Very soon, Jim reached his house and put his bike into the garage before he entered his house. But when he tried to sneak upstairs...

"Jim! I'm in the kitchen!" Barbara called out from the kitchen, much to Jim's slight disappointment.

"Hey Mom!" Jim greeted as he turned to walk back down the stairs and attempt to place his bag on the banister post.

"Oh man, you would not believe what happened to me on the way home from-" the boy in blue continued as his bag fell to the floor, only for him to pick it up and finally place it around the banister post, before walking into the living room to reach the kitchen. But as he walked toward the kitchen, he saw Mr. Strickler sitting on one of the bar stools in the breakfast nook..

"Look who stopped by!" Barbara exclaimed from the kitchen as she prepared to make some tea.

"Hello Jim." Mr. Strickler greeted from his seat.

"... Mr. Strickler." Jim greeted back in confusion, not understanding why his history teacher was here in his house.

"Walter came by to congratulate you." Barbara explained as she placed two tea cups on the counter of the breakfast nook, before heading to the fridge.

"Oh. That's really... nice!" Jim said, not seeing what they were referring to.

"It's a great honor that you have been chosen to wield this mantle. I have no doubt you'll prove equal to the task." Mr Strickler congratulated while Barbara placed a carton of milk on the counter just before the kettle started to scream.

"Uh-" Jim began, starting to think that Mr. Strickler knew about him being the Trollhunter, while Barbara went to get the hot kettle.

"Why didn't you tell me you were trying out for Romeo and Juliet?" Barbara asked as she walked back to the breakfast nook and poured the hot water into the tea cups. But her question had Jim throw his first thought process out the window.

"Maybe we could back up a few steps?" Jim questioned, hoping to get more clarity.

"Jim, surely you knew you'd run the part of Romeo after your breathtaking audition yesterday." Mr Strickler revealed as he grabbed his cup of tea, while both adults looked back over at the boy.

"Yeah, after the audition I had to run, but- Waitaminute, I got the part?" Jim began to explain, only for his teacher's words to fully sink in if his surprised face was anything to go off on.

"After your mother and I caught up, I was just remarking to Barbara that I'm a touch concerned about your being spread so thin. Particularly, in light of your new commitment to the chess club." Mr Strickler said, revealing his reasons as to why he was there in the first place, while Barbara set the kettle down onto the counter.

"And I didn't even think you knew how to play chess!" Barbara exclaimed as Mr Strickler took a sip of his tea. But he was so distracted that he had forgotten how bad Barbara was in the kitchen, and was quickly reminded when the bitter liquid went into his mouth.

"Chess, acting, it's like you have this entire secret life that I know nothing about!" the doctor went on while Strickler tried to play off his disgust at the tea he just drank.

"You have no idea." Jim whispered to himself, considering just how much his mom was in the dark.

"Atlas too carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. And I'm concerned, like him, that you're over-extending yourself." Mr Strickler admitted, expressing his worry for the young boy.

"I can handle it!" Jim reassured as he leaned on the dining room table, feeling confident in himself.

"A few days ago, you were falling asleep in class." Mr Strickler rebutted as Barbara poured some hot water into her own cup. But at her dear friend's words, she was pulled away from her task.

"Wait what?" Barbara questioned right before she overfilled her cup, letting the contents spill onto the counter.

"Yeah but-but now I am recharged and ready to go!" Jim exclaimed as Barbara went to get something to clean up her spill, while he knocked on the table. But it was a little harder than intended and caused a vase that was on the table to topple towards the ground. As he continued to speak, Jim went to grab it and fumbled a bit before he finally had a firm grip on it, just as his mom came back with a napkin.

" 'To be or not to be.'Right?" Jim recited, using the vase as a prop, to prove his point. But at the confused/concerned faces of the two adults, his confidence began to waver.

"Right? Am I right?" the Trollhunter questioned as Mr Strickler placed his tea cup back on the counter while not taking his eyes off the boy.

"Jim, that's Hamlet." Barbara said, making Jim wince at the blunder before placing the vase back onto the table. Though Barbara was more concerned about being a good hostess at the moment as she poured some milk into Strickler's cup and offered it to the teacher.

"Thanks, but I've got a meeting with an old colleague I need to get to. It was nice catching up with you Barbara." Mr Strickler declined as he got up from his seat, using his departure as an excuse to not have any more of Barbara's... unique tea.

"The pleasure is all mine." Barbara replied, understanding his need to leave all too well.

"I hope to see you much sooner next time. Adieu." Mr. Strickler fare-welled as he kissed the back of her hand, before he left the room and walked past a slightly weirded out Jim.

"It was nice seeing him again." Barbara remarked to Jim as Strickler left the house.

"Yeah..." Jim trailed off, trying to comprehend the interaction he had just seen between his mom and his history teacher/uncle figure.

"Honestly, I don't know where I'd be without his friendship." Barbara admitted as she gathered the dishes to put in the sink, while Jim tried to sneak up the stairs again as he grabbed his bag from the banister, only to realize the truth in Strickler's words. "And he has a point. There are only so many hours in the day Jim!" the doctor said, pulling Jim away from trying to sneak away, as she walked out of the kitchen towards her son.

"If your grades slip, even a little, I'm going to insist you cut back, starting with the things you do for me!" Barbara warned, knowing that like Marinette, Jim cared so much about the people he loves up to the point where he forgets to take care of himself at times.

"I like taking care of you." Jim argued, trying to get his mom to see that he doesn't mind helping her out when she needs it.

"Except that it's my job to take care of you!" Barbara rebutted, pulling the 'I'm the parent' card. With that being said, Jim placed his bag back onto the banister, and walked over to his mom.

"Do you remember what you told me when I was a kid? You said 'Family, no matter where they are or who they are, takes care of each other'. That's all I'm doing, Mom!" Jim explained, bringing tears to Barbara's eyes before she pulled him into a tight hug, kissing the top of his head.

"You must be starving." Barbara realized as she pulled out of the hug and looked down at her son. "How about, breakfast for dinner? Even I can't screw up an omelet!" the doctor exclaimed as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Wouldn't be so sure." Jim mumbled to himself with a chuckle, knowing that his mom was not great in the kitchen as he started following her.

"What?" Barbara asked, hearing his mumbling.

"I said, 'Sure!' " Jim exclaimed, trying to save his bacon from his less than kind remark.

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Meanwhile outside, Strickler headed to his car, his keys jingling as he pulled them out to unlock the door. But before he entered his car, his eyes caught Bular watching through the house's side window.

"You shouldn't be here," Strickler seethed, not even turning around to face Bular as he berated him like a misbehaving child. The dark troll's face scrunched up as he growled at Strickler and went back to watching Jim and his mother in the kitchen.

"Why aren't I feeling his neck snap in my hands right now?" Bular angrily questioned Strickler, while he continued to stalk the mother and son inside their house. Back inside, as soon as Barbara's eyes left the pot, Jim quickly tasted it before gagging as it slid off his tongue and down his throat.

"Burning his hut to the ground?" the dark troll continued as he turned to face the approaching Strickler.

"That certainly wouldn't draw any attention." Strickler scoffed dryly, knowing that Bular's way of doing things would lead to exposure.

"I could take the amulet and be done with it." Bular argued, feeling frustrated with the teacher.

"Your attempt to do so earlier was not only unsuccessful, it risked exposing our agenda to both humans and trolls." Strickler berated Bular, causing the dark troll to snarl at him in frustration, even if he knew he was right. "First human Trollhunter. This will require finesse, patience." the history teacher said as he turned to face the window. From there, he and Bular watched as Jim continued to quickly fix Barbara's cooking, still engaged in their strict conversation.

"I resent your weak, devious ways, Impure. I only respect force." Bular seethed as he turned away from the window to glare at Strickler.

"And I respect your father. If you want any chance of ever seeing him again, adapt." Strickler instructed, causing Bular to sigh out in resignation before turning back to watch Jim as he continued to fix the dish quickly. Both Bular and Strickler continued to watch Jim as he tasted his creation, and enjoyed the new savory taste. As his mom turned back around, Jim hastily set down the spoon as his mother walked back to the stove, where Barbara tried a sip of "her" making and was shocked.

"You know, that's actually pretty delicious." Barbara said in surprise before she walked to the other end of the kitchen once again, while Bular's face unknowingly filled the window. "So, Walter has been busy lately. Is he still single?" the doctor asked, much to Jim's shock. Speaking of Strickler, he was currently pushing Bular from Jim's potential view.

"What? I-I don't know." Jim sputtered in shock at his mom's question. But just as Strickler had moved Bular completely out of the way, Jim, after suspecting movement, missed him at the last second before he walked to the window sill. All he found was the sound of distance sirens, and no one in sight.

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(Time Skip)

After Barbara's saved dinner attempt, courtesy of Jim's superb kitchen skills, the newly made Trollhunter retired to his room. Once he closed the door, his phone started buzzing. Jim pulled it out of his pocket, only to see it was Marinette that was calling him. Glancing at the clock at the corner of his phone screen, he saw that it was 9:00.

'Right on time.' Jim thought to himself as he went to sit on his bed, and answered the call. A second afterward, Marinette showed up on the phone screen. "Hey sis! How are you?" the Trollhunter greeted as he observed the current surroundings Marinette was in, seeing that she was in the library.

"I could be worse. I'm actually hiding from Nino in the library." Marinette explained as she pulled out her lunch from her bag. On the menu that day was leftover Mandu dumplings with white rice and soy sauce from the previous night's dinner, an apple and two chocolate croissants for dessert.

"What, why? Is everything okay? Jim asked, hoping that Marinette was not being bothered by Nino, despite their long standing friendship.

"Yeah, save for Nino, who is attempting to enter a movie festival and is roping everyone in our class to help him." Marinette answered, relieving Jim's earlier discomfort.

"Oof, let me guess... he wants you to be the producer?" Jim questioned, knowing all about how Marinette was always Nino's first choice in producers when making a movie.

"Yep. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if he wasn't so insistent about it. I'm only hiding so I can get some peace from his asking." Marinette vented before she took out her chopsticks from her lunchbox, and grabbed one of her dumplings with some rice.

"Well other than that, how has school been? Any Akumas?" Jim asked, hoping that his sister had been able to catch a break.

"No, thank goodness. Nothing since Nathaniel got akumatized." Marinette answered as she ate the dumpling held in her chopsticks, making Jim sigh with relief.

"That's good to hear." Jim replied, as Marinette finished her dumpling, and wiped her mouth with a napkin

"Yeah, but enough about me. How have you been since those two trolls, uh... Binky and Uughh!! came to your house?" Marinette questioned, accidently getting the troll's name wrong.

"It's actually 'Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!', though you were close. But to answer your question, it has been... eventful." Jim answered, trailing off as he thought back to what had happened.

"Okay, spill the beans... now!" Marinette prompted before she ate another dumpling, needing to have her newly surfacing curiosity satisfied.

"So to start off, I am now one of the lead actors in the school play." Jim started, making Mairnette's eyes widen at his words, which caused her to swallow her food a little too fast, if her coughing to clear her throat was any indicator.

"WHAT!! How? You've never been interested in acting." Marinette interrogated, needing to know what led to Jim suddenly being involved with the new extracurricular.

"It was more of a necessity. I accidently armored up at school, and Strickler walked into the locker room. So I had to make up an excuse, and all I came up with was that I was trying out for Romeo and Juliet. Long story short, he gave me no other choice and I had to audition." Jim explained, which calmed Marinette down from her surprise.

"Lest you reveal you were the new Trollhunter. I can see your reasoning there, but I'm proud of you. Even if you had to do it to protect your secret, it's amazing!" Marinette congratulated, knowing that it was great of Jim to try something new. But then again he was doing a lot already, so he probably needed to actually do less.

"Thanks sis, but that's not all!" Jim exclaimed, peaking her interests more.

"What else happened? Don't leave me hanging." Marinette asked, needing to know what happened next.

"Well, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! showed me and Tobes their home underneath Arcadia!" Jim reported, bringing a bright smile to his sister.

"Really? They took you to their home? How? Why?" Marinette excitedly questioned, abandoning her food to focus on Jim's answer.

"Okay, before I keep going... don't freak out, alright?" Jim asked, which caused Marinette's excitement to die down, and turn into confusion.

"Oookay, go ahead." Marinette tentatively agreed as she waited for him to tell her what happened.

"Alright, so... Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! had to take us to their home, because Bular attacked us when Tobes and I were heading home." Jim explained, causing Marinette's eyes to widen even further than when he mentioned his new extra curricular.

"WHAT!!" Marinette shouted in shock, bringing her phone closer to her face to emphasize her worry.

"You said you wouldn't freak out." Jim nervously remarked. Despite Jim being the older sibling, Marinette could be very scary when she was mad.

"That was before you told me that the son of Gunmar... the baddest villain Trollkind has ever seen... attacked you and Toby!" Marinette pointed out, not willing to let go of Jim's recount of the earlier event due to her fear of his safety.

"I know. And honestly... I'm still shaken up about it. Even after seeing the wonder that is Heartstone Trollmarket, Bular's attack and a few other things that happened down there, made things seem more real than before." Jim continued, trailing off as he finished speaking while he glanced down to the floor to avoid Marinette's worrying gaze.

"No kidding..." Marinette breathed out as she brought her phone back away from her. But as she did, the last of Jim's words fully sunk in. "Wait, Heartstone Trollmarket? Is that what Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!'s home is called?" the designer asked, wanting to know more about this new information.

"Yep, and it's amazing! I honestly thought I was dreaming!" Jim gushed in excitement as he remembered the underground city.

"You better send me any pictures you and Toby took. And I know Toby would take some, cause that's who he is." Marinette softly demanded, hoping to be able to see what Heartstone looked like, even if it was from a picture.

"I'll text him to do so." Jim promised.

"Thank you!" Marinette cheered before she started eating her lunch again.

"You said that a few other things happened down there... What other things were they?" the designer asked as she picked up another dumpling with rice, and then popped it into her mouth.

"Well, besides me and Toby causing a ruckus among the inhabitants due to being the first humans to come to the Trollmarket in centuries, starting my training, and meeting Vendal who is the elder of Trollmarket... I actually met our predecessor's son." Jim reported as Marinetted finished her current mouthful, which was good timing since the girl's jaw dropped at Jim's statement.

"Our predecessor's... you met Kanjigar and Maal's son?!" Marinette questioned with surprise.

"Yep... and he hates me for being chosen by the amulet. The only reason I met Vendal was because Draal, that's his name by the way, tattle-telling on me since he didn't like how he was passed over by the amulet." Jim admitted with a sigh.

"Seriously? What a brat!" Marinette ranted, making Jim smile at her remark.

"(laughs) Yeah... he is. Though he would probably kill me if I said that." Jim pointed out.

"He'll have to go through me, his mother's successor, first." Marinette proclaimed, which made Jim more nervous than relieved.

"If he hates me so much for being chosen for the amulet, how much more will he hate you for being chosen for his mother's miraculous?" Jim questioned, to which Marinette rolled her eyes at his overprotectiveness while grabbing her last dumpling and portion of rice.

"Yeah, but I'm not over there, so I don't need to worry about him. Anything else I should know?" Marinette asked before eating the last of her main lunch.

"Well, Blinky is going to be training me. But I'm kind of unsure about it." Jim admitted, making Marinette arch one of her eyebrows at him.

"Why?" Marinette asked when she finished her mouthful.

"It turns out that Blinky trained a Trollhunter before me." Jim explained.

"Really? What's their name?" Marinette questioned, hoping to be given a name to learn more about them from Master Fu at a later date.

"Um, 'Unkar the Unfortunate'." Jim nervously admitted as Marinette pulled out her apple.

"Why is he unfortunate?" Marinette asked after hearing his less than eager answer.

"In Aaarrrgghh!!!'s words... 'First night out, torn'." Jim continued to explain.

"Like, conflicted?" Marinette queried before taking a bite from her apple.

"Would you believe me if I said that I asked the same thing? But... no. He was actually torn apart limb from limb." Jim attempted to joke before admitting the cold truth, making Marinette drop her apple in shock, where it rolled on the floor until it was blocked by a bookshelf. "Mari!? Sis... are you okay?" the Trollhunter asked, bringing Marinette out of her paralyzed state and back into the present.

"NO, I AM NOT OKAY!!! HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU FOUND OUT THAT YOUR BROTHER WAS BEING TRAINED BY A GUY WHO'S LAST CHARGE WAS TORN APART ON HIS FIRST NIGHT!!" Marinette whisper-shouted in an attempt to keep anyone else in the library from overhearing her.

"Not good... I see your point." Jim realized with a heavy sigh.

"Is there no one else that can train you? Anyone?" Marinette asked, hoping that her brother could get the chance to get a better trainer.

"Unfortunately no. Besides Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!, the other trolls aren't exactly eager for me to take the torch. I wouldn't be able to find anyone to train me even if I tried." Jim admitted, knowing that no one else would help him.

"So... it's either Blinky, or no training at all?" Marinette questioned after Jim's explanation as she picked up her discarded apple.

"Pretty much, yeah." Jim sighed as he placed a hand onto his head to soothe an incoming headache.

"That's so not fair!" Marinette exclaimed as she started to open up her chocolate croissants.

"No, it's not. But that's life." Jim concluded, much to Marinette's remorse.

"Still not fair. But other than the crappy deal you've been dealt, anything else I should know?" Marinette asked as she bit into her chocolate croissant, hoping to hear some better news.

"Other than all of that... Strickler came to talk to Mom." Jim answered, much to Marinette's joy.

"Really? Was it about school... or something else?" Marinette questioned very slyly, not that Jim noticed at first.

"It was mostly about school. Plus to tell my mom about the audition, his concerns about me handling too much, and catching up with Mom." Jim responded, only for the rest of Marinette's question to sink in. "Wait... something else? What do you mean?" the Trollhunter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh come on bro, he obviously likes Aunt Barbara, and vice versa." Marinette exclaimed, making Jim's eyes widen at her words.

"WHAT! No. Just no! The thought of that alone is enough to make me puke. Strickler is like an uncle to me." Jim shouted in disgust.

"Yeah, but the times I've seen them interact... they would be very happy with each other." Marinette remarked, with a sly smile as she took another bite out of her pastry.

"Maybe. But we'll see how things go before we start placing bets." Jim decided, hoping to drop the subject.

"Now that you mention it... 10 euros says that they start dating this year." Marinette exclaimed, much to Jim's exhaustion.

"20 says that they don't. Again, as much as I want Mom happy, it still feels wrong to ship her with Stirckler." Jim admitted as he hoped to win this certain bet.

"Kind of like how you think Adrien is wrong for me?" Marinette argued, making Jim roll his eyes at her remark.

"Mari, you know that I think you're too good for him, and that will never change. In this case, it feels like incest in a way." Jim explained, hoping to get his sister to see things his way.

"Fair enough." Marinette concluded, before the end of lunch bell rang on her end of the line.

"Looks like you have to go." Jim noticed, much to Marinette's chagrin as she started to pack up.

"Yeah, I've got to tell Nino I'm going to help him." Marinette said as she put her lunch bag back into her bag and cleaned up the area she occupied.

"Good luck. I hope things go well." Jim said as Marinette got to her feet while she held her phone up to her eye level.

"We start filming in two days, but thank you. I'll tell you how it goes." Marinette promised as she walked to the library doors

"Hope you do. Bye Mari." Jim fair-welled with a wave as Marinette exited the library

"Bye Jimbro." Marinette responded with her own wave before she ended the call. When the screen to his computer went black, Jim closed his laptop and leaned back in his seat with a sigh.

'Let's hope that tomorrow goes better.' Jim thought before he got ready for bed, slipped under his bed covers, and drifted off to sleep with hopes for an easier day to come.

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(Time Skip)

The next day passed with little to no incident, even on Marinette's side when she called at lunch, much to Jim and Toby's relief. But when school ended, the two of them raced to Trollmarket. Soon enough, they were in the Heroes Forge, where Blinky circled Jim as he stood in his armor, sword raised to attack.

"Wider stance. Keep your frame. No, that's good, that's good. Yes, all right, fine. That's better." Blinky instructed, to which Jim followed every order to a tee. "All right. Raise your sword, Master Jim." the six-eyed troll said as he pushed the sword to a higher height as Jim stayed in the position that Blinky had guided him to reach.

"Mm-hmm. Head up, chin out, stomach in." Blinky continued to instruct as he began to circle around Jim. Meanwhile, watching from the sidelines were Aaarrrgghh!!! and Toby while the big troll dumped the contents of a paper bag into his mouth, and burped as he swallowed.

"Mmm. What's this?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked Toby as he looked inside the bag to make sure he ate everything

"Dander from my Nana's Persian and a couple of hairballs." Toby answered as he sat next to Aaarrrgghh!!!, who then dropped the whole bag into his mouth and pointed with a smile to Toby.

"Mm, tasty." Aaarrrgghh!!! complemented before he burped again. Back over with Jim, the boy was still standing in his directed position, never following Blinky with his head nor eyes. He was more interested in focusing on the positions and what Blinky had spoken to him.

"The Trollhunter lives and dies by three rules. Rule number one: always be afraid." Blinky regaled as he continued to circle the boy, before stopping in front of him as he recited the rule

"Afraid?" Jim questioned, finally relaxing from his position, out of confusion.

"Be afraid." Aarrrgghh!!! repeated from his spot, making Jim turn to face him.

"Yeah, I don't think that'll be a problem." Jim concluded before he saw Blinky throw a rock towards him. "Whoa!" the Trollhunter exclaimed as he quickly ducked as the rock was heading at his head, missing it easily. He then turned his head to see Aaarrrgghh with a closed fist, which obviously meant he had caught the rock. With one gulp, Aaarrrgghh swallowed the stone as Blinky continued, Jim's face full of shock.

"See? Fear is good. Keeps us alert. Keeps us on guard. Makes us vigilant." Blinky exclaimed excitedly before he threw more rocks at Jim, to which the boy quickly avoided them all. "A hero is not he who is fearless, but he who is not stopped by it." the six-eyed troll explained as he resumed circling around Jim.

"Got it." Jim said as he got back into the position Blinky had directed him into earlier, ready for any more sudden attacks.

"Two: always finish the fight. An opponent must be given no mercy." Blinky exclaimed before he threw more rocks,laughing as he did so while Jim used his sword as a shield to better protect himself. After the rocks were no longer thrown.

"Okay, enough with the rocks, already!" Jim commanded, to which Blinky complied as Jim sucked in a breath, before the trolls earlier words had sunk in. "Always finish the fight?" Jim asked, right before he was suddenly taken down by a rock, a groan escaping him as landed on the ground.

"Kill!" Aaarrrgghh!!! exclaimed, his hand still reached out after throwing the stone.

"Indeed. The Trollhunter must always vanquish his opponent through death." Blinky confirmed as Toby pointed to Aaarrrgghh!!! to say he had done it while Jim stood up. His hand immediately rubbed the sore spot forming on his head before facing Aaarrrgghh!!! and Toby, speaking the words: "What the heck" as Blinky finished, the six-eyed troll's words leaving him speechless.

"Dude, that's harsh," Toby remarked.

"Ours is an unforgiving world, " Toby D. '' Blinky said as he started to circle Jim again as the boy went back into his previously directed position. "Hence, the third rule: when in doubt, always kick them in the Gronk-nuks." the six-eyed troll finished, while he clenched his top left fist as he spoke.

"Gronk-nuks?" Jim repeated in confusion. On cue after a few steps of Blinky's foot, a large blade fell near the space in between Jim's legs, causing him to scream and back away as Aaarrrgghh let out a shiver.

"The horror," Aarrrgghh!!! winced out as he looked away from the demonstration.

"So, basically, you're saying that one-third of being a Trollhunter is kicking someone in the nards?" Jim asked Blinky as the blade retracted, honestly surprised that was one of the rules a Trollhunter followed.

"Ah! So, the Trollhunter's training begins." A voice cut through their conversation like a sharp knife through butter, making the group turn to see Draal entering the arena with a mocking grin. "I thought the great Trollhunter might accept my services as a sparring partner." Draal announced as he walked up to Blinky and Jim, ending his words with a punch into his left hand.

"Part of your training regiment, isn't it?" the crystal-backed troll rhetorically asked, turning to face Blinky with a mocking grin.

"In due time, perhaps." Blinky quickly answered, hoping his answer would appease the larger troll.

"Why wait? I am eager to see your charge demonstrate his mettle." A voice above the arena stated, making everyone look up to see Vendel as he appeared above them all, overlooking a ledge as Jim looked at his sword.

"Actually, the sword's more made of, like, daylight." Jim rebutted, not understanding Vendel's comment.

"He means your mettle, your ability to cope in the face of adversity." Blinky explained, clearing the boy's confusion.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm still working on the whole "mettle" part. Plus, you know, SAT words." Jim said, even though the trolls didn't know what 'SAT' means. Nonetheless, Vendel chuckled as he watched.

"Let them spar." Vendel proclaimed, while Draal grinned evilly at the boy.

"No harm in it." Draal said before he began walking to the other end of the arena. Once the large troll was a fair ways away, Jim glanced at Draal with shock before catching up to Blinky as he walked to their end of the arena

"Wait, what do I do?" Jim asked as he walked behind Blinky.

"Hit him as hard as you can!" Blinky exclaimed proudly, looking back at Jim as he did so before looking back ahead of himself.

"No, no. I mean, what do I do? I've never hit anyone." Jim worryingly admitted, causing Blinky to turn and face the boy in shock.

"Ever?" Blinky questioned with wide eyes.

"I've never gotten into a fight, save for some roughhousing with Marinette and Toby when we were younger." Jim explained.

"In your entire life?" Blinky continued to question.

"All 15 years of it, yeah." Jim confirmed.

"You fought Bular, however briefly, and you were glorious. Your blade-work was impressive." Blinky remarked, not seeing how Jim really had never been involved with a fight before.

"Those were just my chef skills!" Jim argued, trying to get the six-eyed troll to see that he was in over his head.

"Exactly! The fight is within you, Master Jim. Trust yourself. One hit!" Blinky exclaimed as he placed his top two hands onto Jim's shoulders in a form of encouragement, before he pulled away and raised his fists into the air. But after seeing he had a few too many fists, he lowered all but one of his hands.

"One hit and you will be changed forever!" the six-eyed troll said before he confidently turned Jim around and pushed him to Draal, not seeing the clearly worried expression on the boy.

"Begin," Vendel said with a booming voice, allowing Draal to growl and slam his fists into the rocky surface kicking up a cloud of dust. Just as Jim lifted his sword up in response to the roaring, Draal then started running at the boy, while he stayed rooted to the ground.

"One hit." Jim repeated as the offspring of the previous Trollhunter rolled into a sharp ball and barreled towards Jim, who yelped as he jumped from the path of destruction. However, as Jim looked above he noticed Draal rolling up to the ceiling before falling from his ball, fists ready to smash him. Once he saw Draal coming towards him, Jim ran from the point of impact as Draal collided with the ground, dust covered the area in a grimy blanket. The impact threw Jim into the denser part of the fog, and due to not being able to see anything, Jim was suddenly tackled by the large troll, causing a blue mist to glow over the fog as the dust cleared. As the dust cleared, Blinky, Aarrrgghh!!! and Toby winced when Jim was seen using his sword as a crutch, not being able to stand well enough on his own.

"All right, all right. Now, just give me a second here." Jim groaned in an attempt to ask for a time-out. But he was disappointed to not get any reprieve as a number of repeated punches met Jim, his groans mixing with the sounds of his metal armor being pounded by a rocky hand and more blue mist appearing around him. When he was weakened, Draal then pulled Jim up from the ground and punched him in his stomach, sending him flying to the edge of the cliff the arena was built on. Jim's strength was declining rapidly, his sword vanishing too, as Draal lifted Jim over the edge, his terrified screams enough to trigger Toby's screaming too.

"Let him go!" Toby shouted as Aarrrgghh!!! held him back from interfering, while Jim yelped at his current predicament.

"I've waited my entire life to inherit the amulet. I can wait until you fall in battle." Draal concluded before he squeezed Jim, the boy letting out another agonizing groan at the sudden pain, before he dropped him onto the arena ground. "I suspect I won't have to wait very long. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down and live, worm." the crystal-backed troll threatened before he walked away laughing.

"Trollhunter." Draal laughed to himself as he walked away, leaving Jim as Vendel sighed and disappeared. With remorse, Blinky watched Vendel leave before looked at Jim who couldn't even look at his trainer due to his shame.

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Out in Trollmarket, the defeated Trollhunter with Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!!, and Toby following behind, made their way to leave the home for trolls.

"He might be right. What the heck was I thinking? An amulet can't choose anyone. It's an amulet!" Jim cried out in frustration as he climbed up to the crystal stairs leading up to the surface.

"Jim?" Aarrrgghh!!! asked, concerned for the boy.

"I understand you're upset, Master Jim, but you've had not a moment's training. There's no shame in what just transpired." Blinky tried to console Jim as he began walking up the steps, only stopping when he heard the six-eyed troll's words.

"Okay. Well, then you were definitely not paying attention back there. Shame was about the only thing that transpired." Jim exclaimed as he turned to face the group behind him, letting out his frustration as he spoke. "Shame... and realization." the Trollhunter sighed out before he pulled out the amulet from his back pocket.

"I don't know if Draal should be the Trollhunter or not, and I don't care. I just know that I am not." Jim sighed before he tossed the amulet to Blinky's feet. Once it rested, Blinky picked it up from the ground and held it close as Jim continued walking to the exit.

"Master Jim, despite whatever doubts you may have about the amulet's choice, it is now bonded to you." Blinky said as the glowing amulet left his hands and flew right into Jim's, where he caught it with wide eyes. "This is a mantle you cannot refuse." the six-eyed troll proclaimed. Gathering himself together, a frown thinned Jim's lips as he dropped the relic again, where it bounced back down to Blinky.

"Watch me." Jim said as he left, continuing onward while Toby caught up to his friend.