Hello once more everyone! Well, my weekend was decent. Nothing really happened, other than I worked on this story, and other stuff, lol. Hmm, nothing has really happened in life that has become pressing, other than I seem to be getting more of this story wrote, thankfully. I'm nearly finished with the end, so that means once I finish up, I can start posting 3 times a week instead.

Last time, Illidan finally ended the duel with a thunderous explosion, conquering a monster that had yet to be destroyed in battle. With the loss of Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, Seto's duel and chance to beat Illidan for once ended. The question is, now what?

Alright, time for my favorite part of Tuesday! That's right, it's review time!

Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, that had to suck for Seto to see Dark Paladin once more, and for it to once again hand him defeat. Thanks, I figured it would be a nice way to end the duel. I originally wasn't sure if I would use BESD, but when I began the duel, I was like, well, he'll need it to take on Illidan, hence it got included. There are new cards, plus later on, some new ones I came up with. Heh, when Illidan and Jaden meet, it is interesting. You're right, they are kind of the same. Hmm, I ponder about that… You'll get my comment later on in the story. But yeah, Crowler will have double the Slifer Slackers to deal with, plus one for Marie, hehe. Thanks again for the comments.

bobmanv2.0: Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you liked the ending.

x-knight20: Thank you for your comment. Yeah, I'm sure Jaden and gang will have a good time with Illidan.

Ultimate Legendary Master: Yep, yet again Kaiba was crushed by the monster that haunted his first defeat. Yeah, I figured that would add some flare to the end of the duel. Thanks for the comments.

ardee: Lol, yep, Seto lost. True, the story is starting a bit slow. I realized that the other day that perhaps this duel was a bit too long, but then again, the early chapters a wee bit smaller than the later ones. True, this is only the beginning. I was mostly catching up with Seto, lol. Yep, you were right, he had BESD. Like I said, he just took it out of his deck for a while, but a duel with Illidan got him to add it back. Hehe, Dark Paladin was extremely strong thanks to Seto dumping all those Dragons in his Graveyard. Do you mean Illidan's original? I kind of did too, but this new deck did grow on me after a while.

pink-kiss-candy: Nope, Seto just can't win against Illidan, lol. LOL! That sucks that your favorites is full. I didn't know you could fill one up. I sometimes ponder if I have too many on Story Alert though. Lol, it's alright Ryon. (/Pushes a palm tree closer.\)

Isis the Sphinx: Lol, sort of did have to rub it in. True, I could have explained that, but meh, I didn't. Thanks for the comments as always!

Well guys, that does it for this round of reviews. If anyone has any questions so far about the story, or comments or suggestions, feel free to make them. I'll answer them the best I can as always.

Anyways, I'm out for today, so enjoy this new chapter. It's not a duel, but it does explain a few things. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

As soon as the explosion cleared the field, the remaining holograms cleared from the field. Marie smiled great big and ran onto the field, hugging Illidan fiercely.

"YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT!" she screamed wildly as he grabbed hold of her and spun her around in circles.

Smiling at her, he replied "Yep, I did. Now we don't have to worry about jobs."

Taking a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, Illidan turned his attention to Seto, who was still on his hands and knees. Mokuba had walked over to his brother, seemingly consoling him on his loss.

Finally letting go of Marie, Illidan walked over and offered a friendly hand to Seto, who looked up at Illidan and lightly smirked. He gladly accepted it, saying "Good duel Illidan. Congratulations on your victory."

Smiling back, Illidan helped Seto stand and said "Thanks. That was one of the best duels I think I've ever seen you put on."

"Same here." said a New York style accent in the background.

The group turned around to find a sandy blonde haired young man with brown eyes standing with a big grin on his face. He wore a white dress shirt with a blue undershirt, and had on blue jeans.

"Hey Joey!" Marie called out in surprise. She ran over to her old friend and hugged him, making him smile and pat her on the back.

He then let go and turned to Illidan, saying "Good to see you again man. That was one heck of a duel you and Kaiba just put on."

Curious, Illidan asked "Were you here the whole time?"

Shaking his head, Joey simply replied "Nah, I saw it from the roof cam in Kaiba's office. I arrived just a few minutes after you all left I guess, and the secretary let me sit in his office. Well, I noticed a T.V., so I flipped it on, only to find your duel. About the time you lost your Cyber End Dragon, I hurried to the elevator to get up here and help support you. Time I got here though, you had already fused your monster together, and was about to obliterate poor Kaiba's dragon. I just stood and watched as you took it out, and thought I'd finally make my appearance once you were done."

Nodding, Illidan asked "So, what brings you here Joey?"

"He's here for his usual rematch…" Seto said with irritation in his voice.

Lightly chuckling, Joey shook his head, saying "Actually, not today. That isn't till Friday, remember Kaiba? Nah, today I came here to just see what was up with Kaiba. After all, we eat lunch a few days a week, and today was one of them."

"Oh…" Marie said, somewhat in shock. "They eat lunch together!? Last time I checked, they were bitter rivals. Joey was hell bent on beating Kaiba, while Seto didn't seem to care at all. I guess time does really change people."

Knowing Marie was thinking the same thing, Illidan only chuckled, saying bluntly "You two sure have changed since ten years ago."

"For the worst probably." Seto said dramatically.

The vein in Joey's forehead popped out, as he yelled "Why you ungrateful rich kid, after all me and you have been through, you still say that!?"

Chuckling, Seto replied "Yep. Anything to get a rise out of you."

Growling softly, Joey finally sighed and lightly chuckled himself, saying "Yeah, that figures."

Turning his attention back to Illidan, Seto offered a hand of congratulations to Illidan, saying "Well done Illidan. You beat me, fair and square, and as promised, you and Marie shall have your jobs. Your official titles are simple for the two of you to remember. You're both the headmasters of the male and female Slifer Dorms."

Frowning, Illidan asked "Are they in separate buildings?"

Shaking his head, Seto simply replied "They're actually two floors to the Slifer Dorm. Plus, there are plans to add on this year. Also, the two of you will have a private house behind the dorm that's two stories, seeing how you both need to be near the dorm."

Both Illidan and Marie nodded, and Marie then asked "By the way, what will I be teaching?"

Quickly replying without much though, Seto replied "Math of course, but you and Illidan will be teaching two other classes. The first class, the two of you will be teaching it together. See, even though you're both no longer officially the Tag Team Champions, only due that the Pro League decided to reset all the titles, you're both two of the best duelists at tag team dueling, hence you two will be teaching a class on it."

Both nodded in agreement, and Seto continued, saying "As for the other class that the two of you have to teach, that's being worked out. So far, a few classes always seem to be left over. Some teachers just don't want to teach some classes it seems. Anyways, I do have a list of what isn't taken, so the two of you could decide before being forced I guess."

Then turning to a serious tone, Seto said "There is one other thing I need to talk to you two about, but I want to do it privately. Nothing personal Wheeler or Mokuba, but it's a personal matter that I need to discuss with them."

Joey was about to object, but then decided to not. He nodded and motioned for Mokuba to go with him. The two then left in the elevator, leaving the three alone.

Sighing, Seto sat down on a bench near the field, motioning for Illidan and Marie to join him. The two sat down beside of him, intently wanting to know what was so important that had to be discussed in private.

Knowing they wanted answer, Seto began with "There is one other thing the two of you need to do while at the academy. Illidan, remember about close to ten years ago, about four or so months after Yami crossed over, Pegasus and I asked a favor of you?"

Illidan only nodded, knowing exactly what favor Kaiba had asked of him. "Well, I need to ask you now to go check on something about it."

"Don't tell me…" Illidan began, but was cut off quickly.

"Hold off before you say anything Illidan." Seto cut in. Illidan nodded, and Seto continued, saying "No, the seals haven't been undone, that I know of. I personally went to make sure."

Letting off a long sigh, Seto continued, saying "This problem stems back about nine years. You see, after the first year Duel Academy was open, a mysterious disappearance happened in one of the four dorms."

Thinking for a moment, Marie quickly interjected with "Wait, there are only three dorms from what I heard. Why do you say four?"

Knowing Marie didn't know much, most likely due to Illidan being quiet about the subject, Seto replied "There were four dorms to begin with the year Duel Academy was opened. As you know, I modeled the three dorms after the three Egyptian God Cards. Well, the fourth dorm was modeled after an Egyptian God Card as well. It was the Anubis Dorm."

Marie nodded, but said "Still, that doesn't explain why there are only three now."

Continuing, Seto replied "True Marie, but there is a reason. You see, after the first year, some disappearances happened in the fourth dorm, which was the Anubis Dorm. There were eight students there at the time, with the rest not in due to class. Later that day, when the rest of the students returned, they found four students completely unconscious. The other four students were gone without a trace. The four that were left awoke in the infirmary a few days later, but it was creepy."

Looking at the ground, Seto said "I personally went to check on them, seeing how this was a major incident, and I wanted to get to the bottom of this matter. The four students all had complete amnesia. They had no clue who they were or where they were. It was completely illogical, and seemed completely too coincidental. So, I decided to do some investigating of my own."

Taking the time to look back up, Seto moved on, saying "I had all students belonging to Anubis Dorm evacuated for a week so I could conduct my own investigation. Something bothered me though during my investigation. I got a slight sense of the Shadow Realm, which made me think some nut with Shadow Powers was on the island. I combed the island, but never found any sources really. After giving up, I returned to Anubis Dorm and continued to search it. I never found a single clue to show that the students left on their own free will, or were abducted. I couldn't draw any kind of a conclusion on the results of my investigation."

"So, you assumed they left then?" Illidan interjected.

Shaking his head, Seto replied "On the contrary Illidan, I believed that someone, or something with Shadow Powers may have struck the dorm, and the four left behind were the lucky ones. After my week of investigating, I finally cranked out a report, stating that I wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but that all students should partner up with a roommate. I had hopes that whoever had done this, would hopefully leave the island, or at least strike while I was there."

After a deep sigh, Seto then said "Neither happened though."

Looking up at the sky sadly, Seto continued with "About the middle of year two of Duel Academy, the same type of incident happened again over Christmas Break. A few students had stayed behind in Anubis Dorm for the holidays. During this time, the headmaster decided to take the kids ice skating. One student elected to stay home due that he was sick. The student's roommate was home for the holidays, so the headmaster paid no heed to the decree I made."

Closing his eyes, he then turned his face down, saying "When the students and the headmaster returned, that student was gone. Like the other four, he just vanished. I was called about the matter immediately, and I ordered Anubis Dorm shutdown that very day. I moved all students in that dorm to different dorms, mostly Ra and Obelisk. The dorm was then condemned, and rules were made that said no entry was permitted."

Slowly opening his eyes, the sadness reflected in his dark blue eyes could be seen as he said "Still, that didn't stop another student from being taken a few years ago. For some reason a student went there, and once again, the student vanished, making a total of six missing. Four were left in permanent amnesia, while six were gone."

Turning to both Illidan and Marie, Seto sadly asked "Do you know how hard it is to tell six families that you have no idea where there children are, or even if they're alive?"

Marie's heart literally broke at hearing that question, as she gently hugged Seto. Illidan too felt the pain, not knowing what he could say or do if he had been Kaiba when he faced those families.

Releasing Seto from the hug, Seto softly smiled, saying "Thank you Marie. Still, there was one bit of shimmer of hope to this story."

Taking a deep breath, Seto said "The last student to be taken, he was found this year."

Shocked, Illidan asked "Where?"

Seto's smile vanished as he seriously said "He was found to be one of seven people that attacked Duel Academy this year known as Shadow Riders. They were people who possessed a Shadow Charm each, and dueled to unlock the Sacred Beast Cards."

Illidan only lightly gasped and asked "So, was he alright? How was it he was a Shadow Rider controlling a Shadow Charm?"

Nodding, Seto replied "He was fine. After he was beaten in a duel, whatever was controlling him was locked away within a card. He was freed from the darkness that controlled his body, allowing him to continue on. Later on, when his memories returned, he told of why he had gone to the dorm. It seems a teacher had called him there, only to find himself in a Shadow Game. He lost, and became controlled by a dark force that sent him out to free the Sacred Beasts."

"I see." Illidan simply said as he took in all the information. He then added "By the way, we know the Sacred Beasts were freed. What happened?"

Semi serious, Seto replied "The former superintendent of the school was the one behind the Shadow Riders. He took possession of the Sacred Beasts and challenged the one duelist who had beaten back most of the Shadow Riders to a Shadow Duel. The two dueled, with the guy using the Sacred Beast Cards. In the end, the student beat the superintendent, thus saving the world from being drained of it's energy by the Sacred Beasts."

Nodding, Illidan said "Yeah, we felt the energies of the Duel Spirits being drained. Luckily, our decks were unaffected."

Nodding back, Seto simply replied "As was mine. I believe that due to our stronger spirits, the Sacred Beasts couldn't absorb our decks power, hence we were safe. I'd say the same thing happened with the other former Shadow Court members as well."

Realizing something, Illidan then asked "What was it you need me to check into? We got so far off track with you telling us what happened that it slipped my mind."

Lightly chuckling, Seto replied "True. Anyways, I need the two of you to check out the four shrines. Make sure your seals are truly holding Illidan, and make sure no Shadow Magic is somehow materializing on the island in the wrong hands."

Nodding, Illidan simply said "No problem. We'll make sure that the seals are definitely working properly. I have a feeling three out of four are. The fourth though, I'm beginning to wonder since you told us about the incidents at the Anubis Dorm."

Standing up, Seto replied "True. I'm not sure if that's what is happening, or if something else has happened. I went to check the shrines myself last year, and none were disturbed. Each year I've checked them, and none are still disturbed, but I still get the feeling something isn't right. It's that feeling I got when Gozaburo Tark finished the Millennium Crown and gave us a look that just told me something was wrong."

Standing as well, Illidan nodded, saying "Yeah, I know the feeling."

Smirking, Seto said "Now, it's time to take you two down to the fun part of my job: paperwork."

Both Illidan and Marie groaned, each muttering "I hate paperwork."

"Get used to it. After all, you'll soon be grading tests, reading papers, and having to deal with teenagers who think they're king of the world." Seto said playfully.

"Wonderful…" Illidan said sarcastically.

"Oh yes, I forgot. Your starting date is officially August 18th. That is the first day of class, but you must be at the academy by the 15th so you can prepare to greet the students. Besides, I'm sure you'll want to move some stuff to the academy. Your small house will be supplied with furniture, computers, and so on. Also, you can put in an order for what you want once you get there, and I'll get it for you. Of course, it'll come out of your pay." Seto snidely said.

Both Illidan and Marie growled softly, making Seto rethink his offer while sweat dropping, and say "I mean, of course I'll pick up the tab. After all, I couldn't make my two friends pay for something from their own checks."

Smiling triumphantly, both Illidan and Marie nodded. Seto breathed a sigh of relief and said "Come on, let's get this paperwork over and done with so I can go pester Joey for a duel. I need to thrash someone, and it might as well be him."

The trio only laughed at the comment as they headed for the elevator.