavy blow landed on his stomach.

  “Oof!” he grunted as he fell backwards. Shirley’s tail landed on his chest and he groaned. 

  “Sorry, Jess,” Jim apologized with a tap of his finger to the brim of his hat. “Didn’t think Shirley’d start whacking the door like that.” He held out his hand to help him up. “This’s the guy I was talking to you about,” he said to someone over his shoulder.

  Jesse stood up and looked around Jim’s tall build. A girl of either 15 or 16 years of age was stroking Shirley’s broad head. “Who’s she?” he asked as Jim moved past him and started digging around in a box. 

  “Ask her,” he said simply. Shirley left the girl and went over to Jim’s side as he picked out books and stacked them neatly on the floor. 

  Jesse gave the girl a look and stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. It was Ruby who started the conversation between the two of them.

  Ruby leaped from his shoulder and onto the ground. Then she scampered over to the girl’s feet and climbed up. “Ruby! Get down!” Jesse hissed. What if she couldn’t see Duel Spirits and got freaked out? He needn’t have worried, for she stroked Ruby’s head with a finger and grinned. 

  “Aren’t you cute!” she said with a soft smile. Ruby rubbed against her neck as she settled onto her shoulder. “Is she yours?” she asked Jesse.

  “Uh… yeah.” 

  She smiled and continued rubbing Ruby’s head. “I always wanted to see a Crystal Beast.” Ruby purred and a soft laugh escaped her lips. “My name’s Ahti. And I’m supposing you’re Jesse Anderson, the North Academy Champion, right?”

  Jesse blinked and nodded. “That’s me. Where’re you from?” 

  “South Academy.”

  A thoughtful expression crossed Jesse’s face. “Isn’t Jim from there, too?” he asked. 

  “Uh-huh,” Ahti agreed with a nod. 

  “That’s all.” Jesse and Ahti both turned around to see Jim with a big pile of books. “You have your Duel Disk with you, right?” Ahti nodded and stepped aside for Jim to go out the door. “Right, let’s go then. Really, could you have signed up for any more classes?”

  “Sorry, Jim,” Ahti said with a slightly embarrassed smile. “I’ll take some of them.” She gave Ruby a last pat and waved to Jesse before walking out after Jim. Ruby climbed back up to Jesse’s shoulder and settled comfortably there, her big ruby eyes watching as the two as they walked away.