"…Normal Traps, Counter Traps and Continuous Traps. Spell cards can be separated into normal spell, continuous spells, equip spells, QuickPlay spells, ritual spells, and field spells."

"Perfect!" Dr. Crowler cheered, clapping his hands. "Course I wouldn't expect anything less from one of my Blue Obelisk Students."

"Yes Doctor Crowler."

It was the first day of class at the Duelist Academy, and Dr. Crowler was quizzing the new students on what they already knew about the game of duel monsters. The class had divided themselves up by their color, with Slifers in the front left, Ras in the front right, and Obelisks seated behind them all. In the back, hidden away for Dr. Crowler's prying eyes, Arliss Lockehart sat. Only one thing had come to his mind while watching Alexis recite the cards, and that was that she knew her stuff.

'Man, that blazer really shows off her breasts.'

Ok, more then one thing.

The class was, overall, very, very boring. Arliss could not get how anyone that had made it into this school would still need to learn what a field spell did. Though, apparently, Dr. Crowler felt that way, judging by the reaming he was giving Syrus.

'You tell him Jaden." Arliss thought, holding back a chuckle as the slifer put Crowler in his place. 'I already like the way you think, Jaden Yuki.' He looked down at his notebook, where he had been pretending to take notes. 'Pity I'll be havin' to kill you in the end.'

A small part of his mind questioned why he needed to be taking this class at all. He hadn't come to the academy to get an education. He had come here for reasons…well, that did not involve him sitting in a classroom with pathetic little duelists learning about things they should already know.

He glanced down to see Vanessa watching Dr. Crowler intently. 'Well, not all pathetic. Some just lack…guidance.'

Zoning out for a moment, Arliss allowed himself to go over his detailed checklist of what needed to be done for his master plan to come to fruition. He had already checked some things off: Getting to the academy, getting to know Dr. Crowler, gaining Vanessa's trust (atleast he hoped he had it after the groveling with her last night that she was far from fat), getting his motorcycle and other packages on the island and stored away.

There were other things he still needed to do. He needed to get Vanessa under his wing and begin her training. He needed to find a base of operation. While he did enjoy his private dorm room, he knew he would need someplace else, a building all his own to use. Then there was the matter of gathering his hunters…

He was interrupted from his musings by Dr. Crowler dismissing class, the sound void he had been in suddenly filled with the noise of students gathering up their notebooks, chairs being shoved away, lively chatter as they rushed off to go to the bathroom, to get some food, or simply spend some time outside.

Arliss stood up slowly, looking around only to find that Vanessa had already gone.

&&&

Vanessa clutched her notebook tight to her chest, trying to dodge the clusters of students. All she wanted to do was use the rest room and get back to class. Of course, doing that was easier said then done. The hallway in front of class was crowded, and she had to zig and zag, squeeze herself through tight spots and avoid elbows and hands that were flying all about. Finally making it into the bathroom, she let out a sigh and opened the door, slipping in.

And walked right into the lion's den.

"What are you doing?" An Obelisk girl cried out, turning away from the mirror she was using to check her makeup. Her 3 friends nodded, all pausing from their activities.

Vanessa shrunk back, wishing her bladder had been a lot bigger. "I…I needed to use the bathroom…"

The girls all looked at each other for moment before they all turned back to Vanessa and laughed. "Bathroom?" The older girls approached the young slifer, making Vanessa back up further, reaching for the door handle. The one that had spoke before darted forward, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away. "I think she needs the cultural lesson, girls."

Another Obelisk girl with short hair that fell over half of her face nodded, gently yet firmly shoved Vanessa into a wall. "Everything around her goes by your status. The Obelisks get everything, including all the bathrooms near the class rooms."

The third of the group, a shorter girl with obvious implants nodded. "Ra Yellows, they are allowed to go to the restrooms in the main hall."

The final girl nodded. "You slifers? Well, that's why God invented trees." All four of them laughed and Vanessa trembled slightly.

Vanessa frowned. She knew she should be scared…that she should simply nod her head, apologize and run…but something in her just couldn't stomach the thought of letting these girls get away with this.

"How is that fair?" Vanessa challenged.

The first girl, the one that had been checking her make-up, patted her head and sighed. "This one has spunk…that always makes a good duelist." She smiled, running a finger along Vanessa's cheek. "But you see…we aren't in the dueling dome…" She dug her nail into Vanessa's skin, dragging it along and making a deep cut. Vanessa broke away and ran towards the door, throwing it open…

…only to slam into someone, their arms wrapping around her. She trembled from the impact and looked at the newcomer, only to find that this student wasn't so new to her.

"Arliss!" She wrapped her arms around him tight and pressed face to his chest. Her earlier rage had died away as soon a it had appeared, and she wondered why she had provoked them.

"Nessa." Arliss said softly. "I heard you through the door…" he looked over at the girls, his face hardening. "What is going on ladies? From what I can gather here, nothin' good."

The girls all grinned, making little sexy faces towards him. "Oh nothing!" One called out to him.

"Is that true Nessa…" He gently pushed her away, only to notice the bloodstain that now marred his white blazer.

Vanessa looked up at him and frowned. "I'm sorry, I got your jacket…"

"Nessa, did they do this?" he gently gripped her chin in his fingers and ran a free hand along her bloodied cheek. "Damn it, I need to get you to a doctor." He looked up at the three girls, and then down at Vanessa, then back again. "You'll pay for what you did to her." He spat.

"Pay for what?" The first girl, the obvious leader of the older Obelisks asked. "First of, even with the white jacket, we have seniority over you. And second, she's a slifer. You really think anyone in this school cares about a slifer?" She walked towards him, giving her hips a little sway. "Trust me…I've dealt with slifers like her before…no one has ever said a word." She brought her lips up to his ear, whispering huskily, "they know better."

"Is that so?" Arliss questioned, still holding Vanessa close, resting his chin on her head. "I suppose you would suggest she and I leave?"

"Well, she can leave." The girl said with a grin. "But you are more then welcome to stay." She liked the look of this new duelist, and his strength was just what each of them looked for in a man. Obviously he was smitten for the slifer, but once that showedhim what a more mature woman could do…

Arliss smirked as the girl kissed his neck, running a hand down his back. Vanessa was still tense in his arms, eyes never leaving the 3 other Obelisks staring her down like she was a piece of meat and they were hungry Dobermans. She gripped his hand, and let out a small gasp as Arliss ripped his hands away and pushed her away from him to a corner. The girls all chuckles as their 'leader' snuggled up close.

"Yup…knew you'd see it our way."

Arliss smiled, leaning in close and he brought her hand up close to his face, his fingers gently taking a hold of hers. "Lady…you don't know…how stupid you are…" The Obelisk gave him a look of surprise. "You picked the wrong slifer to hurt."

Before anyone could react, Arliss had forced the head girl's nails into his face, making long hideous gashes in his skin. The older student backed away in horror, looking at her crimson covered nails as Arliss began to rip apart his blazer, slamming his shoulder into the door until there was a sickening crack. He bellowed in pain, ripping the door open, grabbing Vanessa's hand, and stumbled into the hallway.

Students came rushing in to find him backing into a wall, Vanessa crying out at his dislocated arm. The calls for help rang through the school, and soon Doctor Crowler and Professor Banner were at Arliss and Vanessa's side, asking them what had happened. The four girls still stood in the now opened bathroom, Arliss' foot just happening to be holding the door wide open. Their faces were masks of horror and bewilderment at his strange actions.

"Mr. Lockehart, Miss Fox, are you two alright?" Professor Banner asked.

"No I'm not alright!" Arliss snapped in pain. "Those four girls in there tried to sexually assault us!"

"WHAT!" The four screamed. Vanessa looked just as shocked, but no one noticed.

Dr. Crowler was sobbing, trying not to vomit at the sight of Arliss' blood. "What happened my dear sweet boy?"

"I was walking Vanessa to the bathroom when those four girls approached us, pushed her away and shoved me in the bathroom. They told me they thought I was sexy, and wanted to go out on a date. I said no, and they told me that they always got what they want, and began to rip my blazer off!" Arliss' voice had taken on a wimpy warble as he spoke. He seemed to shrink and become fragile looking and timid. Vanessa was speechless as he continued. "They were mad…terribly mad. I couldn't fight back, they are women after all, and it isn't proper to hit a woman, so all I could do was struggle." He was now shivering in mock fright. "Vanessa was able to get in, and they attacked her. They then began to try and pin me down…they were saying things about what they would do to us… Oh the pain, the pain of it all Dr. crowler!" Arliss cried out, using his best Dr. Smith impression.

"Say no more!" Dr. Crowler said, looking at the 4 girls. "You will all be expelled for this!"

"Dr. Crowler, he's lying!" one of the girls shouted. "We never did that!"

"Then why is my blood dripping from your fingers?" Arliss asked. "What, I forced you to cut me?" He touched his skin. "oh, look at my precious face…"

"YES!" All four replied. "YES YOU DID!"

"Enough!" Dr. Crowler shouted. "I am disgusted with you four. This duelist is at the top of his class, and you dare to attack him…use him for cheap thrills?"

"Arliss…" Vanessa whispered. "We can't lie."

"What was that about lying?" Professor Banner asked.

Arliss looked right at Crowler, clamping a hand around Vanessa's mouth. "They told me that you would think I was lying…that here, unlike in America, women aren't ever convicted of these horrible crimes."

"Oh, I assure you they are!" Crowler turned to several of the school's guards. "I want these girls on the next boat off this island, and see too it that can't duel even at home!"

Inside the hunter's mind, a little Arliss was doing a Snoopy dance, not believing that they had fallen for the old 'Diego Vega foppish boy.' routine.

The Obelisk girls were sobbing now, begging for Crowler to listen as the guards dragged them away, the school's nursing staff taking Arliss and Vanessa to the emergency room for stitches.

As she was lead away, Vanessa couldn't help but notice the wicked look Arliss gave the girls, mouthing 'bye bye' to them as they were escorted away.

&&&

Vanessa padded over to Arliss' bed, trying to make sure the paper gown they had made her wear wasn't showing parts of her off to the world. She didn't know why she had to wear one; her only injuries were her wrist where the girls had grabbed her, and her now stitched up face.

Arliss lay in his bed, his shoulder popped back into place with no ill effect. The doctors had told her, when Vanessa had questioned them relentlessly, that the injury had been clean and rather minor. Vanessa resisted the urge to laugh in their face. OF course the injury was minor, Arliss had done it himself…he must have known how to dislocate his shoulder, for some reason.

"Hey." He drawled out, speech affected by the stitches, tape and bandages that covered his injured cheek. "They say I won't get any scars…it sucks." Dr. crowler had also pumped him full of pain killers, making him just a bit more giddy then normal.

Vanessa sat down on the edge of his bed. "Yea, they said the same thing for me."

"That's good…girls shouldn't have scars. On guys…scars are cool."

She couldn't help but laugh. Arliss sounded so young right now. Every other time she had talked to him, he had sounded so old, so world worn…now he was like a teenager.

She paused for a moment, looking him over, a question still tickling the back of her mind. "Arliss…why did you lie to Dr. Crowler? Why did you tell him that they had attacked you?"

The young man frowned. "Despite how much I hated those girls for what they tried to do to you, they were right. This school, it does have special rules for all 3 dorms, and you my dear, you get the fuzzy end of the lollypop. Had you come to Crowler, or any other high official, and told them what really happen…they would have never believe you. Hell, I bet those girls would have said you started it, and you'd be expelled."

"That can't be right."

"It ain't right, but it's true. But somethin' that is also true is that Crowler sees me has his golden child. Whatever I say is right in his ears. So, it would have been easy for me to stand up and say they attacked you. But me standin' up for a Slifer…that would have done little good, even then. Those girls would have gotten a slap on the wrist, and we'd be targets now. Better to allow Crowler to believe I was the hurt party, and let vengeance rain."

"Why?" Vanessa asked softly. "Why is that better Arliss? Don't you see? That makes you no better then those girls. You are using your power to take what you want, just like them."

Arliss smiled. "Exactly my dear Nessa. I have power in this school, granted at the moment it is only a small amount, but it is enough to take what I want, and greater then the power those girls have." He paused, and looked at her, deep eyes piercing into her mind and soul, making her squirm under the intensity. "Let me ask you…you believe in playing by the rules, thinkin' the world will settle things for itself, dontcha? God will reward the little guy and smite the powerful, am I right? Karma and all that good shit?"

"Yes." Vanessa said softly, aware at the sudden change his voice had undertaken: his words becoming smoother, the accent weakening. There was also a layer of cold that had not been in his voice before.

"Well Earl," He mocked. "you can wish all you want, but that just don't happen, see? In the real world, the powerful hold onto their strengths and the meek…they might inherit the earth, but it won't be for a good long time. And even then, they are only left with the crumbs from the empires of the powerful, of the aggressive."

Vanessa frowned. She did not like this new side of her friend, yet there was something in his words that drew her to want to know more. "So you suggest that people use what they have, even if it isn't moral, darn the rest?"

"Morality is in the eye of the beholder, Nessa. To me, honor is above anything else. And my honor would not allow me to see you fall because of the system I view wrong. So I used what I had, in what you see as an immoral way, and saved you."

"But lied in the process." She whispered.

"Yes." Arliss said. "Yes I did. But that doesn't matter." He leaned back in his chair. "How long do you think you can go on, plannin' by the rules? Do you really think you can survive this world by simply allowing others to walk all over you?"

"It's better then using people for my own gain." She answered with no heart, no backbone. No, it was merely an automated response.

"Is it?" Arliss asked. "Is it worth the pain your soul goes through to play like the world wants you to? Or is it better to strike out with everything?" He paused leaning in closer to her, his eyes locking on her. She seemed to be in a trance, following everything he said and absorbing it. "IN a duel, is it better to play nice, let your opponent have a chance? Or is it better to attack with everything, use your big powerful cards?"

"Attack." She said. "It's better to attack."

"Do you know why?" Vanessa shook her head. "Because your opponent will be thinkin' the same way. Just like in real life: Do Unto Others, before they do unto you."

"Hey guys!"

Arliss and Vanessa's heads snapped towards the door to see Alexis walk in, carrying some flowers for each of them. The spell that had been cast in the room shattered, and Vanessa leapt off the bed and moved to stand away from the bed, almost tripping over a chair. Arliss barely contained his disappointment at the loss of communication, but held it together as Alexis handed one set of flowers to Vanessa and set the other ones in a vase on the small table near his bed.

"I heard you two got messed up by the Ballpoints."

"Ballpoints?" Vanessa asked.

"The name all the other Obelisk Blue girls call them behind their back." Alexis said. Seeing that the two of them didn't get it, she elaborated. "You know, because both the girls and ballpoints focus on clicks. Clicks…clichés?" Arliss merely raised an eyebrow as Vanessa gave her a weak chuckle. "Ya, it's a stupid name, but it's the best they could come up with."

"Surprised you wanted to talk to us, girl." Arliss said, slipping back into his charming normal accent. "I'd think you'd be mad we got rid of some of your own."

Alexis shrugged. "I say good riddance. Girls like that are what give Obelisks a bad name. You should know Arliss, you have to deal with Chazz."

Arliss frowned. "Chazz…that's the boy that Jaden Yuki dueled last night, isn't it?"

Vanessa perked up. "Jaden dueled Chazz….Chazz Princeton? The best duelist in the 1st year Obelisk Blue men?" Arliss coughed. "Other then you Arliss."

"Thank you."

Alexis chuckled at the pair. "Yea, the two of them were really going at it, ante rule and all."

"Who won?" Vanessa asked.

"No one. I put a stop to it."

"Why would you do that?"

"Dueling after hours, and without a school official is against the rules." Alexis replied. "Moreso, the ante rule is expressly forbidden."

Vanessa pouted. "That sucks. I was hoping to duel you some time."

Alexis smiled. "Sorry. I don't make it a habit of breaking the rules."

"And considerin' the fact that the school rarely lets interdorm duels…" Arliss sighed. "Yet another reason why this whole system is a disgrace."

Alexis shrugged. "I don't know…prevents the older students from taking advantage of the inexperienced." Alexis didn't notice the look of distaste that crossed Vanessa's face. "And it also prevents one sided matches."

"Oh, and don't forget it doesn't let duelists try and face higher opponents, as such forcing them to improve their games and not get lazy by takin' on the same level opponents. Tell me Alexis, why did you come to this school? Was it just for the prestige? The name on the diploma? Or…are you searchin' for something you can't find out there in the normal world?"

Alexis stared at Arliss, wanting to shiver as his words seemed to touch on her greatest secret…why she had come to this school. 'It is impossible…there was no way he knows about Atticus…he was merely talking about me dueling better duelists.' Alexis, making up her mind, nodded. "Yea…yea I am."

Arliss nodded. "Thought so." He pressed a button on his arm rest, the bed lowering down. "Now ladies, I am gettin' a might sleepy. Think I will settle in, take a nap before supper."

Vanessa and Alexis nodded. "Ok Arliss…talk to you later." They both said, heading off in different directions. Arliss, when he was sure that they were gone, bolted out of bed and went to his jacket, pulling out a cell phone and dialing up a number.

"It's me." He said. "I need a boat stationed just offshore, ready to go in at my word tomorrow. Is everything ready for tomorrow….good. I also need you to begin looking up more information about Alexis Rhodes…yea, you were right about her…this is all about Atticus."

Author's Note: I would just like to say that in the upcoming chapters, a lot of new characters are going to appear. One of the things I like to do is assign "Dream voice dubbers" for my characters. So far, I only have one: Josh Holloway of 'LOST' fame as Arlen and Arliss Lockehart. I chose him because Arlen and Arliss are both, in the purest sense, Southern Conmen. That means they must be charming and smart. Holloway's voice is both, as he doesn't make the southerner an idiot.

I was also thinking about assigning Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' as Vanessa. Alyson can play both sweet and innocent, and truly evil. And with what Arliss has planned….

If you have any suggestions, simply include them in your review.