Author's Note: As I promised in the previous chapter, this one is centered around Shaggy Eclipse and it's one where I spent a lot of time on while dealing with work and just taking it ease. Just a little heads up, this chapter doesn't feature a duel at all, but there's a pretty good reason for that in terms of the story. That said, enjoy the read!

Chapter 3:

Welcome to Duel Island

"Shaggy... Oh Shaggy..." A soft soothing voice called out, "It's almost time!"

I turned to the side, "No... not yet... It's too early!"

The voice sighed then quickly giggled, "Guess some things never change no matter how much time passes... Isn't that right, my sweet hero?"

"H-Hero..." My eyes opened to a very blurry view. Everything was so transparent I nearly lost my train of thought for a moment until I shouted, "MOM!"

Not much time passed before I realized that I was still on the couch of the guest room that was resided for Jake, Rory, Lucian and I as we were on our way to Duel Island.

"Everything okay, bro?" Jake asked.

I scratched the back of my head, "I was just...Thinking about my mother."

"Pretty sure she would've been really-" Rory quickly moved her hand away before it rested on top of mine as the sound of the ship's engine roared twice, "What the-"

The intercom went off, "Attention all new recruits, At this time the ship has docked at the pier side of Duel Island. Be kind to slowly make your way to the lobby on the fourth floor, and enjoy your stay."

I hopped out off the couch and slipped on my denim jacket over my white shirt, and caught a glance of dazzled look from my best friend, "I know what you're thinking and it's nothing to be that concerned with."

"You sure?" Jake answered quietly.

I nodded, "Without a doubt!"

Rory tapped the side of my shoulder, "Well let's not waste anymore time waiting around here."

"I'm with her on this one." Lucian pointed over to his childhood friend.

"Yeah..." I calmly answered and picked up my black backpack that rested next to me, "No better time like the present for a new beginning."

There was a huge line in the main lobby as other recruits were waiting to disembark from the ship before our turn came up. Good news was that each of us ate a full meal beforehand in case a situation like this came about, but luckily the only thing we had to do was lend our key cards over to the security guard which only last for forty-five minutes, and set foot upon the wooden bridge where a guy with dark blue bedhead hair in a gray shirt and denim jeans stood amongst a huge crowd.

"I wonder who this guy is?" Lucian asked curiously.

Jake said, "He looks like a student."

"Maybe he could just be a really popular guy." Rory answered with golden eyes, "What do you think, Shaggy?"

I said, "Could be our escort."

It was only a matter of seconds when he said, "Welcome to Duel Island newbies, My name is Chad Hart, If you would please be kind and follow me to Academy's Auditorium for the orientation."

Rory blinked, "Wow you nailed it right on the head."

"It was honestly just a lucky guess." I answered generously.

"Maybe we should get a move on." Jake pointed out to the crowd of other recruits that followed instantaneously as my best friend sprung a couple steps ahead after a girl with pink hair bumped into him, "Watch where you're going!"

The pink haired girl clapped her hands together, "I'm so sorry!" and tailed on ahead of us!

"What was that about?" a confused Lucian said.

My eyes dimmed towards my best friend, "Jake you didn't happen to threaten anyone over the past few days when we were still aboard the ship, right?"

"Hey now! I know I come across as weird to most, but scaring is definitely not one of those." He retorted in annoyance, "I mean you know me better than anyone."

"Just making sure." I said while scratching the back of my head.

Lucian looked over, "Maybe we should catch up!" with the group way ahead and the pink haired girl barely behind.

I nodded, "We should!"

The four of us raced ahead to the crowd who followed the blue haired guy that guided him to the orientation sight which was The Academy. I couldn't believe the actual architecture of the place once it came into view. It was shaped like a ring that had four pillar-like walls that connected, in the shape of an X, to a small dome in the center. That wasn't exactly the site of where the orientation was being held. It was at the upper left end of The Academy that held an auditorium with a giant screen. Many people had gathered within this one specific spot. All that could've been left for each of us was to secure a spot before it was taken, and the very top row in the center was nearly empty of four seats. Jake took the first seat while I sat next to him, and quickly Rory sat next to me while Lucian sat next to her. Each new recruit that made it passed the Entrance Exam waited patiently until a fit man with long jet black hair and silver eyes took center stage.

The Man adjusted the crease of his dark gray suit after fixing the microphone by the stand, "Good afternoon all new students,My Name is Director Roman and I'll keep this as brief and promise not to bore you." he examined all the new students at the auditorium, "I've led this institution since it's inception thirty years ago.." chatter suddenly whispered throughout the auditorium until he coughed silently to regain our attention, "I know many have told me my age and appearance don't match, but that' neither here nor there. To tell you the truth there have been so many students who have come and gone over the years, and I understand this isn't anything new you've heard up until now but... Make use of every opportunity that you can from this point on..."

Whispers echoed throughout the vicinity, "What does he mean by that?"

"You are not just an ordinary duelist seeking for fun anymore. You are all simply duelists in the making, and I have faith each and every one of you will strive for greatness." The Director calmly stated, "But before I go I'd like for you all to check underneath your seat for a moment."

I quickly peaked underneath the seat to find a tiny gift box, "Huh?" in it was a paper with two words, Location: Mid Courtyard Number: 77

The others checked mimicked similar reactions as I had about these until our attention was redirected back The Director's double clap, "Each of you has been given a location and a number to locate your own assigned personal guide for the day.!' and walked away just moments before the curtains closed, "Also... Welcome to Duel Island!" and the lights lit up throughout the auditorium as a digital map of the institute appeared on the screen.

"That wasn't exactly the welcoming speech I was expecting, but okay..." Lucian raised an eyebrow.

Rory scratched her cheek, "It almost felt like he wasn't in the right mood."

Jake shrugged his shoulders, "that or he just didn't care." and directed to the paper in his hand, "I mean to assign us personal guides for the day instead of going over the details like talk about being lazy."

"I don't really believe that's what The Director was going for, you guys." My eyes remained glued to the paper in my hand, "I mean this little note feels like it was staged."

"One way to find out." Rory jumped out of her seat, "We locate where our personal guides are waiting."

Lucian asked, "Is it all in the same location though?" before he flipped his paper over, "Mine says Entrance Doors with the number seventy."

Jake shaked his head, "No..." and revealed his, "Mine is located at The Library with the number ninety-one."

Rory followed the same pattern, "Mine says Mid Courtyard with the number seventy-six!"

"No kidding..." My eyes grew in shock just before my hand flipped the paper over, "You and I are heading in the same direction Rory except mine says number seventy-seven!"

"Oh..." She answered softly and while her eyes drifted away as her cheeks glowed red, "What a coincidence..." for a brief moment.

Jake complained, "Man this sucks, how come we're the only ones going alone..Oww!" he complained and looked to the side, "Hey I didn't ask for your opinion!"

Lucian chuckled silently, "He's at it again, huh..."

"Seems like it!" Rory echoed his remark.

"Guys!" He continued for a moment until his attention went towards me, "What's up bro?"

I looked over at the digital screen that showcased the map of the building, "Those are spots indicating where each of us need to head to." before my eyes scoured across the room, "I mean don't you see people are already beginning to make their leave..."

"Now that you mention it, you're right!" Jake calmly stated before he whispered, "Yes I know that!"

Rory suggested, "I think we should start leaving out too!"

"When we're all done we should meet back up by the courtyard!" Lucian suggested seconds before we all agreed in unison and left to our respective destinations.

I analyzed the map on the digital screen one final time just before leaving with Rory to the outdoor courtyard. Jake and Lucian wasted no time in leaving as quickly as possible to find their respective guides for the day. That just left Rory and I alone together with various individuals that were making their way in or out of the building.

"So... Shaggy..." Rory set her hands behind her back while she directed towards me, "Are you by chance nervous about who our personal guides will be for today?"

"Not really just kind of going with the flow." I answered calmly just before my eyes glowed, "I bet they might be some awesome big shot duelist."

She laughed softly at my remark, "You mean someone other than yourself..."

"What!" I blanked momentarily towards her, "Come one we've already discussed this Rory, I just got incredibly lucky that's all."

Roy gestured her hand to the side, "You're just being too modest with yourself because..." she got off her statement from the doors to the left, "Hey I think this is the place."

I pointed over ahead beyond the doors, "You're right there are two people waiting out there with each of our numbers." and pressed the button on the side as they opened simultaneously.

"Seems like we're not gonna be touring around the island together." Rory walked forward with her head down quietly.

I tapped her shoulder, "Don't worry, we all promised to meet back up at the front.."

At one instance she smiled back, "you're right we..." her sentence was cut off by the sight of a tinted orange haired girl with purple eyes who pierced directly at her.

"Rory, are you alright?" I asked curiously as her eyes drifted away.

She gulped for a moment, "I'll be fine..." and looked towards the spiky blue haired boy with the number seventy-six over a few distances away, "Meet you back over here with the others afterwards..."

"Sounds like a plan!" I answered happily when she began to converse with her personal guide, "Wonder what that was all about..."

The orange haired girl walked over, "Of all the recruits, I never expected you'd be the one that I'd be guiding today."

"Sorry, am I supposed to know you?" I asked in confusion as sweat fell from the side of my face, " I don't think we've ever met before."

She flicked her hair back and loosened the creases of the purple jacket over her pink t-shirt, "Afraid not, but you made quite an impression on my father a few days ago."

I blinked, "Father?" until the last word clicked into my mind from the entrance exam, "Wait a second... Professor Nora! You're his daughter."

"Please don't refer to me as his daughter. I've got a name ya know." She rolled her eyes at me in annoyance, "The name's Rachel."

"Oh it's nice to meet you Rachel." I extended my arm forward, "My name is Shaggy Eclipse!"

"Again, I already know that after seeing your match in person, and hearing it..." Rachel's attention pierced towards Rory who walked ahead with her personal guide, "From her of all people!"

Moments before Rory disappeared from view she glanced back at me with a frown, "I take it you and Rory know one another, huh?"

Rachel walked a couple steps ahead of me, "Let's just get this over with newbie..." gripping onto the side of her jeans, "The sooner the better for me."

"If you say so..." I followed her lead slowly toward the doors of The Academy as she pressed the button to open them, "So what's the first spot?"

"The closest one from our position would have to be." She continued in a dull voice as we walked towards the left side of the hallway by a set of double doors, "The south east entrance!"

I would've questioned the direction she had led me toward, but figured it'd be better to just take things smoothly with this guide around the island. The path we headed for was rather straightforward which took me by surprise given the forest setting. Ten minutes was all it really took as we passed by a hot spring that held a mini waterfall connected to a beach on the lower level. The scenery felt very soothing and relaxing to be a part of given the environment with various students who had enjoyed themselves in the sun. However that was only just scratching the surface of the scenery. On my left there stood a purple luxury villa that possessed a row of staircases that connected the lower level and top level that showed multiple arenas where duels were taking place. The design of the building alone made it look as if the students that lived here were college students. A giant Statue of a magenta cloaked magician with a giant purple staff directed towards the sky sood in the center of the building's entrance.

"What is this place?" I asked.

A voice called out, "This is the Warlock Dorm!" as a man, with spiky blond hair and green eyes walked right over to us.

He dusted off the purple coat that was over his green shirt, "I remember you!" as the entrance exam flashed through my mind, "You're the proctor who tested my best friend during the field test, but what are you doing out here?"

"Please tell me you're just playing dumb." Rachel sighed in annoyance, "That's Professor Reign he's the chaperone of The Warlock Dorm."

Professor Reign laughed hysterically, "There's no need to be harsh on the fella dear Rachel since it is only the first day besides..." He tapped the side of my shoulder, "That performance you made during your field test was truly spectacular!" and extended his hands out to the students around the area, "In fact you were all everyone's been talking about over the last few days."

"Oh.." I answered awkwardly as sweat fell from the side of my face, "I feel flattered." with a silent laugh to myself.

Rachel quickly grabbed the side of my collar harshly, "On to the next destination."

I blinked, "Didn't we just get here though?"

Professor Reign raised his hand cheerfully, "It was good to meet you Shaggy, and give that Sunday boy my regards when you see him."

"Will do!" I answered with my fist in the air.

"Are you always this cheerful?" Rachel paused and let go of my collar.

My eyes glowed, "Well the truth is I just get excited when it comes to anything related to Duel Monsters." with my focus towards her, "I mean don't you think it's just fun!"

"Fun..." Rachel answered quietly for a brief instance, and quickly walked ahead, "Don't make me laugh."

"I'm sorry?" I answered in confusion, "Was it something I said?"

She gestured her hand ahead, "Let's just get to the next destination."

"If you say so." I answered curiously towards the side eye she gave me momentarily.

The path I followed her towards was to the right of the small body of water that led to the mini waterfall. Three huge piles of rock were aligned in a straight path like a bridge that Rachel hopped over easily without ease, and I had done just the same before we made our way to the southwest area were a blue three layer flat house near the shoreline stood. A few duels between other students were taking place in the field, and some near the beach area. A lot of them had been relaxing on the beach side, and some within each of the three layers of the flat house. A massive statue of a golden eyed blue sea serpent with red fins and a green emerald in the center of its head circle around the side of the flat house as it roars.

"Wow, the architecture looks outstanding.." I answered in total shock.

Rachel sighed in disbelief, "It's The Daedalus Dorm, but I wouldn't really write a lot of great things about it."

"Don't know about you, but it seems like everyone here is having a great time!" I pointed over to all the other students within the vicinity.

"It's..." She quickly hid her away towards the other way, "None of your business." then walked on up the path of metallic staircases a few miles away, "Now let's get going... We're wasting time..."

I wanted to say something back to Rachel as she walked on ahead, but instead it just left me to wonder... What's her deal? Before she turned back at me with a simple hand gesture pointed up, "I'm coming..."

It didn't take long to have caught up with where Rachel had led me to the next destination in sight. The trail only lasted about eight minutes for the two of us to have come across an acorn deck house with four layers built entirely of metal. A medium life size statue of the Duel Monster Ancient Gear was placed right in front of the main entrance before the building that only held two floors worth of rooms, and another identical building with the same layout just across from I stood. There were many new recruits like myself with their fellow guides here compared to the previous two spots Rachel had guided me so far in the day.

"So which dorm is this?" I asked curiously.

A voice called out from the distance, "Why that is the Ancient Gear Dorm!" That brought both of our attention to a stunning maroon haired woman who wore a black silky jacket over her red tank top and black jeans, "Easily the best enthusiastic dorm ever, right?" with her eyes glistened towards me.

" I guess I can see it." I answered quietly as sweat fell off from the side of my cheek.

Rachel bumped her fist onto my shoulder, "Don't entertain the idea with her.. This place isn't even that impressive. Mrs. Ellis just likes to hype things that don't mean much in the grand scheme of things."

The instructor scowled at Rachel, "Hey this dorm is your home, ya spoiled kid!"

"Ugghh..." She grabbed me by the arm, forcing us both to walk on ahead towards a lighthouse, "Come on Shaggy, I don't wanna waste another minute here!"

"HOLD UP, YOU'RE THAT KID! FROM THE EXAM AGAINST ROWAN?" Mrs. Elis answered in total shock with her hands closer to her mouth, "THAT WAS SOME INCREDIBLE DUEL!"

I scratched the back of my head softly, "You're far too kind..." until the grip from Rachel's hand against my wrist felt tougher, "Ow... you could be a bit more gentle, ya know."

Rachel slowly loosens the grip from her hand on my wrist, "Oh, I'm sorry I just... I just wanted to get away from there."

"Is everything okay?" I asked curiously with her face still facing away, "You felt like you were in a big rush back there..."

"It's none of your concern..." Rachel continued as she softly latched onto my wrist again, "But.. I still gotta finish giving you this personal tour so I'll try and make it easy for these last couple stops!"

I cracked a brief smile, "I appreciate that, thanks!"

"D.. Don't mention it." She answered quietly.

The distance between where I had originally been with Rachel at the Gearhead Dorm compared to where we were at somewhat shocked me. It was like a matter of seconds passed beyond the lighthouse where a two story log cabin stood close to the edge of a cliff where a small stream of water fell from the side into the ocean. In fact there were dozens of these log cabins that circled around the cliffside as if it was like a mini village. Words couldn't describe what I had felt when I saw a mini statue of a furball centered on the roof of each of the cabins that surrounded the widened area.

"I know what you're going to say, but let me go ahead and talk about it." Rachel said calmly with a slight scowl towards me, "Before you get too excited again!"

All I did was nod my head, "Floor's all yours."

She reached her hand out to the log cabins that stood ahead of us, "This is the Kuriboh Dorm, and quite frankly not the most appealing place you wanna spend here as your first experience of living on the island."

"Oh, why is that?" I asked curiously.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know... it's for the best." Rachel answered quietly with a soft deep breath.

A gentle soothing voice suddenly said, "Ah, but Rachel I think it's best to answer any question a new student would like to know."

My attention quickly shifted to a dark brown caesar styled hair man, with dark brown eyes and a goatee, wearing a gray buttoned down shirt and a pair of slacks with black dress shoes. He was holding a fishing pole whose hook dangled at the edge of the waterfall, "Who is this guy supposed to be?"

"Hey show some respect will ya, that's Professor Shah!" Rachel yelled with a slight tap against my shoulder, "He's the Academy's most respected art teacher, and the single best thing about The Kuriboh Dorm!"

"Oh my apologies, sorry good Professor." I scratched the back of my head softly, "Didn't mean to offend you in any way."

He shaked his head calmly, "Don't be alarmed, it's only natural for new students to have that general impression at first glance." while his hands reeled in the hook that caught latched onto something below, "You know that already though right, Rachel?"

"Umm... Yes you're absolutely right about that Professor Shah." She spoke rather kindly, bowing her head before the professor, "Your words still hold some of that great wisdom."

"I'm happy that part of my teachings still continues to stick with you.." Professor Shah quickly brought the reel from the bottom all the way back up as quickly as possible, "But please... do share more about yourself, young man."

Rachel nudged my shoulder quickly, "Oh yeah, my name is Shaggy Eclipse sir, it's a pleasure to meet you. I came all the way from Texas and partook in the entrance exams, but I got a sense that you probably know that already.." before I also bowed before him momentarily.

"Ah yes, you are the fresh tester that everyone has been clamoring about." He stated so keenly which also made a vein burst from the side of Rachel's forehead again, "Can not say I am too surprised about that."

"Professor, just get to the point already." She rolled her eyes quickly towards my view.

He rested his fishing pole on his side to finally face the two of us, "Now then, has Rachel here explained how a new student is placed in each of the five dorms we have on the island?"

"Not exactly, She was kinda rushing through the whole process." I admitted.

Rachel flared up, "Hey, I said I was gonna make it easy for these last couple stops, didn't I?"

"That was after I brought it up once you quickly stormed away from the Daedalus dorm!" I pointed out.

She continued, "It was personal, and I didn't wanna get into it!"

"Rachel!" The Professor fake coughed to grab our attention back, "Take a deep breath for just a second."

"Right... I'm sorry Professor, and..." She spoke in a rather soft tone again until her gaze went back to my curious look, "I'm sorry for being so hasty Shaggy, would you like for me to explain this?"

I nodded, "Go ahead!"

Rachel took a deep breath and grabbed a piece of broken tree branch off to the side, "Okay so here's how it goes the way you are placed is all determined by..." The moment she went into explaining the placement of new students had me rather dazzled in the way her tone of voice was in the moment it just didn't sit quite right, "After receiving your total score by Director Roman will you know exactly where you will be starting off living on the island. You got it?"

Woah did I just blow off all of her explanations on living conditions?... Somehow I get an idea that this won't go too well with someone like her... And it's the first time I've met this girl too... Shoot... All that really came to my mind was a simple nod in disguise, "You bet I got it!"

"Okay then, and before you ask... Director Roman will say something when we make it back to the Academy which..." Rachel checks her watch and pulled a metallic card out from her side pocket momentarily, "Oh my god we're almost running out of time. Sorry to cut this short Professor Shah, but I need to finish the rest of this tour with him..."

Professor Shah shaked his head generously, "Remember my dear, be patient..."

"I'm aware!" Rachel latched onto my wrist once more before she walked on towards the northern area of the forest in front of us, "Let's go, you!"

"Alright." I answered casually and waved at the Professor, "It was nice to meet you Professor Shah!"

He waved back with the same polite gesture, "Likewise, I look forward to learning more about you, Shaggy Eclipse!" until he wasn't seen in view anymore.

"I'm so far that the charade is finally over with..." Rachel stated unenthusiastically while her grip on my wrist grew slightly tighter, "Don't know how much I could've kept up with that vibe with Professor Shah around..."

Those words left me with an eyebrow raised towards her, "Hold up, the entire time we were there, you were just pretending to be nice to the Professor?"

She shook her head instantaneously, "No that's not true at all, I've got an ounce of respect for Professor Shah because... he did help me out a lot when I first got here."

"I take it the Kuriboh Dorm is where you started off at." I answered casually as she continued to drag me on ahead.

"At one point yeah, but that's my own business." She directly looked me in the eye with a scowl, "It doesn't concern you one bit, newbie."

A drop of sweat fell from the side of my face just from the vibe this girl was giving off, "No worries, I'll make sure not to overstep my boundaries on curiosity."

"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page then!" Rachel continued in her enthusiastic tone as she looked ahead once more, "Especially since there's only one spot left before we go back to the Academy."

The idea of the last dorm to visit caused my eyes to beam, "Oh man, this is gonna be sweet!"

"Don't get too excited, we won't be able to enter it once we get there." Rachel advised.

I asked, "How come?"

"It would be better to show you why that's the case!" Rachel continued as we walked on ahead up.

One other thing came to attention, "By the way, what was that metal card you pulled out a moment ago?"

She took out the card back out that held a green glowing orb in the center, "It's a transmitter that determines when he's ready to call the next student, and that usually happens when it starts blinking red." and pointed over at a number, "This also shows how many minutes we got left before it's our turn."

"I gotcha which means..." I glanced at the number of minutes that showed on the metallic card in Rachel's hand, "We still got about thirty-five minutes to go."

"Yes, so we can't afford to waste anymore time, ya got it?" She sneered at me.

"Got it!"

The trail she dragged me on lasted far longer than any of the previous four that I've seen thus far, along the way a number of duels took place amongst other students. A lot of whom were rather nervous when they noticed Rachel's grip around my wrist. One single glance from her was all it took for them to have focused their attention back on their duels, but it wasn't just them. There were other personal guides with a new student like myself, and even they didn't seem too fond of the sight Rachel had shown as the two of us continued on ahead. No.. it's best I not bring this up... otherwise it might just stir something else. Though one question did remain on my mind the more I continued to walk alongside her towards this final dorm. Why can't I get a good read on her like I can with others?

"Hey you just stare off into deep space, or do you wanna see this place?" Rachel asked before she proceeded to tap the side of my face, "Newbie, hello?" she waved her hand consistently in my face.

I rested my hand on my forehead, "Sorry, you were saying..." At that moment my eyes faced the same direction Rachel had pointed her finger towards, "Woah..."

"This is it, the final dorm!" Rachel echoed the same tone as me, "It's beautiful isn't it?"

All I could do was just nod, "You can say that again..."

What stood in the distance from where the two of us had stood felt as if it came out of a dream. One single glance at this place left my jaw open for a good minute. This place is a dorm? No way! I couldn't even begin to imagine how massive the whole area was had Rachel brought me down the cliff where a meadow field was that led to this final dorm. All I knew was this looked like a huge palace surrounding the whole perimeter that was surrounded by a metallic black gate. Within the gates at the center of this final dorm was a giant statue of an Aqua colored skinned dragon with its body embedded in pure silver with an orange faux fur that stretched back of its head all the way to the midpoint of the neck. The arms of the dragon statue were gripped as it roared a miniature dose of fire in the air. There was a lot I could say to Rachel, but one glance at her had given me an answer of her views. The only time where it felt like I could get a read on her. For an upper student she's just as awestruck about this scenery as me.

It was then that my foot moved forward, "Wait newbie, we won't be able to enter remember!"

"You did mention that before." I nodded bluntly, "A special rule that prevents us from going in, I take it, Rachel?"

My eyes focused to a sign that sat just a little ahead from where we both stood, "See that over there, it says students who have yet to achieve the rank of Emperor are not permitted to cross beyond this point of the Emperor Dorm unless given authorization by a student of that rank, or one of the faculty members within the island."

"Oh man, that's a let down!" I sighed in disbelief towards the ground, "The best looking dorm, and we only get to see it from this distance."

Rachel's eyes dimmed after her hand touched the edge of my shoulder, "I know how you feel, but this is the best I can do. Especially given with someone of my own stature..."

"Let me guess, it's personal and I should mind my own business, huh?" I asked.

Rachel smirked towards me, "Exactly, I'm glad you're starting to know me so well.." as the wind in her hair blew off the side.

I quickly caught her eyes drifting the other way. It left me to ponder with how her hands shook briefly when she looked away... Am I though? "Rachel, would you-"

"Let's head on back to the Academy now..." She aggressively latched onto my wrist again with an even tighter grip than before, "Otherwise we're gonna be late..."

All I could do was exhale oxygen from my mouth, "Not even gonna ask this time."

Rachel said, "I know a good shortcut place that'll get us there in no time!"

"Oh, lead the way then!" I answered quietly.

Something finally hit me the moment we faced in the same direction as the forest which was that once I came across the sign after they left the premises of The Emperor's dorm there would've been two paths for them to have taken. The path of the forest where Rachel had escorted me all the way from The Kuriboh Dorm, and then this straight forward path that was just along the lines of where the dormant volcano could be seen off to the side on the left. The pathway looked like it was split between two paths. A fork in the road if anyone went past the gates of The Emperor Dorm then those pathways were present in front of the sign. I had a good feeling the other dorms have a similar path structure as well, but that Rachel wanted to take the quicker and easier route. That doesn't make any sense, though? We made it back to The Academy within a matter of five minutes from where we stood, and the prior path lasted more than ten minutes. What made her wanna take the long path?

"Newbie, quit spacing out on me..." Rachel snapped in my face a couple times with a pretentious look.

A drop of sweat fell from my face, "Sorry about that, were you saying something?"

"I was saying, we're finally here!" She sighed egregiously.

That was when I quickly realized Rachel stopped her approach in front of the western entrance of The Academy building which opened a set of double doors that led to the gymnasium center straight ahead once we entered the hallways. However, we made a turn to the right where a row of staircases led to the auditorium where the orientation was held earlier by The Director. I already had a feeling Rachel was gonna escort me back to where we both had met at the Mid-Courtyard. Surprisingly, this wasn't the case either because the two of us came to halt at a door on the right which was parallel to the double doors that led to the courtyard. I didn't even need to ask her when she pointed over at the sign of a cross shrouded in red above the door to the right.

"The clinic..." I raised an eyebrow curiously when Rachel placed her hand on her chest, "Hey... are you okay?"

She quickly punched my shoulder, "Don't worry about it, but..." and opened the door at ease, "There's someone else you need to meet before we're called up."

"And who might that-..." I stopped myself from speaking when a beautiful cerulean haired woman in a white coat and vanilla skirt sat on a rolly stool next to a student on a medical bed, "Woah... she's pretty!" that caused my cheeks before they walked away.

Rachel chortled, "You're just like the rest of them.."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked.

She shook her head, "Not really important..." then dragged me closer, "Dr. Monet, I hope this isn't a bad time for me to drop by."

"Oh, Rachel, it's good to see you again! This isn't a bad time at all." Dr. Monet smiled when facing Rachel then finally towards me, "Which student have you been guiding for this year's orientation process?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Just the guy everyone's been raving about." directly towards me, "Isn't that right, newbie?"

"Yeah, what she said..." I moved the grip from Rachel's hand quickly. "My name is Shaggy Eclipse, and it's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Monet."

The beautiful doctor shook my hand, "It's always nice to meet a new sweet hero starting his journey!"

Hearing those words made me take a step back to an earlier point in time. It was only four years ago, but they still stuck with me. I was only nine years old in a setting similar to this where a young woman with black hair and brown eyes rested on a medical bed. Tears flooded out of my eyes with my head resting on her leg, and she softly patted me on the head with her shaken hand.

"Everything is gonna be okay... My sweet hero... I Promise!" She answered weakly.

Oh Mom...

"...Newbie..." Rachel waved her hand in my face a few times, "Why are you sp... I mean... you're crying..."

"Huh?" I blinked once a drop of tear fell from the side of my left eye, "I'm sorry..."

Dr. Monet softly asked, "Is there anything I do to help?"

I reluctantly shook my head, "It's fine just... thinking about my mother..."

"It can be a hard feeling to be away, but..." She gently put her hand on my shoulder, "If you ever need to talk about something, I'm always here for anyone."

"Thanks Dr. Monet, I'll keep that in mind." I relinquished the tears from my eye with a tiny smile, "I bet, she'd be happy."

Rachel patted me on the shoulder, "Sha.. Newbie, there's one thing you should also know about Dr. Monet."

"What might that be?" I asked as her eyes drifted away off the side, "Rachel?"

"S.. She's the chaperone of the..." Rachel covered mouth as her voice began to crack, "Daedalus dorm..." and faced away from us, "T.. That's all..."

"Oh, now I finally understand why you brought us here!" I said happily with my hands at the back of my head, "You really do know your stuff, Rachel!"

"Whatever..." She sighed in annoyance until a blinking noise came from the metallic card in her left pocket, "Finally, it's our turn!"

I knew exactly where this had led, and didn't have to say a word about it. One single grip against my wrist just as Rachel began to blitz away from the clinic as quickly as possible.

"It was great to meet you, Shaggy!" Dr. Monet answered cheerfully with a simple wave.

"Nice to meet you too, Dr. Monet." I quickly said just before the door closed.

We walked up another set of staircases that was parallel to the one that led to the Auditorium on the opposing side. These sets of stairs directly led to an automatic double door that sled open to an office filled with dozens of books on the wall and a u shaped desk where Director Roman sat in his chair. He was surrounded by a set of glass windows that showcased the entire vicinity of the island from his view.

"Ah, just the person I've been looking forward to visit." The Director was focused towards me and suspiciously towards my personal guide, "I trust you've been treating him well thus far, Mrs. Nora."

"Whatever..." She said in an agitated tone, "Just glad this is almost done with..."

The Director continued, "Not much of a surprise, but it's probably best to get to the important matters with our new student..." quickly tapped the side of his desk where a holo projection of stats that showcased my results from the Entrance Exams with my picture in the center, "Shaggy Eclipse!"

"This was shown after my field test with Dr. Nora." I looked at him curiously as he continued to focus his attention towards me, "Don't really see much of a difference between now and then.."

"Hmmm..." He moved his in the center of the screen underneath my picture, "Not even this little detail here?"

I glanced over at the information on the screen once more.

Written: 150 Field Test: 1850

"No way!" Rachel gasped with widened eyes, "He made a perfect score on the written portion... It's been a long time since someone has managed that!"

The Director nodded, "Indeed, but even more so the performance of your field test against Dr. Nora took everyone by storm."

That comment left me scratching the back of my head once more, "Yeah, I've been hearing that quite a lot so far today, but really I was just lucky..."

"No, I don't believe that was simply luck, Shaggy!" Director Roman shook his head calmly with a smile, "What you displayed back there was nothing short of extraordinary untapped potential. That's what I would like to say, but truthfully there's still a sense of doubt I see within you."

My eyes dimmed in sadness, "I can't exactly deny that now, huh?"

"You have a good reason to feel that way, but the very fact that everyone here has chimed in so much about your field test in the last few days reassures my belief that you've got a hidden gift within yourself." He got up from his chair and slowly walked over to where we stood.

That was when my voice broke, "I... I don't know what to say..."

"Be at ease, my boy." The Director calmly answered with his hand on my shoulder very proudly, "That gift nearly reminds me of our top student."

'The top student!" My eyes widened at the thought, "That's such a statement..."

Immediately the orange haired girl laughed hysterically, "Haha oh please Director, that's the funniest joke I've ever heard from you."

"I never joke, Miss Rachel..." His attention immediately directed towards her once more, "After all you yourself at one point also shared that same potential..."

She bit her teeth, "My case was different back then!"

"I remember..." He quickly exhaled oxygen from his mouth and sat back in his chair, "How disappointing to see where that stands with you now.."

A veined popped off the side of her forehead, "I didn't come here for a stupid lecture, Director." as she gripped her fist, "Just hurry it on already, and get this over with..."

"I was just beginning to get to this last point." The Director tapped the side of his desk once more as the results of my entrance exam were replaced with different information beneath my name on the digital screen.

Final Score: 2000Placement: Daedalus

"A solid two thousand score, and landing in the Daedalus dorm too!" I clenched my fists in excitement, "That's pretty awesome!"

Director Roman observed me keenly, "This shouldn't come as a big surprise, Miss Rachel did explain the details with you if I'm not mistaken, right?."

"Of course, I went over it with him when we were over at the Kuriboh Dorm..." Rachel quickly glared towards me, "You blew off everything about,and don't even try to lie about it now, newbie!"

I gulped my saliva, "Busted..."

"Ughh I didn't realize you were an airhead!" She slapped my shoulder harshly, "What a pain..."

Director Roman firmly stated, "Regardless of the matter..." after one single tap changed the digital screen once more with five different pictures and small lines of words and numbers beneath each one, "I assume that you're at least aware of each of the duel monsters here, Shaggy?"

I analyzed each of the pictures thoroughly with ease, and understood exactly what they all meant without having read the information underneath.

Kuriboh - Furballs

Ancient Gear - Gearhead

Levia Dragon Daedalus - Leviathan

Dark Eradicator Warlock - Warlock

Chaos Emperor Dragon - Emperor

"These are titles that are given to a student based on their placement." I said calmly, "Isn't that right, Director Roman?"

He nodded, "You're absolutely correct about that, but don't forget about these numbers..." while pointing down in the middle of the screen, "They are also pretty vital!"

I glanced over the information just like before and analyzed it all bit by bit at my own pace so that it hadn't overwhelmed me.

Kuriboh - Furballs

Passing Score for Placement: 300-699 (70% likely)

Ancient Gear - Gearhead

Passing Score for Placement: 700-1499 (17.5% likely)

Levia Dragon Daedalus - Leviathan

Passing Score for Placement: 1500-4999 (2.18% chance likely)

Dark Eradicator Warlock - Warlock

Passing Score for Placement: 5000-7999 (0.14% chance likely)

Chaos Emperor Dragon - Emperor

Passing Score for Placement: 8000 (0.01% chance likely)

"Ohh... I finally understand everything now.." My eyes widened towards the digital screen in view, "The orientation never ended with your speech back at the auditorium because that's just how you orchestrated this..." then towards a nonchalant Rachel, "Meeting with a personal guide to show each new student the dorms around the Island, and meeting with you at the very end.. All of it has been a part of the orientation."

Director Roman smirked keenly with his hands in the center, "Astounding... it's the same as how he responded during his orientation."

I blinked, "The same as who?"

"Our top student!" His view centered towards the orange haired girl next to me, "Wouldn't you agree Miss Rachel?"

"NO!" Rachel screamed and gritted her teeth towards me, "I'M DONE WITH THIS!" then stormed out of the office.

I looked back, "Hold up-..."

"It's fine, we're just about done..." The Director scrunched the side of his forehead and tapped the side of his desk as the digital screen disappeared, "You are free to leave and get settled into your new living space."

"Oh... Thank you again Director Roman..." I extended my hand towards the Director, "It was an honor to meet you!"

He extended his hand towards mine, "The pleasure is all mine!"

It wasn't not long after I stepped out of his office and down the stairs back down that the orange girl walked slowly in the center of the hallway between the clinic and the doorways that led to the courtyard.

"Hey Rachel wait..." I ran over to where she was and touched her shoulder, "There's something-"

She shrugged my hand away, "Don't you dare touch me!"

I raised both my hands in the air, "Woah, I just wanted to say thanks for showing me around the island!"

"I did what I needed to do now, stop bothering me.." Rachel continued.

"What's your deal?" I answered in agitation, "All I've ever done is be nice to you throughout this entire orientation, and you..."

"I... what?" She asked.

My eyes dimmed slightly, "You wouldn't like it if I said it...!"

A vein popped off the side of her forehead when Rachel turned towards me in rage, "God, that's my problem with you right there." with her finger pointed in my view, "You're too soft with an upbeat attitude,and that's what I find most annoying about you!"

I slowly moved the grip of her hand away from my shirt, "I'm sorry you feel that way, but..." and slowly sighed, "Here I thought we could be friends..."

"That's so cute I could almost cry, but..." Rachel quickly bursted out in laughter, "Let me put it to you straight newbie, friends are a waste of time and only bring you down." before she turned back the other direction ahead of me, "At the end of the day you can only look out for yourself!"

Great, it's my first day here and already I've made an enemy... That's just great Shaggy...

Only thing that was left for me to do was rendezvous back with the others where I had promised them before we had separated for our own individual orientations for the day. The double doors opened where both Jake and Lucian had been discussing with one another near the bench on the back, and Rory sat criss crossed on the metallic wall just above from where the boys were. I could just tell how excited each of them were once they saw me.

"It's about time, bro!" Jake answered with such excitement, "How did your orientation go?"

I took a deep breath, "Where should I even begin?"

Lucian snapped his fingers, "Maybe getting the most important question out of the way we've all been dying to know."

"Which would be, what?" I asked.

Rory nudged my shoulder side, "The dorms each of us ended up in, silly. We've all been holding out until you were done with the orientation."

"Oooh ooh, I can finally get this off my chest!" Jake eye's flared up intensely, "I ended up in the Kuriboh Dorm, and I completely flunked the written portion with zero points!"

We all looked at one another in confusion, "What, you got in just through your field test alone?"

Jake nodded proudly, "Impressive, right?"

"I guess that's one way to look at it!" I laughed softly.

"Ditto!" Lucian said.

"That'll be one for the textbooks!" Rory echoed the same expression as me before she looked towards her childhood friend, "Speaking of... Lucian, where did you end up?"

Sweat fell off the side of Lucian's face from her curiosity, "Well, I also ended up in the Kuriboh dorm along with Jake, and my written exam was eighty points with the field test rounding up to six hundred and nineteen."

"Oh, I gotcha that brings your total up to six hundred and ninety nie..." Rory paused her statement that left her jaw open for a moment, "OMG you were just one point away and we could've been in the same dorm..."

Lucian's eyes widened in shock, "Wait for real, where did you end up?"

The aqua green haired girl tapped the side of her cheek, "Let's see I made a one o'five on the written portion plus the field test was seven o'seven would put mine at around... eight hundred and twelve." then tapped her fist against the palm of her right hand, "So that would put me in the Gearhead Dorm."

"Not bad, Rory!" I gave off a quick cheeky smile towards Rory with my hands behind the back of my head,"I think that's pretty cool they placed you there!"

Instantly her cheeks flushed red when her eyes met mine, "Oh...umm... Thanks Shaggy, that's so sweet of you!"

I gave her a thumbs up, "Don't mention it.." before Jake and Lucian crossed their hands curiously towards me, "Are you guys okay?"

"Actually..." Rory coughed quickly and regained her composure, "That just now only leaves us to ask you the million dollar questions... Which dorm was Shaggy Eclipse placed in here on Duel Island?"

Jake and Lucian put their arms around each other's neck, "Is it with the bros for life?"

"Is it with me the hopeful cheerful spirit?" Rory gave off the puppy dog momentarily.

All of their responses led me to laugh quietly, "Sorry to disappoint all of you, but I've been placed in the Daedalus Dorm, and since everyone shared... I'll just say I made a perfect score on the written exam with one hundred-fifty points with the eighteen hundred and fifty points combined... That's a solid two thousand score!"

Jake's mouth was left wide open, "Bro that's so amazing!"

"That's just putting it lightly there, bud!" Lucian mimicked the same remark as him.

Rory lifted her shoulders, "Did we have any doubt though?" with a happy glow on her face towards me, "Shaggy's just so... Amazing!"

"You guys..." I cracked a smile towards my four friends, "That's a bit much, don't ya think?"

In unison they all chimed, "NO WAY SHAGGY IT'S THE TRUTH!"

I waved my hands back and forth, "Alright alright, you guys win!"

"Say, how about we head over to our dorms and help each other get settled in?" Lucian suggested casually.

Jake raised his hand in the air, "We should head over to the Kuriboh Dorm first since it's the closest one from The Academy."

"There's No better time." Rory jumped from the wall to where I had stood, " like the present right, Shaggy?"

I nodded happily, "You can say that again!"

"Last one there's a rotten egg" Jake dashed off ahead energetically toward the double doors.

The silver haired boy dashed forward in the same direction, "Hey now you got a head start... that's not fair, man!"

I stretched my hand forward, "Hey now, wait up for the rest of us!"

Rory shook her head quickly, "Oh just let me, we'll catch up with them!"

"You're probably right!" I answered calmly as the two continued onward, "Last thing we wanna do is run out of energy by the time we get there!"

She giggled, "So true!"

Rory and I walked our way to the double doors at ease when we were caught up with both Jake and Lucien on the other side of the entrance led a clear pathway to the Kuriboh Dorm to help them get their stuff set in without a rush. Lastly, it just left us all to aid Rory out with her stuff at the Gearhead Dorm, and finally that came down to my personal belongings at the Leviathan Dorm.

The timespan it had taken for all of us encompassed until the sun began to set. That was when we ate at The Leviathan Dorm because everyone was so worn out by then. I wasn't quite sure what adventures lie ahead for each of us on Duel Island, but one thing was for certain.

We hadn't even begun to scratch the surface yet.

One thing I do wanna admit that when it came to this chapter was that the ending scene was completely different from what was in my notes. The reason was simply because this original ending scene felt disconnected from the rest of what this chapter had focused on, and what I can say is that it is related to Shaggy as a character. However, this scene I had in mind will be included elsewhere within this story which many of you will understand why that's the case.

Rachel's character was one where I had initially thought of as a complete stuck up chick kind of like Regina from Mean Girls, but when I looked at what I have in store for her character that just didn't sit well with me in the grand scheme of things. Which was honestly why I went a more vague skeptic approach with Rachel while maintaining some of that stuck up approach that was initially there. I know it'll come off as annoying for her character but there's a pretty clear direction of where Rachel goes in the long run, and that was something I wanted to portray heavily through Shaggy's perspective.

Lastly, there were was a couple moments with Shaggy's past particularly with his mother, but that is something to be saved for another point in time for the narrative. I even had one other moment in mind between Shaggy and Rory towards the end of the chapter that would've tied back into an earlier point before they split ways earlier on, but that similarly to the ending scene is also something I also decided to omit from the final version of this chapter. Reason being was simply because it's best to save some of these moments for later bits in the story because you don't wanna reveal all your eggs in one basket, or in this case reveal all the cards before the duel haha. That's about all I've got to say when it pertains to the story, please feel free to share your thoughts and as always thanks for reading!