"SCOPE! FIRE! BULLET!" the cards were absorbed into his gun before he took aim. He shot a fireball that hit the Beast Spirit dead centre in its chest before exploding and sending it crashing into a lamppost. Pluto then threw a blank card and sealed the Beast Spirit before it returned to his hand.

"Category 4 of Diamonds: Rapid Pecker," Pluto read the card. "Not bad." He then walked over to Shadow who was carrying Karmen, bridal style, after taking her off the large leaf he had made. "Thanks, Desmond." Shadow placed Karmen into Pluto's arms.

"I didn't help because I wanted to, Takada," She retorted. "I only assisted you because I was bored and needed the entertainment."

"Thanks anyway."

"Whatever," Shadow drew a card and slashed it through.

"SMOG!"

When the smog cloud vanished, Shadow had disappeared…again. Takada's armor had also disappeared as he carried Karmen back into Café La Salle. Of course, now HE was the one with questions…

How did she do that?

Desmond returned to his apartment where the three Club Royals, in human form, were waiting for him in the living room

"Welcome home, sir," Walter greeted.

"Thank you, Walter," Desmond nodded.

"How was your day, Desmond?" Shima asked as he was reading the newspaper while he sat in one of the arm chairs while Daichi slept on the couch, his entire length occupying it. Hikaru was doing her homework. She may be a Beast Spirit in disguise but even she needed the education to keep up to date plus school was fun for her since she had nothing to do the past 10,000 years, being sealed in a slab of rock.

Daichi was an incredibly muscular person. He had a shaved head and large muscular arms and chest. He was dressed in a tight black shirt and jacket with matching slacks. He looked like the type of guy to work as a bouncer.

Desmond answered with a yawn and said, "Troublesome…simply troublesome."

Episode 31: Seduction

It was Tuesday morning and the students of Murakami Hugh were starting to enter the school grounds. However, today was going to be a bit different.

An attractive Asian woman with long black hair and dressed in a black suit and a knee length skirt walked through the front gate and immediately caught the attention of the male population of the school, teachers and students included. She wore a pair of stylish sunglasses over her eyes and a pair of branded high heels on her feet. Around her neck was a necklace with a snake-shaped pendant.

She entered the front door and walked through the hallway. As she moved, her hips swayed in a seductive manner, causing male students to forget what they were doing and bump into each other. The janitor also slipped on a puddle since he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing.

The woman walked up the stairs to her destination. She was headed towards the principal's office. She went to the secretary's desk and spoke, "I've come to speak with Principal Murakami."

"Oh, what for?" the secretary asked.

"Tell him that his new Art teacher has just arrived."

Kat and Leo rode through the gate and parked their bikes before dismounting from their vehicles. They then removed their helmets before walking into the building.

As soon as the twins had entered, they noticed something completely off with the students, especially the male ones. They were in a daze and smiling like idiots.

"Okay, did someone slip drugs into the school drinking fountain again?" was Kat's question. "Because this just seems plain creepy."

They then heard two students talking, "Hey, you heard about the new art teacher?"

"Yeah, I just saw her," the other replied. "And she was fine!"

"Yeah, she was hot, wasn't she?"

The twins blinked and looked at each other in curiosity.

"A new art teacher?" Leo questioned. "But it's almost the end of the school year."

"Yes, this is a bit strange," Kat said while rubbing her chin. "Hey, we have Art after lunch, right?"

"Hai, we do," Leo nodded. Craig then walked over to Kat and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Kat," Craig said with a wide smile.

"Ohayo, Craig-kun," Kat smiled back with a blush added to her features.

"Ohayo, Craig-san," Leo added. "It was lucky that Barkin-sensei did not catch you. He frowns upon public displays of affection in the school."

"Then count me as lucky and-" he then just froze.

"Craig?" Kat waved her hand in front of his face. "Craig? You okay?"

Leo then followed the direction of Craig's gaze and pointed out, "Ano, onee-chan, I believe that is the reason why Craig is like a statue right now." And not only Craig, but the whole male student population (at least the ones in the hallway), minus Leo, had froze. Kat then saw the woman who had entered earlier and her eyes narrowed dangerously. The males drooled as the woman walked by.

"That could be the new art teacher that we heard about," Leo spoke. "She is attractive."

"At least you haven't gone gaga like the rest of these hormone driven idiots," Kat said with annoyance. She then reached behind Craig's head and pointed a finger down his collar before spraying a bit of frost down his shirt.

"GAH!" Craig yelped. "That was cold, Kat!"

"Had to cool you off somehow, Craig," was Kat's reply. Her eyes followed after the woman. She immediately disliked this woman at first glance. The woman then came towards them.

"You must be Leo Narukawa and Kat Hasuma," the woman said.

"You know us?" Leo asked.

"Hai, the principal told me all about the two of you," the woman replied with a smile before removing her glasses to reveal a pair of brown eyes. "I'm the new Art teacher, Ms. Azumi Midori."

Kat then took a side glance at Craig who had turned into a zombie and groaned.

"Ohayo, Midori-sensei," Leo said as he bowed. "It is good to meet you."

Kat bowed to, though her face displayed a frown. "Me too," she said.

"Well, I hope to see you too in my class soon. See you two later," Ms. Midori said before she walked away.

Kat slapped the back of Craig's head. "Ow! Hey!"

"Jerk!" Kat stomped away.

"What's wrong with her?" Craig asked Leo.

"Ask yourself the same question," Leo said before walking to class.

"Hey! Wait!"

(Lunch Break)

Leo and Kat opened their bento lunch boxes. Leo had prepared some rice, prawn tempura, some fresh vegetables and slices of roasted beef.

"Itadakimasu," the twins said in unison before digging into their lunch. Joining them were Stephanie, Melissa, Tara, Craig and Hikaru.

"Itadakimasu," Hikaru said before digging into her own lunch. It was some rice with fried chicken slices, fresh tomatoes and sliced sausages.

"So, you all know about the new Art teacher, right?" Stephanie began to gossip.

"Yeah, she looks like a tramp," Melissa said.

"I agree," Kat added.

"Onee-chan! That's is not a nice thing to say," Leo scolded.

"She seems pretty nice," Craig said and then Kat kicked him in the shin. "Ow! Kat!"

"Boys and their hormones," Tara said under her breath and everyone, except for Craig and Leo, laughed.

"You know, it's a bit strange that they're hiring a new teacher so close to the end of the school year," Hikaru said.

"Almost as strange as a certain new transfer student I know," Kat added under her breath. Hikaru didn't seem to notice.

"Well, we have class with her later, so let's us base our opinions on how she teaches, okay?" Leo suggested.

"Well, if we're gossiping now," Stephanie said. "Did you hear about those armored guys? Yesterday, they kicked the Titans' butts!"

Kat grinned but was then nudged by her brother and received a glare from Tara.

"You think they're bad guys now?" Melissa asked.

"Well, they were fighting the Titans," Stephanie said.

"Maybe it was just a misunderstanding," Kat defended.

"Hai, that could've been it," Leo added.

"Or maybe one of them lost her temper," Craig spoke snidely, earning a glare from Kat.

"Sounds about right," Tara added in agreement. "The girl with the bow seems to have trouble controlling her anger."

"She does not!" Kat yelled angrily while slamming her palm on the table, causing everyone in the cafeteria to stare at her. "I mean…"

"What my onee-chan is trying to say is that tempers often run high among superheroes." He gave her a meaningful look before continuing, "And the Titans often feel threatened with the competition while the Knights are trying to help."

"Arigato."

"You're welcome."

"Well, all I can say is that silver and blue guy with the sword is cute!" Melissa swooned, causing Leo to choke on his food.

"Melissa, you can't even see his face," Tara said while giving Leo a glance.

"So? A girl can dream, can't she? Oh, I'd be envied if I could take him to the prom!"

Leo took a swig of water from the carton of juice he had next to him. He beat his chest a bit as Kat chuckled.

"Hey, if I was planning on taking anyone to the prom," Craig began before giving Kat a loving look, "I'd take the girl with the bow. I like black and red personally." Kat blushed.

"So, T, you taking green-bean to the prom?" Melissa teased Tara who blushed.

"I'll ask him soon, kay, guys?" was Tara's answer as her cheeks developed a crimson tint.

All this talk about the prom made Leo frown a bit. Could he ask Jinx? They were really close and he did like her but would she want to? He would have to ask her first, after he worked up the nerve to tell her how he felt.

How did he feel about the pink haired sorceress?

(Art Class)

The students all sat in front of their canvasses with their art supplies ready. The boys seemed a bit too eager since the new teacher was coming in soon. They had goofy grins plastered on their faces. Leo was only interested in the lesson so he was not like them but Kat held a scowl as she saw Craig being amongst the extremely eager male students.

Ms. Midori walked in. A boy wolf whistled and she smiled, feeling flattered. She stood behind her desk and opened the attendance book, calling names.

Something in the back of Kat's mind was telling her that something was off about this woman. Was it her Beast Spirit sense? She would have to check it out later.

(Café La Salle)

Takada stood behind the cash register/bar as he watched Karmen waiting tables with Sheila and Tom. He sighed as he watched her take orders and then going into the kitchen to give them to Sven and Steve.

After yesterday, Karmen was all Takada could think about. He cared about her deeply, ever since he found her, but now he couldn't keep her out of his mind. That was the reason why he decided to take up a job in Café La Salle. His part-time jobs would be taking him away from Karmen and this way he could keep an eye on her.

Business had improved a bit with the addition of Karmen. She was pretty attractive, which irked Takada a bit, but it was for the good of the restaurant so he would have to bear with it. Though they couldn't compete with the number of customers that the Turtle Hut had, this was actually better than yesterday.

Kat had told him about the plan she had intended involving the Titans and again he thought of yesterday. Kat and Leo had explained to the Titans of Karmen's condition and in turn had told Takada everything they had been told. They made a promise not to tell Karmen this because it could be too shocking for her. The Titans were okay with it…for now at least.

Karmen was an alien, which would explain the glowing eyes and energy blasts she had used. However, after she had regained consciousness, she did not remember anything aside from the Beast Spirits attacking them.

Takada studied the card and then two of the others in his possession. He couldn't wait to use them in a combo attack in the future.

Jinx had returned to the Tower later the previous night and she laughed when she found about the other Titans getting their asses handed back to them by Draco, Pluto and Mimic. She had been filled in on what had actually happened and then said:

"Well, that's what you get for jumping to conclusions. You should've gotten the facts first before leaping in! I mean, you were raised by Batman for God's sake!"

Robin fumed and scowled at her. He did agree with her but he would not give her the satisfaction of knowing that.

The Titans had explained to the reporters that the Knights and Titans just had a bit of a misunderstanding. When they were asked to elaborate, it was 'no comment' from the Titans. Though, Starfire was asked to pose for a few photos.

Thinking about the Knights made her think of one of them. She was thinking about the Knight of Seiryu (sigh).

Leo was, well, different from other boys. She did like her and he liked her too. He was smart, brave, honorable, caring, philosophical…and a tad bit shy which made him so adorable.

When she heard about the criminals they had frozen with the Brotherhood of Evil, she feared for him. What if her ex-teammates tried to get to her through him? She knew Leo could take care of himself but she couldn't help but feel a little worried about him. He had nothing to do with all this, really. He wasn't there went the Titans defeated the Brotherhood of Evil.

But he could very well become a target for being an honorary Titan. Sometimes being a hero stank.

Ms. Midori had asked the students to paint a picture of their favorite animals and was amazed by the students' works. What caught her attention were Leo and Kat's works.

Leo had painted a blue dragon while Kat had painted a red firebird.

The students filed out of the room as soon as the bell rung.

"Nice picture," Melissa complimented Leo. "All I painted was a little puppy."

"Tara-san drew a puppy too," Leo clarified.

"Yeah, but it was green!"

Kat gave Tara a look and sly grin in which Tara returned with a look that said, 'don't say a word'.

"That was a nice picture you painted, Kat," Craig complimented.

"Oh, really?" Kat retorted. "I didn't think you would've noticed since you were ogling at Ms. Midori!"

"I wasn't ogling!" Craig yelled.

"Your eyes were on her like a hawk!" Kat shouted back before stomping away.

"What did I do!?" Craig yelled out with his arms thrown up.

"You better leave her alone for a while," Leo advised. "Onee-chan just needs time to cool down."

"Then I should go after her?"

"That's your choice to make, Craig-san," Leo said. "Just hope you don't end up burnt to a crisp." Craig gulped.

Suddenly, Leo's phone began to ring. He stared at the screen. Tara understood what it meant.

"Right now, I really need to go!" Leo said as he ran.

"Where is he going?" Stephanie asked.

"He must have an emergency," Tara defended. 'I better get Kat. He might need her help.'

Takada's phone began beeping as well and he pulled off his apron before telling Tom, "Can you cover for me? There's something I need to take care of. Thanks." Before Tom could reply, Takada had run out the door.

"What was that all about?" Tom asked.

"It's something important," Karmen assured him. "Trust me." Karmen had listened to Takada's explanation last night after the Beast Spirits had attacked them. It was his responsibility to make sure these monsters did not hurt anybody.

The alarm at Titans Tower blared and the monitor came to life as soon as the Titans entered the common room. What they saw on the screen was a large monster coated in rock-like armor.

This was not Cinderblock though. It looked like a humanoid tortoise made of rock. From the ornate belt around its waist, they knew it was one of the Beast Spirits the Knights were trying to hunt down and seal.

The Tortoise Beast Spirit was causing havoc by throwing cars around and attacking people. People were panicking as they ran in fear of the monster.

Robin then said, "Titans, let's move!"

Kat, meanwhile, was in the girls' bathroom, crying. Why did she feel this way? Was she jealous that Craig was interested in another woman, physically?

She wiped away her tears. She had heard her cell phone beeping but had shut it off. She didn't have time to deal with that right now. Also, there was something about Ms. Midori that she didn't like and Craig could be in danger. Why?

It was the same feeling she got when some of the Royal Class Beast Spirits were around.

The Tortoise Beast Spirit growled angrily as the bullets bounced off its rocky body. The police were trying to subdue it but with little effect. They needed backup and fast. The creature continued to advance towards them but was then met in the face by a blast of green energy.

"Titans! Go!" Robin ordered as they went on the attack. Cyborg threw a fist that sent the Beast Spirit flying back and crashing back down to the ground.

"Booyah!" He cheered before he flicked his wrist in pain. "Ow…that's hard."

The Tortoise Beast Spirit began to stand up and then slowly walked towards the Titans like it had been hit by nothing. Starfire blasted it with her starbolts and eybeams but they caused little damage on the creature's thick armor. Beast Boy then tried ramming into it as a rhino but was then knocked away.

Jinx tried her luck (pun not intended) and with her hexing caused the ground under the Beast Spirit to cave in but then it easily climbed out of the hole it was in. She tried to directly blast it with her hexes but for some reason the hexes just bounced off.

Raven chanted, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" A nearby lamppost was engulfed with her dark energy and pulled out of the concrete sidewalk before she used it to tie around the Beast Spirit. It struggled for a bit but then broke it apart, freeing itself.

"Robin, its armor is too thick to penetrate," was the Tamaranian's keen observation. "And it appears to be quite strong."

"It has to have a weakness somewhere," Robin said as he threw his freeze discs. They made contact and the Beast Spirit was frozen in ice.

"Well that seems a bit too easy," Beast Boy said.

"Don't jinx it, Beast Boy," Jinx said. "That's my job."

"Well, let's just take this monster some place to be locked up," Robin said.

"Robin, should we not call the Knights to seal it?" Starfire asked.

"Star's right. It is their job, Robin," Cyborg added.

"Hey, we handled it," Robin said confidently. "We don't need them."

Isaka had been watching and sneered. He saw the frozen Beast Spirit and said, "The Serpent should not have sent this lesser Beast Spirit to attack the city. It is strong, I do admit, but quite slow. Well, looks like it's my turn to help, again." He then aimed and fired several fireballs.

"Watch out!" Robin shouted at the Titans to take cover as the fireballs exploded all around them. The frozen Tortoise Beast Spirit was also struck and the ice covering it had exploded.

"Well, my work here is done," Isaka said before disappearing.

The Tortoise Beast Spirit shook its head and turned to look at the Titans. Saying it was pissed for being frozen was an understatement as its body heat appeared to have increased.

It still moved slowly but…

"STAR!" Robin shouted, horrified. She was unable to find cover in time and was caught in the blast of fireballs. Se had burns on her skin and was bleeding from her head. Jinx had also been knocked into a car and was unconscious and a bruise was starting to develop on her neck. Raven was starting to heal her.

The Beast Spirit made its way towards them. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon but it was deflected by the Beast Spirit's thick armor. Beast Boy attacked it as a bear but only hurt his claws before he was knocked away. It was targeting Robin for freezing him.

Robin looked up in fear as he cradled Starfire protectively, covering her body with his own…was this the end of Robin the Boy Wonder.

"Henshin!"

Not likely.

"CHANGE BYAKKO!"

"CHANGE SEIRYU!"

Twin energy fields shot out and pushed the Beast Spirit back before a pair of motorcyclist rode through them and rammed into the Beast Spirit, making it spin. The bikes then turned and stopped.

Advent Knight Draco and Advent Knight Pluto had arrived.

Draco saw Jinx and he frowned. This monster would pay for hurting her. He drew his sword and charged at it while Pluto drew his gun.

"You okay?" Pluto asked the Titans.

"Starfire's hurt," Robin said. If he had only listened…

"You did good for trying to help. Just, let us handle it now, okay?" Pluto said.

Robin wiped his tears away while he carried Starfire to safety. Cyborg was carrying Beast Boy while Raven levitated Jinx to safety.

Draco was thinking, 'Keep her safe,' and Raven must've heard him when she smiled.

The Beast Spirit stared at the two Knights who then came and charged at it. Pluto shot at it but his bullets were just as ineffective as the police's. Draco swung his sword as he attempted to wound it but the armor it had for skin was too strong and thick. He was knocked back by a punch and sent flying back. Pluto then holstered his gun and decided to take the direct approach and began punching the thing. His fists were in pain but he didn't relent. He kept punching but the Tortoise Beast Spirit swung its fist and uppercut Pluto in the chin, sending him falling. It then raised its foot to stomp on him but Draco grabbed it by the waist and dragged it away. It slammed its fists on the Dragon Knight's back but he stubbornly held on. He would not let go.

Jinx began to stir and her eyes widened when she saw Pluto and Draco fighting the Tortoise Beast Spirit. She groaned. "We…have to help."

"They can handle it," Cyborg assured her. Raven was busy healing Starfire. The process was draining for her but at least Starfire's wounds would be healed.

"KICK! THUNDER! LIGHTNING BLAST!" Draco performed a flying kick but it had no effect on the Tortoise Beast Spirit. It did absolutely no damage before he was thrown back.

Pluto drew his gun and then took out three cards. They were Rapid Pecker, Firefly and Bullet Armadillo.

"Time to try out my new combo," he said to himself. This was their only shot. He then slashed the cards through the Byakko Revolver.

"BULLET! RAPID! FIRE!" Enlarged images of the cards appeared above him before they were absorbed into hid body and weapon. Flames danced around him before he took aim. His eyes glowed and the wrecked cars were raised up and he sent them flying into the Beast Spirit. It smashed them away and then turned to see Pluto aiming at it. It stalked towards him but then Pluto stomped on the ground and a pillar of rock sent it flying in the air…where it was totally vulnerable. He slashed one last card through for good measure. It was Scope Bat. "SCOPE!"

"BURNING SHOT!" the Byakko Revolver announced as Pluto pulled the trigger and fired a series of fireballs at the Tortoise Beast Spirit. The flaming shots exploded on the Beast Spirit's body and Pluto continued to fire at it even after it hit the ground, causing a tremor. He blasted at it with all it was worth and then he just stopped and looked.

The Beast Spirit still stood with its armor smoking. It had survived…and then it just fell backwards and crashed upon the street, defeated.

Pluto, satisfied with his victory, drew out a Blank Seal card and walked over to the Beast Spirit before he dropped the card on his defeated opponent. Like being sucked by a vacuum, the Beast Spirit was absorbed into the card and the card then flew back into Pluto's hand. He read the card, now bearing the image of a tortoise made of stone.

"Category 7 of Diamonds," he read, "Rock Tortoise." He then looked to see Draco helping Jinx back to her feet. He smiled under his helmet at the scene.

"Daijoubu desu ka, Jinx-san?" Draco asked.

"I'm fine, just a bit banged up but I'm fine now," Jinx answered. He stroked her face and despite his helmet covering his face like a mask, she knew he was smiling with relief.

"Hey, Draco!" Pluto called. "You better head back or else you'll be punished!"

"Hai, Pluto!" Draco called before he went to his bike and then riding away with Pluto.

In Murakami, the students had been watching the news and seen everything. They cheered, especially Tara.

Ms. Midori, however, frowned angrily and then walked away. Kat's eyes narrowed as she past the teacher by in the hall. She smiled when she saw her brother return.

"Nice job," she complimented.

"Arigato, onee-chan," he replied.

Karmen was glad for Pluto. Her smile widened when Takada walked through the doors and she hugged him.

"Glad to see you're okay," she said to him. Takada hugged her back and smiled.

Ms. Midori smiled at her latest handiwork. It was another statue for her collection. The latest subject's face was contorted in a look of absolute terror.

She looked around the art room. Her statues were placed all around to see. They looked like human males that were screaming in pain and fear. She smirked to herself.

She walked over to her desk and pulled out a newspaper clipping with a picture of the Knights on it. She sneered and then said, "Soon, you will be part of my new collection." There was a knock at her door and she said, "Come in."

Craig opened the door and asked, "Ms. Midori? You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Craig," Ms. Midori said flirtatiously. "You see, I was thinking of sketching you since I first saw you today."

Craig blushed and grinned, "R-Really?"

"Yes, Craig," she said. "Now, sit down."

Craig sat on a bench and Ms. Midori smiled as she walked over to him and traced his face. He began to feel a little uncomfortable.

"You're such a handsome boy," she said.

"Um, Ms. Midori?"

"Hush." She placed a finger to his lips.

She then took a step back and gave him a smirk before his whole world turned white before his eyes.

A/N: Okay, you have to be a total idiot not to know who Ms. Azumi Midori really is.

New card sealed:

7 of Diamonds: Rock Tortoise

New combo:

Burning Shot

Cards used: Rapid Pecker, Firefly and Bullet Armadillo.

Used by; Advent Knight Pluto.

Preview of next chap: Students have been disappearing as more statues turn up. Kat and Leo decide to confront Ms. Midori and find out her true identity. They also get some unexpected help from a Category Queen!