Author's Note: I own nothing in relation to Yu-Gi-Oh GX.

CHAPTER 3 – THE QUEEN AND THE TOURNAMENT

I was right. This academy can't possibly have a dress code.

I came to this conclusion shortly after meeting Alexis Rhodes, the so-called Queen of Obelisk Blue. There was a brief window of approximately two and a half seconds when I considered advising her that a skirt that short was probably against school rules, after which I realized ALL the girls donned similar attire. I quickly bit my tongue and remained completely silent about the situation. We met for the first time shortly after Crowler's class on effective use of spell and trap chains. The mere notion of having to listen to that voice for eighty minutes twice a week was enough to make me cringe in horror.

Jaden was a sneaky kid, I noticed, utilizing various techniques in order to sleep in class without getting caught. Needless to say, despite being sneaky, he wasn't very bright. I was shaken from my zoned-out state many a time thanks to the good doctor shouting at Jaden to startle him awake. Having nothing else to do for the time being, I kept a tally of the number of detentions he racked up in that single class. All I really have to say is that Guinness World Records will be getting some mail in the near future.

After experiencing eighty minutes of the seventh layer of hell, I was ready to go test that theory of head-and-wall Polymerization when a voice interrupted my retreat through the crowd of students.

"So you're the Silver Slifer, huh?"

I turned my head toward the one who had used that stupid nickname, coming face-to-face with the Obelisk Queen herself.

"People who actually know me tend to call me Alistair Rhein, you know," I answered, rolling my eyes. Damn Obelisks. Alexis seemed to regret her decision to call me the "Silver Slifer", and rightly so.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I actually thought it was a cool name." I raised an eyebrow at that remark, not sure whether to feel complimented or annoyed.

"You're Alexis, aren't you?" I questioned. "You were mentioned when I talked to Jaden and Syrus the other day."

"You met those two already?" she asked me. I nodded and walked out of the classroom, Alexis following me.

"Hey! Alexis! Alistair!" came a familiar voice from down the hall. Jaden and Syrus were coming down to meet us, another two students with them. These two appeared to be in Ra Yellow, telling from the color of their blazers.

"Ah, the Silver Slifer," the Ra with neat combed-back hair said with a smile. "You've really gotten a reputation around the school already, and without even dueling yet." I silently vowed in my head that I would destroy the one who crafted that awful moniker. He introduced himself as Bastion Misawa, a likable fellow who had the same thirst for knowledge as I had. He, however, was more gifted than I in the department of tolerating Crowler's voice. The other Ra was Tyranno Hassleberry, an aggressive type with an obvious affinity with dinosaurs. Our conversation continued for a few moments when an interruption came in the form of an announcement.

"Attention Duel Academy students," came Chancellor Sheppard's voice over the PA. "An opening day tournament is being held in the dueling arena at 8 PM this evening! Be sure to sign up and get some experience under your belt for the term ahead, as well as getting to know your fellow students' decks! But you better be quick, because only the first eight entrants will be accepted! If you miss out tonight, you can always sign up for Tuesday's tournament, but remember, all students have a limit of one tournament each week!"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my deck, wondering if I should head back to my dorm and make any last minute changes I felt were necessary. I realized everyone else was staring at my deck curiously as well, reminding myself that Crowler was the only person in the academy who knew my card theme.

"Hey, what kind of deck do you use, Alistair?" Alexis decided to ask. I merely grinned and slipped the deck back into my pocket, disappointing everyone for the time being.

"You'll just have to find out in tonight's tournament, won't you?" I teased, crossing my arms. "Maybe one of you will get to see its tricks personally in a duel against me."

I turned away from them and headed toward the doorway.

"I'm going back to my room, to make a few changes," I told them. "I'll see you at the arena tonight."

We bid our farewells and I trekked back to the Slifer Red dorm, slipping silently into my room and drawing the curtains, not wanting any spies. From under my bed, I pulled out one of the pieces of luggage I had brought to the island with me, a wide silver suitcase. I unlocked it and flipped it open, revealing an impressive array of monsters, spells, and traps, different combinations for different opposing decks. Recalling the academy rules, I was permitted a side deck of 15 cards, so I set to work in preparing one that would be of the most use to me in the tournament. I took into consideration the personality of everyone I had met so far, and poured all my thought and calculation into my cards. It was nearly five o'clock when I felt finished, so I locked up the suitcase and slid it back under the bed. I shuffled my original 40-card deck and pocketed it, adding the fifteen cards of my side deck into my other pocket. The sun was beginning to set, so I quickly tidied up and left the dorm, proceeding to the duel arena. I enjoyed the calm that the evening air provided as I made my way, until a truly unusual sound struck my senses. Call me crazy, but I swore I just heard someone behind me playing the ukulele.