The next day, at Lakewood Elementary School, all of the youths who would attend as normal arrived in separate times in the space of ten minutes. Though it was way long before the first class was to start, nobody seemed to care about it- although most children would be annoyed by the fact that they had to wake up at a certain time as always on a school day. Many of the students- ranging from 3rd Graders to 5th Graders -were spending the extra time socializing with their friends. Some were at their lockers while some were in the bathrooms. No matter where they were, there would be a group of kids chatting among themselves about their own concerns and such.

Buster had met up with Francine and Muffy at a less familiar location within one of the many corridors of the school. What the two girls were talking about weren't that important to Buster- most boys didn't care a bit. However, there was something in his mind that was troubling him. It was about Arthur, his best friend, or as the others referred to him as his ex best friend. Buster didn't actually broke off their friendship, it was really on a hiatus. The rabbit was sure they could continue their friendship once the aardvark had apologized to his sister.

Buster was on the brink of becoming one hundred percent bored. He actually felt like going to class early. Both of his legs were ready to be kicked into gear when a bulldog he, Francine, and Muffy were accustomed to came plodding up to them. Just the way his face was molded, the trio could tell he appeared somewhat devastated. Why he looked that way was what tempted Muffy to ask: "Hey, Binky, what's got you down in the dumps today?"

Binky slowly inched his massive head up. It was as if it was attached to a sluggish winch- it seemed to take forever until Binky was able to make eye contact with either Muffy, Francine, or Buster. After a long sigh, he gravely answered, "I got arrested yesterday."

All three of them were appalled. It was quite unimaginable to think that one of the many individuals they knew would one day come forward and inform them that they were incarcerated by police. They simultaneously gasped.

"You actually got arrested?" Buster inquired in disbelief. "How did that happen?"

Once more, Binky sighed before speaking. "I was dared by the Tough Customers to punch Arthur in order to prove I was still strong and worthy of being a Tough Customer," he explained. "I guess it was because they heard of what happened to his sister and wanted to teach him a lesson, and they wanted me to do it for them. So, when I had the chance, I did what I was ordered to do. But as I was walking away, Arthur attacked me from behind. We kept on punching each other until the police came and broke us up. Arthur ran off and I was taken away in handcuffs."

Buster, Francine, and Muffy were in utter shock. It was easy to identify their reactions by the silence that followed Binky's story. None of them could have imagined that a simple family ordeal- one of which had been verbally spread from ear to ear -could turn more sour than it should have been. Worse yet, it could be easily defied as the first sign of future dilemmas and predicaments.

"What happened after that?" Francine inquired.

"The police took me to this place called the detention center," Binky continued; "and I was placed in one of the jail cells until my parents came to bail me out. And then they grounded me for an entire month! And just when I thought things couldn't get worse, Rattles snuck by my house and told me I was no longer a Tough Customer! I'm out of the club and now a nobody!"

Binky appeared to be ready to burst out crying, but he did his best to keep all of his inner emotions within himself. Muffy walked up and patted the bulldog's immense back. "It'll be alright, Binky," she said reassuring him. "You can find another club to be in."

"But it won't be the same!" Binky objected. He swatted her hand away and took a few heavy steps away from the trio. "I was living the good life with the Tough Customers! And now, because of what I've done, I can never get it back!"

"But why would you go and do such a terrible thing like that?" asked Buster.

Binky turned to Buster and replied, "I just wanted to prove to my friends that I was still strong on the outside! What other reason would I do it?"

Buster was about to give his own personal reason when Francine spoke, brushing away his chance. She said, "Because someone actually wanted to teach that Arthur a lesson!"

Muffy nodded in agreement.

"Really?" Binky asked.

"One hundred percent," Francine answered.

Buster didn't believe what he was hearing. What Arthur committed was an act of anger- he couldn't control his actions, as if his common sense was erased because of blind hatred. He of course was outraged when Arthur himself told him what had occurred that one night, but he was not in the position to cut off their friendship. Buster desired to get Arthur to apologize to D.W. in a calm, acceptable fashion. He was yet to achieve the opportunity.

At last, he found words. "Now, wait a minute," said Buster. "Let's just think for a second. True; I am disappointed at Arthur for what he has done, but that doesn't mean we should be using violence against him."

Francine was disgruntled. "Buster, are you literally taking Arthur's side?!" she asked angrily.

"I'm not saying what he did was the right thing to do!" said Buster. "But I think that shunning him out of our lives and blackmailing him is going to make him more aggressive to others!"

"Please!" Francine snorted. "You actually believe that Arthur will become more of a maniac? I don't believe it! There's no way to prove that what you're saying is true!"

"But there is!"

"And what might that be?!"

"To talk to Arthur in person."

"Like that'll work!"

"It will!"

"Says you!"

Muffy pointed down the corridor and said, "Perhaps Buster can prove his point. Here comes Arthur now."

Buster, Francine, and Binky turned to where Muffy was pointing. Appearing from around a bend and strolling towards them was Arthur, wearing his usual yellow sweater with a white shirt underneath and light blue jeans. He also had on his recognizable brown glasses and red-and-white sneakers. Most of his appearance seemed the same. There was one thing about him that could've struck anyone as odd: his facial expression. It was nothing they had ever seen before on the face of Arthur Read- his eyes seemingly focused on nothing at all and his mouth almost appeared to be molded into a flat line. It was as if he had no expression at all.

However, this did not prevent Francine from angrily marching up to Arthur who was still walking. She got up to a safe distance from the aardvark and shouted, "First your sister, and now one of your friends! What is the matter with you?!"

Arthur did not react to the aggravated girl in front of him and continued to amble down the hall. Francine decided to knock some sense of reality into him. She approached him and blocked his path. "Stop right there, Arthur Read!" Francine ordered.

Once again, Arthur had no response physical, emotional, or verbal. He tried to go around Francine but she would not let him pass. It was difficult for Francine to get Arthur's attention with him continuing to walk past her. She was increasingly getting more and more bad-tempered.

At last Arthur finally stopped walking and stared directly at Francine. "Just what gives you the right to act like a monster?!" scowled Francine. "You out to be ashamed of yourself! You just destroyed Binky's friendship!"

Arthur blinked once before starting to walk again. Francine pushed him back. "Don't you dare try to walk away from me!" she threatened. "I bet your parents will think you're just the gigantic jerk you are right now when they hear about this!"

This triggered Arthur to finally give off a response to the individual in front of him. The aardvark marched up to her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and shoved her into the wall on his left. Afterwards, he released Francine- who slid down to a sitting position on the floor -and departed as if nothing had ever happened. Binky, Buster, and Muffy just watched in revelation as the entire short event unfolded.

Francine got up and brushed her shoulders, even though nothing got on them. Her three friends hurried up to her side. "Are you alright?" Muffy asked.

"Didn't you see what he did to me?!" Francine roared. "The way how he grabbed me and threw me against the wall?! That Arthur no longer has any emotions towards us! He just sees us as obstacles!"

Muffy and Binky looked at each other, then back to Francine. As they proceeded to discuss about what to do about Arthur's repugnant behavior, Buster turned away from the trio and watched as his former best friend continued to stroll down the corridor until he vanished behind a corner that took him down another hall. He deeply wished he could've followed him and, once he caught up with him, attempt to reason with him so he could be brought back to reality. Alas, Buster didn't. And the more he thought about things, the more he began to rue at the fact that he had let it slip that Arthur had physically harmed his own sister.

Poor Buster started to imagine what would happen to Arthur if his condition was to grow worse. All he could think of was everyone around him giving him glares that would force him to feel ashamed of himself, not to mention the vile remarks they would scream at him. They were the only two thoughts Buster could muster before the school bell rang. It was now time for class. Francine, Muffy, and Binky began walking away. Buster quickly noticed and hurried alongside them.

Upon arrival to Mr. Ratburn's classroom, the quartet spotted Arthur sitting at his usual desk. His facial expression had changed. Instead of having no mood at all, he looked like he was ready to deal with whatever assignment the teacher had in store for him and the rest of the class. They took their seats as normal and Mr. Ratburn entered the room, greeting his pupils and introducing the day's lesson.

Throughout the entire session, everyone in the classroom kept their mouths closed, their eyes fixed on their teacher, and their eyes wide open so they could take in every word he was saying. Everyone present didn't really care what Mr. Ratburn was going to instruct them about now, but they had no choice but to listen to what he had to educate them about.

It was also during the entire session when, at certain times when they had the chance, Buster would look away from the teacher and glance at Arthur. The aardvark's head and eyes were focused on the teacher and nothing else. The rabbit couldn't be more concerned about his former friend as he began to wonder what Francine, Binky, and Muffy were thinking about how to achieve payback for what Arthur had done. Needless to say, Buster was fearful for Arthur and the urge to keep him safe was starting to grow deep inside him.

Buster's worrying carried on in other classes. The most predominant was gym class where all lessons were performed physically. This would be the perfect breeding ground for planning an act of revenge. Just the possibilities of how the trio would torture Arthur was enough to make Buster sick. Nonetheless, he was able to participate in the day's activity the coach prepared for the class.

The rabbit's anxiety was also at high levels at lunch and recess.

In the massive cafeteria, all of the students were sitting down to eat meals either prepared for them by their parents or prepared by the schools' chefs. Buster sat with Binky, Francine, and Muffy at one of the slender lunch tables. Francine vowed that if Arthur attempted to take a seat with them, they were to compel him to leave. They never got the opportunity, though; Arthur never showed up at all. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air. Only Buster was troubled by the anomaly.

Outside and active in the school's playground, the kids were finally enjoying their day after hours of tough schoolwork. From his position on the jungle gym, Buster could get a whole perspective of the wide area. Francine and Muffy were somewhere he didn't care about, and Binky was somewhere else, most likely grieving the loss of his club membership. He was surveying his surroundings when he finally spotted Arthur. The aardvark once again was displaying signs of abnormal behavior. Instead of interacting with others, he was strolling around the perimeter of the playground with a blank expression on his face and his hands behind his back. Nobody took note of it; no one seemed to pay any mind to Arthur if he was to pass by them. It was like the aardvark was invisible to everyone aside from Buster, Binky, Francine, Muffy, and everyone else who know him by heart.

Buster still desired to get Arthur to snap out of his bizarre and worrying actions. However, the people who he called "friends" were holding him back. He wanted to break off the chain that constrained him and kept him far away from Arthur, and try to convince him to foresee the error in his ways. It would be a grueling task, but Buster was aware that he had to do all he could to bring his best friend back.

The last school bell rang and all of the students were off out the door and on their way home. Buster parted from his other friends and scrambled his way through the rushing crowd during his desperate search for Arthur. Other kids pushed their way into the world outside of the school and the rabbit had a tough time conducting his search. Francine, Muffy, and Binky were not present to prevent him from looking around for the aardvark. Even if they were there with him, he wouldn't care what they would say; Buster wanted to achieve his goal.

What he didn't realize was that Arthur had already exited the building and was now walking down the steps and onto the sidewalk. Despite being alone, Arthur was glad to finally be out of school for the day. He had not taken more than five steps when a familiar voice called out to him. "Arthur!"

Arthur turned to where the shout had originated from. It was not any member of his family who was there. Standing only a few feet away from him was Sharkbite. He appeared to be pleased to see him.

Arthur walked up to Sharkbite and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I might find you here," replied Sharkbite. "I figured if I was to show you what I wanted to show it, I would have to find you first."

"Show me what?" Arthur inquired.

Sharkbite stepped forward and threw his arm around Arthur. "I'll show you," he said, leading him away from the school.

At first, Arthur was a bit afraid of what this older individual had in store for him. He of course knew this character; the only noticeable differences being the time they had known each other and their ages. He also remembered those warnings his parents would give him about interacting with strangers. Arthur was quite certain that adults would warn their children about the dangers from stories they heard based on actually kidnappings. What he wasn't so sure about was any probability of getting himself into major trouble with Sharkbite. The rabbit didn't appear to be a threat in any way possible. But Arthur was still curious about this thing Sharkbite wanted to show him.

Arthur was guided through a part of Elwood City that he was not familiar with. There wasn't a single building that he could recall. It wasn't scary at all; it was just new to him, not to mention an extraordinary alternative compared to the same old sights he had seen for as long as he could remember.

Sharkbite stopped and said, "Alright, this is the place."

Arthur rotated his head to his right. He saw Sharkbite strolling towards a staircase leading down to a door. Looking up, Arthur read the neon sign that displayed the name of the establishment. In bright blue colors, it said in capital letters: "STEEL MUSCLES". Then, Arthur noticed that below it was a medium-size line of text that, in capital letters as well, read: "CENTER FOR BOXING TRAINING".

This puzzled Arthur. Why would Sharkbite lead him to this particular place? As far as he knew, he had nothing to do with "boxing", whatever it meant. When Sharkbite- who was already at the door -turned around, Arthur asked, "Where exactly have you taken me, Sharkbite?"

Sharkbite's smile increased in length. "Come on down," he told him. "You can see it for yourself."

Arthur felt panic course through his veins. Chances that whatever was behind that door was beyond comprehension arose in his mind. Sharkbite seemed to have noticed it because he marched back up the steps and once again threw an arm around Arthur. "Like I once said," he insisted; "it's nothing bad, but you'll like it a lot."

Arthur had no choice but to obey, even though he was not being forced at all. Sharkbite guided him down the steps, opened the metal door, and they both stepped inside. From behind, the door violently slammed shut. Arthur became paranoid one more, but all of that diminished upon surveying his surroundings.

The room they were in was decorated mostly with memorabilia in the form of metals and ribbons, and photos of unknown characters who appeared tougher than anyone could ever imagine. The paint was gray, but not a gloomy gray as Arthur thought it could've been. Also present- not visible but audible -was the heavy metal music playing. The young aardvark often found himself unfamiliar with that certain genre, and his parents absolutely forbidden him to ever listen to any song stemming from it. He thought there must've been something embedded in each song that they didn't want him to hear. That was a plausible explanation and Arthur excepted it.

Sharkbite sauntered up to the front desk where a colossal brown bear was looking down, probably reading some sort of magazine. After the rabbit knocked on the wooden top of the desk, the bear gazed up at him. His face displayed a solemn expression. "What do you want now, Mark?" he growled.

Sharkbite, obviously not shaken by the bear's tone of voice, said, "Let me ask you something, Derek. Remember that story I told you about that kid who fought against a bigger kid and won?"

"Of course," Derek replied.

Pointing his thumb directly at Arthur, Sharkbite told him: "He's right there."

Derek turned away from Sharkbite and looked at Arthur in skepticism. He scrutinized the young aardvark before returning his gaze to the older rabbit. "Really, Mark?" Derek questioned, evidently unconvinced. "You expect me to believe that a kid that small could defeat someone twice his size?"

"It did happen!" Sharkbite roared. "This kid showed that bastard what he had coming!"

Arthur's eyes increased slightly. Did Sharkbite literally just say a profane word? It didn't seem likely; yet it sounded like he actually did. Even if he did, why would he say such a word? He wasn't furious, so he must've used it to make himself hard core. At least that was what Arthur thought about since he had heard such language being said by young adults who got together at random places. It didn't really surprise him that a person like the older rabbit he had befriended would use vulgar words.

Derek continued to doubt Sharkbite's claim that Arthur had taken down a bully. "Do you even think that he is worthy of the training we provide here?" he asked.

"I believe he can pull through!" Sharkbite replied. "Why won't you let him try at least?"

"Since when did I permit him to join?"

"Why are even giving me a hard time? I'm one of the top trainers! And I say if I can handle someone that weighs like 250 pounds, I'm sure I can cope with an 8-year old!"

"You never worked with anybody that weighs that much! You're talking total crap, Mark!"

"Says the guy who sits on his overweight ass and does nothing but read dirty magazines behind our backs!"

A red-faced Derek arose from his office chair and glared at Sharkbite, obviously outraged by his obscene yet creative remark. "IS THAT A CHALLENGE!" he snarled.

Sharkbite was not terrified at all. His retort was: "Do you actually want to be convicted of murder, Derek?"

Derek growled like an aggressive dog as he backed away. "Reality is such a bitch!" he mumbled.

Sharkbite smirked and turned to Arthur. "I'm afraid that Derek here does not believe that you clobbered that jerk who attacked you," he informed his companion. "In my opinion, you will have to explain to him that what I'm saying is true."

"You want me to tell him my story?" Arthur inquired.

"Yep," said Sharkbite.

This made Arthur very nervous. What was he to say? Just the expression on Derek's stone cold face was enough to make him anxious. Nevertheless, Arthur decided that he had to tell his story as well-detailed as he could.

"It started when I got this model," Arthur began. "It was suppose to be-"

"Arthur," Sharkbite interrupted; "people like Derek don't care about backstories. Just get to the point."

At that moment, Arthur was glad he didn't have to go through and recall the tale of how it all started. It was a tremendous relief. "Alright," he said; "if you insist. I was walking down the sidewalk and I saw this kid I knew named Binky. He was very big but he was very friendly. He was also a member of this gang called the Tough Customers. I guess the leader ordered Binky to attack me because, while I was talking to him, he punched me as hard as he could. I'll admit that I was pretty hurt, but I was really angry. So, I punched him back. He got even more mad at me and he got violent. We fought for what felt like hours before the police came and broke us up. I ran away while Binky got arrested. And then I met Sharkbite and here I am now."

Sharkbite was pleased by Arthur's story. Even stubborn Derek was impressed. But as far as both Arthur and Sharkbite knew, it was highly possible that Derek would need more evidence if the young aardvark was to gain full membership of the boxing gym, if it was completely necessary to have a license to practice the sport.

Sharkbite stepped up to Arthur and made a suggestion. "Why don't you show him some of the moves you made to defend yourself during the fight?"

Arthur nodded and Sharkbite took a few steps back. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to physically reenact the brawl he was in just the other day. "From what I can remember," said Arthur; "I punched Binky in the back of the head like this." He gave a quick jab as if there was an invisible individual in front of him. "Then, when he tried to return a punch, I ducked-" Arthur recreated himself dodging the blow from Binky. "-and then I struck his jaw like this!" He performed a perfect uppercut as a form of a counter-punch.

Arthur continued to relate to the constant punches he and Binky threw at one another before he finished with the arrival of the police officers. Sharkbite glanced at Derek who shook his head while smiling. The bear then grabbed a pen, pressed down on the button with his thumb to reveal the tip, and commenced scribbling something on a piece of paper. Derek looked up and said, "If I heard correctly, your name is Arthur?"

"Arthur Read," Arthur replied with a nod.

Derek's head peered back down as he continued to write on the paper. He then faced Sharkbite and asked, "And if I'm more correct, you are to be his trainer?"

"Straight to the end," said Sharkbite.

The scribbling carried on. In no time at all, Derek clicked the pen button and placed it onto his desk. "Well, Mark," he said; "it looks like you once again walk away in victory. You just got yourself a new student under your wing."

Sharkbite grinned. "I guess we can say that," he responded.

Derek rolled his eyes before he sat up in his chair. "Alright, boys;" he began; "here's how things are going to work. Mark, I know that you have been through this many times, but you'll have to sit through it once again."

Sharkbite simply brushed it off. He was way past excited for his accomplishment.

Derek continued with his lecture. "Here at 'Steel Muscles', we urge all trainers and trainees to work their hardest to make themselves the best they can be. Everyone who serves under this gym is encouraged to do what they can to prove themselves strong as they believe in their hearts. At the same time, they must stay in the boundaries of our style of management.

"For instance, all sessions can be a minimium of thirty minutes and a maximum of two hours. Although it sounds limiting or beyond comprehension, but that's how we do things here. Every session day, you both will check in here at the front desk, change clothes, and go into the fitness area where you'll meet. I almost left this important bit out: you are both to come to this place with a spare set of clothing to change into before you enter and after you leave the fitness area. It is also recommended that you bring your own towels in case we have a shortage. Items such as knives, toys, glass, illegal substances, and food are strictly prohibited in the fitness area. Water fountains are located on the east side of the fitness area and restrooms are located on the west side. Any and all equipment that belongs to 'Steel Muscles' are to remain inside the fitness area. If you are caught attempting to sneak any equipment out of the building, you will be fined. Trust me, this state has a heavy fine for theft if you are convicted.

"Lastly, we all expect both of you to be the absolute best you can be. Nobody in the world can be totally perfect, so we do not encourage any form of competition. All we ask is that you do your best and we'll see you as the champions you visualize yourselves in your dreams. That is our goal here at 'Steel Muscles', to make your dreams of being fitness masters come true. Do I need to repeat anything?"

Arthur and Sharkbite shook their heads.

"Okay then," said Derek. "You both are to report here tomorrow before 3:30. I'll see you then."

After they were dismissed, Sharkbite lead Arthur back home- to his street rather. When they approached the street Arthur's house was located, Sharkbite ceased walking. This concerned the aardvark a little; he turned to the rabbit and inquired, "Is something wrong, Sharkbite?"

"No, nothing's wrong, Arthur," Sharkbite insisted. "But I think that I should be heading home now. I'll see you after school, okay?"

"Okay," replied Arthur. "I'll make sure my parents know that I'll be out for a while."

Sharkbite became distressed. "Wait a minute, Arthur!" he said. "I think it would be the best if did not tell you folks that you'll be training."

"Why not?" asked Arthur.

"Because if they find out," said Sharkbite; "they will not allow you to do anything. We both can agree that a few days without T.V. are bad enough, right?"

"You're right."

"Of course I am. Now remember, we'll meet tomorrow after school and go to the boxing gym. We'll do some stuff to improve your skills and we'll see where it takes us."

"Alright."

Sharkbite got up extremely close to Arthur. "But you have to promise me one thing," he told him. "No matter what anybody says or demands, you will not tell another living soul that I am teaching you how to defend yourself! Capiche?"

"Capiche," replied Arthur with a swift nod.

"See you later, pal," was the last thing Sharkbite said before he turned around and strolled away. Arthur watched as he disappeared from eyesight. Afterwards, he too turned around and started his short journey home.