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

CHAPTER 4 – ATTICUS'S WAGER

The strumming of a ukulele diverted my attention, forcing me to turn around. What I ended up seeing… well, it was just plain STRANGE. A kid about as old as me was completely decked out in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, a blissful smile across his face as he happily played his instrument, faintly dancing to the melody. He seemed unaware of my presence, so I made it known by coughing rather loudly, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Was there a luau I missed or something?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. He merely grinned sheepishly and stuck out his hand.

"Hey, the Silver Slifer!" he laughed. "Atticus Rhodes! I've heard about you!"

I blinked a couple times in confusion while shaking his hand and clearly stating to him that my name was Alistair Rhein, and not "The Silver Slifer". I began wondering if I even wanted to know what rumors about me were being tossed around. "Heard about me?" I opted to inquire, scratching the back of my head. "Dare I ask what you've heard?"

The smile that lit up Atticus's face was enough to tell me that I wasn't going to be particularly ecstatic over his answer. I was left defenseless as he replied with, "You've gotten pretty popular with the ladies."

Now, I never believed it was possible that someone could choke on air, but from that day forward I made sure to never question its plausibility again. After reopening my trachea and sputtering a few times in complete and utter shock, I managed to cough out a raspy, "What??"

"You heard me!" he laughed, patting me on the back as if I had just been named the new King of Games. "It's probably the white hair. Girls love that for some reason."

If I could have gotten a glance of my own face at that moment, I assumed that I probably would have looked like I had seen a ghost. Thoughts of being hunted down by hordes of ravenous fangirls plagued my mind, threatening to drive me insane.

"This… is not good," was all I was capable of saying. Atticus appeared baffled.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he assured. "I love the devotion my fans give me, but if you need some help warding them off, I got an idea for you."

He then whispered something in my ear. My mind was still trying to purge itself of those horrific scenarios, so all I picked up were the words "Alexis", "sister", and "boyfriend". In seconds I had put the pieces together.

"Wait, hang on a second," I interjected, holding up my hand. "I just met her THIS AFTERNOON. And you want me to DATE her?"

"Hey, poor Lexi needs some serious help with her love life!" Atticus insisted. "One of these days she's gonna thank me."

"Either that or break your jaw," I countered, crossing my arms. "Out of the question, I couldn't possibly date her after knowing her for mere hours. And interfering with your sister's love life somehow doesn't strike me as the best idea in the world." I began to continue toward the duel arena, but Atticus made it a point to get the last word.

"Well if you're signing up for the tournament, how about we duel for it?" he offered with a grin. I shot him a skeptical glance. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see!" he laughed before running off to the arena. I checked my watch, realizing I only had 5 more minutes before sign-ups opened. Those tournament slots could be filled by 5:01. Quickening my pace, I eventually bursted through the doors, the bright light of the dueling arena temporarily blinding me. I shielded my eyes and squinted as I strained to look around. When my eyes finally adjusted to the lighting change, I could see a line of seven people waiting at the sign-up table. I couldn't believe the odds that I knew all seven. Jaden, Bastion, Syrus, Alexis, Chazz, Tyranno, and Atticus. I stepped into line and caught my breath, and the eight of us all claimed our slots for the tournament. Just as Atticus had planned, I had the pleasure of facing him in the Quarterfinals. I sighed as I quickly signed my name in the final space in the tourney bracket, and received my dueling device.

"Glad to see you made it!" Jaden called. "So we're finally gonna see if you can throw down with the rest of us!" I laughed, silently wondering where Jaden managed to find so much energy when just an hour ago I saw him nearly fall into a coma during Crowler's class. The kid was truly an enigma to me.

"We've got three hours to prepare for the tournament," Alexis said, checking out the schedule. "Looks like you and I get to duel second, Sy."

Syrus looked up, having been looking through his deck quietly.

"What? I'm facing you, Alexis?" he asked, somewhat shocked. "Oh boy… this is gonna be harder than I thought!"

The official tournament bracket was mounted onto each side of the dueling ring. It was then I noticed just how enormous the arena was. Looking around, I figured there were nearly eight thousand seats surrounding the stage, all of which would be filled with the red, yellow, and blue blazers of Duel Academy's students. I gripped my deck, which was sitting in my right pocket, and glanced over at Atticus, who still had that same grin on his face. I could tell that he had something planned, and that I probably wasn't going to like it. As long as I defeated him, though, I would be free of him at least for a little while longer. Somehow while I was zoned out, the conversation had turned to Zane and how he was fairing in the Pro League.

"By the way, did you fellas hear?" Tyranno cut in. "One of the first year kids got a perfect score on the entrance exam! First time it's happened since Zane came here!"

I snapped out of my thoughts just in time for Jaden to ask me, "Hey Alistair, you're a first year, you wouldn't happen to know who got that perfect score, would you?"

I hesitated and scratched the back of my head, unsure how to answer.

"…Actually, I do know," I eventually responded. "…It was me." The laughter from Jaden made it clear that he didn't take me seriously. The others were merely silent.

"Yeah right, Alistair!" he laughed. "If you got a perfect score, than what the heck are you doing in Slifer?" I furrowed my brow, baffled by Jaden's comment. Everyone started out in Slifer their first year… didn't they?

"I thought everyone started in Slifer," I said, putting a stop to Jaden's antics.

"No way!" he exclaimed. "If you scored perfectly, Crowler would have put you in Ra Yellow, or maybe even Obelisk Blue!"

"He's right," added Bastion. "Only students who perform poorly on the entrance exam are placed in Slifer, unless there was another reason for doing so."

I thought back to the day I received my exam results, and what Crowler had said to me before I left to get measured for my uniform.

"Like all new students, you'll have to start off in the Slifer Red dorm and work your way up! Perhaps your work ethic can teach those slackers a thing or two!"

I narrowed my eyes. Strangely, it made sense. Did Crowler place me in Slifer just so I could be a good influence? Was something like that even allowed? I figured it was all too much to think about for now, and dismissed the thoughts.

"Who knows," I sighed with a shrug. I searched through my pockets and found what I was looking for. I extracted my folded entrance exam from my coat and opened it up, displaying the perfect score.

"There's my proof," I sternly declared. "Satisfied?"

"Weird," was all I heard from Alexis. Or any of them, for that matter. "It's not like Crowler to put a guy with a perfect score in Slifer. Something's got to be up."

I folded the paper back up and slipped it back into my pocket. "Like I said, who knows," I repeated, turning away. "My deck is already built for this tourney, so I'm just going to go keep myself occupied." I departed quickly after waving goodbye, and returned to my room in the Slifer Red dorm. I decided to pass the time with some television and crossword puzzles (after doing the homework for Crowler's class first, of course… I'd hate to have him on my case), surprised that the three-hour hiatus passed without a single interruption.

I returned to the arena, mentally preparing myself for the scrutinizing gaze of thousands of students who were going to be watching the duels, perhaps even making notes about the monsters, combos, and other strategies we were going to use. I had overheard there would be a prize for the winner of the tournament, but that meant less to me than getting to know what I was up against. The sounds of the crowd gradually increased in volume as I drew nearer to the arena doors, and grew louder still as I entered the massive dome and stepped inside.

I quickly and quietly made my way to the nearest empty seat on the floor, and crossed my arms as I realized just how many people were capable of squeezing into this stadium. The tournament was set to begin, and the first matchup was announced.

"Our first quarterfinal match," boomed Chancellor Sheppard over the audio system, "is a match between a Slifer and an Obelisk! But don't expect this duel to be one-sided, both of these kids have tremendous potential, and I expect them to put on a great show! I present to you our first two quarterfinal opponents: Atticus Rhodes of Obelisk Blue, and Alistair Rhein of Slifer Red!"

I had just gotten comfortable in my seat when I was summoned to take part in the first duel of the evening. Just my luck, I suppose. I sighed and got up from my seat. Alexis and Jaden were sitting next to me and wished me luck. I nodded in appreciation and ascended to my position at the left end of the ring, already equipped with my dueling device. Atticus emerged from the tunnel at the other end, and was immediately serenaded with cheers, whistles, and marriage proposals. I removed my deck, the one everyone had been dying to see, from my pocket and gazed at it momentarily. I cut and shuffled exactly three times, as a sort of good luck ritual I used to do since I was five. I didn't care that my deck would officially be shuffled by Atticus anyway. We shook hands, exchanged and shuffled our cards, and returned them before taking our places in the dueling ring.

"Here's the deal!" Atticus shouted, trying to overpower the noise of the crowd. "If I win this duel, you let me hook you up for a date with Lexi!" This certainly took me by surprise. I opened my mouth, but no answer came out of it. Alexis herself was standing immediately.

"Atticus!!" she yelled at him. "Leave me out of this! How many times do I have to tell you I DON'T need help with my love life?!"

Atticus ignored her and continued with his proposal. "If YOU win, Alistair, I'll leave you alone, and drop the whole thing. Deal?" Alexis was now staring at me with fiery eyes. I glanced over at her and paused for a moment. The audience was starting to get restless.

"Deal," I finally answered with a smirk. Alexis appeared very upset, although I couldn't blame her.

"ALISTAIR!" she shouted, almost blowing out my right eardrum. I rubbed my right ear in pain and glared at her.

"Ow!" I yelled back. "Geez, don't worry. I can handle this."

Alexis seemed like she was about to continue abusing her vocal cords when Sheppard interrupted at the perfect time.

"Are the duelists ready?" he asked us over the microphone.

I swung my left arm, equipped with the dueling device, across my chest, and it extended into battle position. "I'm ready when you are, Atticus. Just keep your end of the bargain once I'm through with you."

Atticus confidently shifted his device into battle position as well. "You'll be thanking me someday, Alistair! I've already booked a great restaurant for you two!"

I rolled my eyes, and we each drew five cards. The quarterfinals had begun.

Atticus 4000 – Alistair 4000

"DUEL!"