2 months later

O

The man glanced up from the paper work he was examining to the young man standing patiently at the folding table, waiting to be addressed. After double checking to insure that the previous duelists paperwork was in order, he set it down and looked at the new arrival.

"Name?" He asked, picking up a clip board, the names of every duelist invited to participate in the day's events listed.

The young man smiled, taking the toothpick from his teeth. "Lockehart, Arliss Lockehart." He paused for a moment. "The Only." He chuckled at his own joke as the man looked over the sheet.

"Mr. Lockehart…ah, here you are…you are here to duel for a spot in the Academy, correct?"

Arliss nodded. There were only three ways to enter the elite academy. One was to spend four years in Duel Prep School, something he had little time for and didn't want to waste his money on. They could teach him nothing about dueling that he didn't already know. The second way was to come with all the other duelists and take the entrance exam, and, should one pass, duel against a school proctor. Again, something he didn't have the time for. And considering that it would mean he was only in Silfer Red or Ra Yellow took that option away.

He had chosen the 3rd option. A little known fact about the academy was that one could buy their way into a test. Plunk down enough cash, and you could get an exclusive spot in the first round of duel testing. Skip the exam, skip the schools, get straight to the battle. Of course, should one pass the special test, which had the lucky duelists taking on harder proctors, they would instantly get a place in Obelisk Blue.

Arliss could easily afford that price.

"Unless they be ready to offer me a spot without havin' to duel, I would say that is a yes, sir."

The official didn't smile at the joke, merely nodded and made a check next to Arliss's name. "Ok Mr. Lockehart, here is your official pass to get into the arena. On he back is your number. We are running 4 duels at a time, already got 25 down, so you should be dueling in the next 30 minutes. There is a separate room to get a duel disk, shoud you need one, as well as a room to prep your deck. Please be seated in the arena 10 minutes before it is time for your match, and came down to one of the officals as the end of your section for them to tell you where to go next." The man stood up and shook Arliss' hand. "Good luck."

O

The arena was large and high tech, just like everything in Kaiba's world. Though normally filled to the max with excited fans, vendors selling their overpriced wares, and the sound of announcers calling out the moves being madefor anyone who wanted to listen.

Now, the sounds were muted. There were cheers and the sound of battle, but they were quieter, less invasive. Empty seats surrounded the handful of duelists, officials and the occasional academy student that were in attendance. Normally able to hold over 3000 people, the stadium was now host to about 100, with most people grouping themselves off into 5 to 10man clichés.

Arliss sat all alone, however, watching the duels with little interest. He had little need to socialize with the others here to compete. Most of them were rich snobs, having never wanted for anything. Not like him, who had fought his way to his wealth and position, and was still going to have to fight if he wished to complete his task and take what was rightfully his.

No, he was instead more focused on those in attendance, going over what he knew about them.

'Dr. Crowler, head of the men's Obelisk Blue Dorm. Likes: skilled duelists, suck ups, and people that are in dorm. Dislikes: slackers, independent people, being called a woman.' Arliss smirked, leaning back in his seat and watching as a proctor took out one of the potential students. 'Not so potential anymore' Arliss thought. 'Good luck with the regular students.'

"Arliss Lockehart, please report in for your duel. Arliss Lockehart, please report for your duel"

Arliss stood up, prepping his duel disk. He also had no need for the silly little rooms they had set up for getting his deck or disk ready. If you still needed to get things ready when you came to this match, you shouldn't even be dueling. You should be completely ready to take on the challenge, and take them out with ease. Now was not the time for lazy duelists to shine.

The young Texan walked down the ailse, flashing his pass to one of the officals, wholead him down an Employees Only stairway, then over to the door that lead to the field. He paused, looking at the official.

"Excuse me sir, but I must say, I am surprised you aren't letting me greeting them there professors up there. I was always taught to greet your potential opponents before beginning a duel."

The official nodded. "Well….why don't we put you in the zone to the far right. It's right below were Dr. Crowler is seated, so you will be able to greet him and the other reps rom the school."

"Much obliged." Arliss said, taking ahold of the man's hand and giving it a good shake. It disgusted him that he had to play up the stereotype of the southern gentlemen, but it was the only way to keep people from knowing what he was really up too. No one would pay attention to a dumb southerner. They would ignore him, thinking him old fashion and simple.

So, he had forced himself to act like the love child of Cornel Sanders and Foghorn Leghorn.

Seeing that the official was giving him the nod to go, Arliss strode confidently into the main arena, heading right for his zone, making sure the keep an eye on the professors. He passed his spot and pressed himself against the arena wall, looking up at the school's reps.

"Hello there sirs." He said, laying the accent on so thick he was sure his forefathers were rolling in their graves. He was using more of a Georgia/Tennessee accent then his normal Texan one. People didn't trust people with Texan accents, thought anyone that used one was stupid, cocky and violent. The Georgia/Tennessee one had charm and cool, sexy intelligence that won over everyone. "I am told you will be the ones examining my duel to insure I am academy material."

One of the men nodded, adjusting the ruffed edges of his shirt, his blonde ponytail bobbing slightly. Arliss resisted the urge to ask the man if he had lost a bet, and that's why he was dressed as he was. He had learned early on to shut your mouth and go with the flow. Instead of issuing the insult, he waited politely for the man to finish with his adjustments.

"Yes." The man said, still focusing on his sleeves, obviously not caring one bit about Arliss. "That is very well and good. Well I wish you luck, however you are. Now, go out there and get ready."

"I do not need to get ready." Arliss said simply. "I am all ready, and would prefer talking to you, Dr. Crowler."

Dr. Crowler looked up at Arliss, slightly surprised. "Hmm…you have heard of me?"

Arliss frowned. "Who has not heard of the great Dr. Crowler? Legend of the Duel Academy, the man that finds those diamonds in the rough and with strict yet blessed teaching, turns them into…"

"Diamonds?" Crowler asked with a grin.

Arliss now was resisting the urge to leap over the wall and pimp slap the she-man. "Yes…exactly correct!" Arliss said with mock awe. "I certainly hope I impress you Dr. Crowler, I so badly want to get into the school."

Dr. Crowler laughed, patting his hand. "Don't worry, even if you don't win here, you can compete still in the…"

"No."

"No?"

Arliss nodded. "I will only be trained by you, or no one at all. Why be guided by second rate when first is avialible."

The doctor nodded, stroking his chin, his purple lips turned up in a sly smile. "Yes yes…quite true…I will be rooting for you Mr…."

"Arliss, Arliss Lockehart."

"Lockehart. I look forward to showing you everything I know." Dr. Crowler replied happily, clapping his hands together.

Arliss nodded, turning away and moving into his zone. 'Everything you know….please… All the knowledge you have left to teach me could fill a thimble. Your only use to me, my dear PRincess Crowler, is to get me into that Obelisk Blue dorm. Once that is done, I'll be showing you a thing or two.'

The other duelists were already getting ready, the proctors heading out to greet their opponents. Arliss' came towards him, gave him a respectful bow, which Arliss returned, and moved to his side of the duel zone.

"Alright rookie, let's see if you have what it takes!" The proctor called out, drawing his cards. Arliss merely raised an eyebrow, impressed that the official was so ready to get rid of him.

'Well, get ready for something different.'

The proctor looked over his hand and nodded, comng to a decision. "Only the best can get into our school, even if you are buying a chance here. You better have what it takes, rookie."

Dr. Crowler leaned over to one of his assistants. "What is the record for the proctor faced Arliss Lockehart?"

"HE's taken out his last 3 testees in a total of 20 minutes and with a lost of only 2000 lifepoints."

The doctor frowned. 'It will not be easy for that Arliss to win against someone like that. Oh…if only I had known about him before this duel, I could have arranged for him to have an easy duel proctor.' Crowler let out a sigh, fidgeting slightly. 'Never have I felt such a connection to a student…he could be the one to put me on the map. Yes, he might be rough around the edges, but with my careful touch, he would be perfect. Ahhh, perhaps I can pull some strings….'

"I'll start by setting one card and one monster. Now, let's see what your deck can do there, newbie."

Arliss nodded. "For my first move, I play Reinforcements of the Army, allowing me to select one level 4 or lower warrior and add it to my hand. I will then summon the monster I just gained to the field, Mystic Swordsman Lv 2."

The proctor chuckled as the little purple swordsman appeared, brandishing his sword. His too long braid swung back and forth, the ends of his upper uniform brushing the ground.

"That is the best you could get out rookie? I will letyou in on a secret: He isn't strong enough to defeat my monster."

Arliss merely shrugged and commanded his warrior to attack. The little swordsman rushed forward…and sliced the downface monster like it was a slab of butter. He could hear people gasping and allowed a smirk to form.

"I thought you would know, wise proctor, that Mystic Swordsman can destroy defense monsters, regardless of their strength." Arliss touched a button on his duel disk, and a card slide out. "And when he does desotry a monster, I get to sacrifice him to summon his upgraded form, the Mystic Swordsman Lv 4." Arliss' monster glowed pure white as it elongated and morphed into an adult swordsman, his costume transformed into something more stunning, his sword now double edged. "And with that, I end my turn, Mr. Proctor."

"Marvelous, simply marvelous. That Arliss is really proving himself in this match." Dr. Crowler said.

One of his assistants nodded. "He certainly is dueling rather well."

"Well?" Crowler questioned. "He has a strong monster out and taken out one of the proctors cards! Oh, he is simply perfect."

The gntlemen next to him frowned. "oooooookaaaaaay."

The proctor had already drawn his next card and was ready to take back control. "I will be summoning Giant Rat in attack mode, and then end my turn." He stated, summoned the big rodent.

Arliss held up a card. "I will activate Reload, sending 5 cards rom my hand to my deck, shuffle said deck, and draw 5 new cards. Next, I will summon Strike Ninja, and equip him with Fuhma Shuriken." Everyone looked up at the Ninja, who leapt from the rafters and landed, taking our two throwing stars and readying himself for battle. "Now, I will play the spell card Book of the Moon. This card's magic forces your Giant Rat into face down defense position, perfect fodder for my Mystic Swordsman! Attack!" The swordsman grunted and leapt up, slicing the downface monster. "And now Strike Ninja!" The Ninja raced forward, pulling out a dagger from his uniform and slicing at the proctor. (Proctor- 1600)

"Alright, I was going easy on you before, but you you think those little tricks are going to get you inot this school, think again." He drew and smiled. "Perfect. Ok Rookie, let's see how you like this: A 4 card combo!" He took 3 cards from his hand and began to lay them on the field. "First, I will activate my trap card, Labyrinth of Nightmare. You'll get to see what this nasty trap does soon enough. But first, I will set a monster in defense mode…and activate a card, Book of Taiyou, to shift my downface card into attack mode, my Gear Golem the Moving Fortress." The monster shifted positions, the Gear Golem arising and hovering by the proctor, armor no longer covering it's inner body, instead it was all set in attack position. "And now, I will activate two more cards: Sword and Shield, and Weapon Change."

Arliss frowned. "Seems like a lot to get your monster all set up."

"But well worth it Rookie. You see, sometime syou must spend cards to earn big hits. You'll learn that, should you make it to the academy. And at this rate…don't hold your breath. Now, I can't use my Weapon Change just yet, but my sword and shield card is ready to go. It will shift the attacks of all our monsters, making their defense points their offense points. That means my Gear Golem Fortress has a total attack of 2200, just enough to take out your strike ninja! Gear Golem, The Moving Fortress, attack with super spike slam!"

The monster let out a metallic scream and leapt up, crushing Strike ninja. But as he was landing on the monster, the Strike Ninja threw one of his Shurikens at the Proctor,striking him in the chest. (Proctor- 900)

"Did I forget to tell ya something?" Arliss asked, a smile creaping onto his face. "My Ninja can fire a parting shot at you when he is destroyed…a nice effect, if I say so myself, thanks to his equip. And may I also point out, if you were plannin' on using yoru Gear Golem's direct attack effect…well…I don't think you got the lp to do it." He brushed some dust from his shoulder. "Now, what do you got with your so called great combo?"

The Proctor frowned. Despite what he was showing on the outside, on the inside, he realized Arliss was right. He had nothing in his deck that could save him now. But there was no way he would just lay down and die. He had to hold off now, hoping he could drain his opponent's deck.

"I will now use Labyrinth of Nightmare toshift my Golem to defense mode. OF course, since he is face up, your Swordsman can't kill him."

"NO need for him too." Arliss said, drawing his next card. He looked over at Crowler, and realizing what he must do, said a silent prayer to all the fallen Texans for what he was going to have to say. Stealing himself, he locked eyes with the proctor. "Say….I say sir…" Arliss swallowed. 'I say, I think I just threw up in my mouth.' He took a deep breath, and continued. "I have drawn the card that will finish this here duel. I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke, in attack mode."

On Arliss' side of the field, the white armored ninja appeared, his green robes billowing slightly his dark blue hair hanging down and tickling the back of his neck. He held out his daggers, ready to attack.

"Do you want to know what this monster's effect is? He destroys face up defense monsters. Grandmaster, Mystic Swordsman, finish this duel!" The monsters nodded, and leapt into the air, striking out against the proctor, destroy his monster, his lps, and his hopes of winning the duel. (Proctor- 0000)

"He did it." Dr. Crowler whispered in shock, staring down at the young southern duelist. Instantly, he was on his feet, clapping happily. "That boy is simply amazing, breathe taking, awe inspiring!" He frowned as he saw Arliss turn to leave. "NOOOO! Oh Arliss my boy!' Dr. Crowler shoved people out of his way, struggling to get to the field. "Don't…don't leave now…we must celebrate your enterance into the academy!" He snapped his fingers. "Bring me a blazer!"

Arliss looked over at Dr. Crowler, his face a mask of surprise. "Oh…you mean I get in? I thought…"

"A duelist of your skill doesn't need to think!" Dr. Crowler replied with a giant smile as he made his way onot the dueling zone. He turned to see an assasant running down to join him, a box of Obelisk Blue Blazers in his arms. "Now, what size are you my boy? We'll have a tailor properly fit you later…"

"A large, Dr. Crowler." He stated.

Crowler frowned at the all blue blazer an assistant handed him. "I don't think so…no no, simply not good. For such a great duelist, and a soon to be great student, he must get something special…bring me the white blazer!"

Everyone around Arliss gasped, as he feinted ignorance. "Uh…I thought I was going to be in your class…"

"Dr. Crowler, you can't!" The proctor that had dueled Arliss stated. "The white blazers are reserved for the best male and female in Obelisk Blue dorm for each term…it should go to one of the duel prep students…"

"NO!" Crowler howled in rage. "I am the head of the Male Obelisk Dorm, I get to decide who gets a blazer. Not you, not the head of the other dorms, not even that furry chinned windbag Chancellor Shepard! IT is my call, and I say the white Obelisk Blazer goes to Arliss Lockehart."

'This is working out better then I thought!' Arliss thought with an inner smile. 'I thought I would have some influence as a simple Obelisk…but as one of the head student of my grade…' He allowed a genuine smile to grace his lips, though Dr. Crowler thought it was because of his gratitude, not because Crowler had just played right into the young man's hands. '…it will be too easy to use Princess Crowler and my new status to find plenty of Rare Hunters.' He chckled slightly as Dr. Crowler's assistant helped him into his new White Blazer.