Chapter Text
[Central Academy Main Building - Classroom #3 - 8:45 AM]
Oleander, upon arriving at the classroom, was quick to spot Shinji, who beckoned him closer upon sitting at the chair the two friends fist bumped.
“How’s it going, my man?” Oleander asked while leaning against his seat as he placed his arms behind his head.
“I’m hanging in there; I was actually researching some new cards to place in my deck,” Shinji said while lifting a notebook with various card names scribbled all over it.
“So, any outliers caught your attention?”
“Uradora of Fate, Overtex Qoatlus, and Ultimate Tyranno” As he said those cards’s names, his expression became a bit more dejected: “If only those cards didn’t cost an arm and a leg.”
“I’m sure a skilled person like you will rack those DPs in no time,” Oleander said while giving his friend a firm pat on the shoulder.
Their moment, however, was cut short by a small chorus of snickers. Turning back, Oleander saw none other than Chazz Princeton in the flesh and those two goons whose names he never bothered to learn.
“Yeah, I’m sure he’d thrive in Slifer Red,” Chazz remarked, causing his two goons to laugh alongside him.
“Oh, look, Shinji, it’s Central Academy’s top trust fund babies." Oleander smugly shot back.
“Who are you calling a trust fund baby?!” Goon number 1 questioned
“You three, especially Chazzie,” Oleander lazily pointed at the boy in question, causing his scowl to deepen. “We all know you guys can’t duel your way out of a paper bag, so why don’t you three buzz off?" He turned his attention back to his table while waving dismissively at them.
“That’s rich coming from a hotshot who got lucky on his first duel,” Chazz retorted. Even though he didn’t raise his voice, the anger was palpable in every word.
“What you call luck, I prefer to refer to as skill." Oleander calmly responded to the question as he turned to face the snob, “Unless you’d like to make me eat those words in a duel." A glint passed through his crimson eyes.
“The duel would barely last a single turn,” Chazz remarked while smirking.
“Ah, that’s okay." Oleander shrugged in a fein display of disappointment. “You almost lost to Jaden on your very first day after all, so I understand your apprehension on facing an actual skilled duelist.”
Silence hung in the air as the two students stared at each other; the tension between them was so thick that one could cut with a pair of scissors.
“At the harbor tonight,” Chazz declared before storming off the room, with his two henchmen scurrying behind him.
“Oleander” Shinji spoke in a serious tone while grabbing his friend’s shoulders. “While I’m extremely grateful for you standing up for me, you just committed a grave mistake.”
“Which was?” Oleander raised an eyebrow with an unamused expression.
“While it is true that most Obelisk Blue students are nothing more than trust fund kids, the few who earned their place are a force to reckon with." He lowered his voice in a conspiratory manner. “And you just challenged Chazz “The Thunder” Princeton, the guy who had a 100% win rate in duel prep school.”
“So he can beat a few kids, so what?” The purple-haired duelist shrugged off but was unable to snuffle the building anxiety.
“He scored third place in the written exam and first place in the practical exam; he’s a beast." Shinji sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose. “And while I know from first-hand experience you're an excellent duelist, you simply can’t compete against someone like Chazz.”
While on the outside Oleander was still smugly smiling like no one’s business, on the inside he was freaking out after remembering that more modernized cards existed, and Chazz had the money to buy the aforementioned modernized cards.
Not to mention that while in the anime Chazz was played as a comedic relief, he was indeed a beast when it came to dueling; not only did he give Jaden a hard time every time they dueled, but he also single-handedly defeated every student in North Academy and became the number 1.
All that in a single day with a deck made out of a bunch of crappy cards he found stuck on the ice; hell, during his search for the aforementioned crappy cards, he fought a polar bear.
Letting out a long sigh, Oleander’s smug facade finally crumbled away. He would need to upgrade his deck if he wanted to stand a chance against him.
Though it wasn't all hopeless; he had received his allowance, which was a whopping two thousand DP combined with the three thousand he earned in his first duel against Shinji, giving him a generous amount to play with.
"I'm going to hit the card shop after class,” Oleander whirly declared, earning a sympathetic nod from his blue-cladded friend.
[Central Academy Main Building - Card Shop - 10:00 AM]
Setting foot on the card shop, Oleander and Shinji went their separate ways, leaving the purple-haired duelist to quickly make his way to the shelves and start to browse the shelves, looking for anything that could boost his chances against Chazz.
A shelf in particular was filled with Fusion support cards, with stuff like Fusion Recovery to Instant Fusion, two cards he wasted no time in nabbing, while Instant Fusion was arguably the better of the two cards; it wouldn’t hurt to have some backup.
But alas, he was so hyper-focused on the cards that he didn’t notice when he bumped into Alexis, causing the blonde to drop a few cards she was holding.
“Ah geez,” Oleander said in a despondent tone while crouching down and grabbing her fallen cards and handing them to her. "Sorry, Alexis, I didn't see you there.”
“No biggie” She waved his concerns off before noticing the cards he was holding. “Upgrading the deck, are we?”
“You could say that I’ve bitten more than I could chew." He said with a despondent chuckle, “So I’m doing some panic purchases to upgrade my deck; what about you?”
"Well, after losing to Jaden the other day, I realized that I needed to change my deck." Her small smile faded as her eyes wandered the wide assortment of cards. “But right now I can’t find a single card that resonates with me.”
“Well, why not try the Lunalight archetype?” Oleander chimed in as he picked a copy of Lunalight Blue Cat and showed it to Alexis. “It’s practically calling your name.”
Humming, the blonde took the card in her hands, intently analyzing its artwork, which depicted an anthropomorphic cat girl. Behind her was the Moon in its Waxing Crescent phase; it could’ve been a trick of light but she thought that the blue cat girl winked at her.
“I think I found what I looked for." The blonde declared with a small triumphant smile, “How did you know I was going to like it?”
“As someone who had a younger brother, I got good at knowing what people like without them knowing,” Oleander smugly declared, though his smug facade gave way to an alarmed expression as he realized what he just said.
“You had?” Alexis asked, curiosity mixed with a sprinkle of concern audible in her voice.
The purple-haired duelist didn’t say anything; his lower lip quivered as yet another wave of melancholy washed over him, and both youngsters just stood there in awkward silence. Alexis’ mind scrambled for something to defuse the situation, while Oleander did his best to suppress the tears building in the corner of his eyes.
“I should go; I got stuff to take care of,” He said with a forced smile while swiftly leaving Alexis to her own devices.
Oleander was walking around the shop with no real direction; he was just looking for something to distract him; anything would do, and it looks like his prayers were answered as he spotted Sadie removing her apron before making her way to an area with a few stools.
"Is this seat taken?" Oleander asked while motioning to a vacant stool near her.
"Is it?" She playfully asked while turning to face the purple-haired duelist, though her smile faltered as she took a good look at his rattled expression.
"Thanks," He said in an uncharacteristic, quiet voice while taking his spot. Groaning, he rubbed his temples in an attempt to appease the incoming migraine.
"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"
"No, I want to talk about anything to get my mind off of what I'm thinking."
And so Sadie did; for the next half an hour she took the helm of the conversation. At first, Oleander didn't speak, only listening to whatever she was saying, rarely interjecting, but as the time went on, he slowly but surely recovered his demeanor.
"So, what brings you to the card shop today?" Sadie asked while crossing her legs with her hands clasped on them.
"Well, I have a duel against Chazz Princeton, so a last-minute shopping spree was warranted." Oleander said, causing Sadie's jaw to practically hit the floor.
"Talk about the textbook definition of death wish," She finally said after recovering from the initial shock.
"In my defense, I was standing up for my friend." He threw his hands high in the air. "I couldn't stand idly by and let those Obelisk Blue pansies walk all over my buddy."
"So you decided to pick a fight with the one guy who got where he is through sheer skill?" Sadie questioned while raising an eyebrow incredulously. "But hey, you do you."
"I thank you for the encouraging words," Oleander said with a tinge of annoyance in his voice.
"But you can at least face certain demise prepared." Sadie reached for the pocket in her skirt and pulled a notepad and pencil and wasted no time in scribbling away at it. "We got some cards in stock that you might be interested in."
"I meant to ask, did anyone take the open position as the shop's new employee?" Oleander asked while leaning on the countertop, watching as Sadie let out an annoyed huff.
"Not a single soul, even after grandma announced that employees would have access to discounts." She stopped her writing to shake her head before flipping a page and continuing her scribbling.
And that’s when a light bulb appeared above Oleander’s head as he was struck by a stroke of genius. Right now he had an opportunity to not only help a friend in need but also get easier access to strong cards.
“So, are there any qualifications for such an esteemed position?” He “innocently” asked while fluttering his eyelashes.
“Now you’re interested, after I mentioned the employee privilege." She gave him an unamused look that quickly morphed into a smile as she ripped two papers from her notepad and passed them to Oleander. “But I’m not about to turn down such a graceful offering; follow me.”
Sadie led him to the employee backroom, where she then proceeded to conduct an interview; it was more of a formality with very basic questions. Five minutes later, a freshly employed Oleander made his triumphant exit of the backroom.
Although Sadie said that the employee would only apply tomorrow, he didn’t mind; he had now secured a source of money, yes, hard-earned cash, and would have access to the better cards at a reduced price.
Looking at the papers in his hands, he saw that they were scribbled with card names. There were the obvious choices like Fusion Recycling Plant and Fusion Sage, and even some pretty interesting choices like Fusion Duplication and Necro Fusion.
Though what threw him off a bit was at the second page; at the bottom was Sadie’s PDA contact information with the phrase “Call me if you need to talk again” written above the number.
Smirking, he carefully ripped the part with her number and pocketed it in one of his jacket's pockets before embarking on what promised to be a very interesting shopping spree.
[Slifer Red Dorm - Oleander’s Room - 15:25 PM]
In front of the purple-haired duelist room door stood none other than Alexis Rhodes. The blonde was looking at the door while fidgeting a bit on the spot.
After buying the Lunalights card and debating with herself, she decided that the best course of action to take would be to face Oleander and apologize to him for bringing up such a sensitive topic; after all, she knows better than anyone else what it's like to lose a relative, especially a close one.
Putting on a brave face, she mustered the courage and knocked on the door. A few moments passed before shuffling was heard from within the room; shortly after, the door opened itself, revealing the boy himself, who expressed mild surprise upon seeing her.
“Oleander I–” But before she could get the words out, he shushed her with a sharp motion before motioning for her to enter the room.
Entering the room, she was honestly surprised with how organized things were, save for his bed and, most importantly, his desk, which had a myriad of cards scattered on and off. Right in the middle of his mess was his deck with a card depicting a violet dragon on top of it.
One glance at the card’s artwork sent a sinister shiver down Alexis’ spine, but ignoring that, she couldn’t help but note how..eerily similar it looked to Oleander in a weird sense.
“So, what brings the illustrious Alexis Rhodes to my humble abode?” Oleander asked while doing an overly exaggerated bow.
“I wanted to apologize for earlier." She managed to muster the words, though she was surprised when she was met with a good-natured chuckle from the purple-haired duelist.
"Oh, don’t sweat about it; you had no way of knowing." He spoke in a dismissive manner while waving a hand at her, “But you can apologize by not bringing that subject again." He clarified, with his voice adopting a more serious tone to it.
Acknowledging that while he seemed in a genuine good mood, it's clear he wouldn’t appreciate any mention remotely related to that topic, even if it was an apology, so thinking fast, Alexis’ mind rushed to think of a topic to change the conversation.
“So, how’s the deck building going?” She asked while picking up a copy of Re-Fusion that was unceremoniously lying face-down, "Who are you going to face?”
“To answer your first question, it’s going good but could be going better." He trailed off while biting on his lower lip. “As for the second question, it’s Chazz Princeton.”
Alexis dropped the card to stare at Oleander dead in the eyes, a shocked expression plastered across her face. What's up with this year's Slifer Red Students picking duels against Chazz?
"Before you ask, I was standing up for a friend of mine." He quickly explained while raising his hands, "And I heard that guy is pretty strong, so I'm upgrading my deck; you know, the whole faster, stronger, better."
"Well you woulndt’ be the first to try and break his winning streak, Jaden dueled him on his very first day, but the duel got interrupted before any clear winner was announced.”
"Yeah, I also heard that unlike most Obelisk Blue, the guy has the skill to back his words," Oleander murmured as he leaned against his bed watching as Alexis sagely nodded.
"Well, what say you about some help?" The blonde inquired while picking his deck and wasting no time in going through the cards. "Consider this as a form of appreciation for pointing me toward those Lunalight cards."
Smirking, Oleander picked a wooden chair and plopped it right beside Alexis, the two of them wasting absolutely no time in getting to work on improving the purple-haired duelist's deck for the herculean task ahead.
[Central Academy Outskirts - Harbor - 21:30 PM]
Heavy fog surrounded the harbor as a lonely Oleander made his way; even with the frankly oppressive atmosphere, he still marched on without a lick of hesitation, eventually reaching his destination.
The fog cleared itself, revealing Chazz Princeton, his pristine Obelisk Blue blazer flowing on the sea breeze as the snob stared at Oleander with a hardened expression. Strapped to his arm was a duel disk in pristine condition.
“So you really came; I thought you were going to chicken out." Chazz declared, his voice echoing across the moonlit harbor, “You either have some kind of death wish or a lot of moxie.”
“One doesn’t cancel the other." Oleander retorted with a smirk of his own, “I see you came alone; I was half expecting the entire Obelisk Blue Dorm to be present." He looked around, trying and failing to spot anyone.
“You’re already wasting my time; no need to waste everyone else's." Chazz explained as he cracked his knuckles and neck. “Beside, this is going to be boring,” the snob narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Boring and short. ”
“Still salty about my comment, are we?” Oleander chuckled as the memory of Chazz’s frustrated face flashed across his mind. “You Obelisk Blues are all the same, all bite and no bark.”
“Bold words coming from someone who just challenged the top freshman." The snob’s voice remained steady; he wouldn’t raise it, and why should he? If he did so, he would just step down to that slacker’s level.
“Like I said, Chazz, you have the chance to make me eat those words, so come and get me." There was a menacing growl in Oleander’s voice as he crooked a finger at him.
Instead of continuing to engage in that useless banter, Chazz simply uncrossed his arms and activated his duel disk, the blue gem on the center of the machine flashing between a vibrant red and dull blue before activating itself.
Oleander's smirk went from menacing to borderline savage as he mimicked the motion. Though something about him seemed a bit off, in the fog Chazz could swear he saw something vaguely serpentine looming over the purple-haired slacker, but it disappeared just as quick as it appeared.
Duel!
Oleander Hemlock: 4000 Life Points
Chazz Princeton: 4000 Life Points
“I will go first” Oleander said as he added a card from his deck to his hand in a swift motion.
Turn 1: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6
Looking at his hand, he frowned a bit. While it was somewhat decent for going first, he would’ve liked to start the duel with a fusion, but it’s like they say “beggars can’t be choosers.”
“Let’s kick this party with Predaplant Flytrap!” Slapping the card in his duel disk, he watched as a mutated flytrap plant emerged on the ground. The monster raised its twigs in a feeble attempt at forming a defensive stance.
“I will now end things with two face-downs." He picked two more cards and slipped them in their respective zones.
“That's it?” Chazz questioned, sounding insulted, “Your plan of defense is a weed that can barely stand." He shook his head. “This duel will indeed be boring and short.”.
Wordlessly, he placed two fingers on top of his deck and took a deep breath before yanking the card, causing the air around the card to ripple slightly.
Turn 2: Chazz’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6
“I will Normal Summon Armed Dragon, the Armored Dragon!” He proudly announced the monster’s name as a dragon cladded in bright red armor descended on the field.
"Next, I will send Armed Dragon LV3 from my hand to the grave." He briefly revealed the card in question before dumping it: “To Special Summon Pile Armed Dragon!”
From the ocean, a dragon that bore a striking resemblance to Armed Dragon LV7 appeared. The monster was identical, save for the giant drill-like arm in the place of its left arm.
"Next, I will activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" He slid the card in the Spell/Trap Zone, causing a tornado to destroy Oleander's set Predaplast.
"Armed Dragon, burn that thing to the ground!" Chazz roared the command, and the knight dragon shot a fireball that incinerated Flytrap.
"Now that Armored Dragon has destroyed a monster by battle, I can bring a level 5 or lower dragon from either my hand or deck." He picked a card that ejected itself from his deck and promptly slapped on his field, "Here's Cave Dragon!"
Another dragon appeared; this one was a lot bulkier; its emerald scales gleaming against the light being emitted by the lighthouse.
"It's your turn, Cave Dragon!" Chazz snapped his fingers, causing the dragon to spew a barrage of flames that engulfed Oleander, bringing him to his knees.
Oleander Hemlock: 4000 → 2000 Life Points
“Attack Pile Armed Dragon!” The snob declared as the giant dragon lunged at Oleander, its drill arm eager to bring the duel to an end.
But the drill never touched Oleander; instead, the dragon had attacked another plant monster, this one resembling an insect.
"What the hell?!"
“Since you attacked me directly, Sarraceniant Special Summoned itself from my hand,” Oleander explained while picking himself from the ground. “And since it battled, your monster is destroyed.”
Chazz clicked his tongue as he watched his dragon be engulfed by a mass of vines that had sprouted right beneath its feet.
“But that’s not all; Sarraceniant will now allow me to add a Predap card from my deck to my hand.” Oleander finished his explanation as he picked a card that had ejected itself from his deck.
“Good job, you managed to survive,” Chazz “praised” Oleander as he picked the two remaining cards in his hand; he opted to set one face-down.
“Now I will play Card of Sanctity!” A loud beep was heard from both duel disks as they ejected the appropriate amount of cards for each duelist.
Oleander - Cards in Hand: 3 → 6
Chazz - Cards in Hand: 0 → 6
“I will now set two face-downs and that’s it” He said while sliding the cards in their appropriate slots “I bet you’re starting to regret challenging me”
“In your dreams Princeton” Oleander spat back as he fixed his hair
“Draw!” He loudly announced.
Turn 3: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6 → 7
“I will begin by activating Instant Fusion!” He played the card as a menacing red aura enveloped his body, sapping even more of his Life Points.
Oleander Hemlock: 2000 → 1000 Life Points
“Welcome to the party, Predaplant Ambulomelides!” An oversized cup of ramen appeared before Oleander; it opened itself to reveal a giant plant dog.
“Since Ambulomeides was technically Fusion Summoned, I will be able to add any Predap card from my deck or grave straight to my hand,” he explained while adding another card to his hand.
“I will now banish Flytrap from my grave to Special Summon Luna, the Dark Spirit!” Flytrap’s card hovered before the purple-haired duelist before being consumed by a dark miasma that made way for a demonic-looking woman.
“To finish things off, I will play a favorite of mine." He inserted another card in his duel disk. “Polymerization!”
Luna, Ambulomelides, and a plant monster that resembled a miniature hydra, Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra, were sucked into a swirling portal that spewed a giant chimera.
"Say hello to Guardian Chimera!" The beast roared as Oleander announced its name, "And my buddy has some handy dandy effects."
"Like what?" Chazz inquired while narrowing his eyes if he had all that work to summon a single monster; it must have some pretty nasty effects.
"First, it destroys monsters you control up to the materials used on the field." No sooner had the words left Oleander's mouth, and the monster's lion head shot two fireballs, destroying Chazz's remaining monsters.
"After that, I get to draw a card up to the number of materials used from my hand," He explained with a smirk as he drew a singular card.
"But I think it's about time you two got a bit more acquainted." With a nod from Oleander, Guardian Chimera lunged at Chazz.
"Nice try, but here's Dimensional Prison!" He pressed a button in his duel disk, causing one of his set cards to reveal itself. "Your monster is now banished!"
True to his word, a black hole appeared in front of the snob right when the massive monster was close to pouncing on top of him, and as a result, wasn't able to dodge its demise.
Oleander clicked his tongue in frustration, but it was short-lived as he looked at his hand. It seems like playing it safe and baiting out a battle trap was the right call.
"Okay, I summon Ophrys Scorpio!" Slapping the card caused a familiar scorpion monster to sprout from the ground. "Now time for Scorpio to bring his best friend to this party!" He discard Predaplant Cordyceps
Scorpio shot a batch of seeds that sprouted into Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra, who immediately shot a batch of seeds that bloomed into a small tree with a single copy of Polymerization growing from it. Upon being snatched, the tree quickly aged and died.
"Time for seconds!" Oleander played Polymerization right away, fusing both monsters into Chimerafflesia.
"And let's top things off with a handy dandy face-down."
“Before your turn is over, I activate Armed Dragon Flash!” A card crackling with golden electricity flipped over.
Oleander stared dumbfounded at the card. Was that card anime exclusive? He racked his brain back and forth yet he couldn’t remember, and while his knowledge of the manga of GX was pretty limited, he knew for a fact that Chazz didn’t use an Armed Dragon deck there.
“Judging by your expression, I will take the guess that you don’t know what it does." Chazz now had a small smirk: “This card allows me to Special Summon a level 3 Armed Dragon monster from my deck in defense position.”
The clouds above rumbled with the menacing roar of a thunder, and suddenly a bolt of lightning fell from the skies, smithing Chazz’s set card.
Even through the thick cloud of dust, Oleander could see something crackling with electricity. Once the dust dissipated, it revealed Armed Dragon LV3.
However, the monster had some noticeable changes; its armor was adorned with engravings that resembled thunderbolts, not to mention the electricity jumping from the chubby dragon’s eyes.
What in the actual hell was he looking at? He vividly remembers the appearance of the original Armed Dragon, and it didn’t look like that.
“Time to show you why they call me The Thunder." Chazz yanked a card from his deck, sparks of electricity flying from it.
Turn 4: Chazz’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 4 → 5
“I will use Armed Dragon Thunder LV3’s effect!” He picked a card in his hand and discarded it. “By sending a monster from my hand to the graveyard, I will be able to evolve him!”
Armed Dragon’s form was engulfed in a bright light as the once relatively small dragon started to grow in size; its once orange scales became a deep shade of red as its silver armor blackened.
“When Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 is sent to the grave to activate a dragon’s effect, I get to draw a card." He quickly explained while drawing a card, which he immediately discarded: “Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 has the same ability as its predecessor.”
The same scene unfolded right in front of Oleander’s eyes, and he was powerless to stop as the dragon underwent yet another evolution, its armor becoming more defined, and on the dragon’s back two protrusions that resembled wings extended themselves.
“Since Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 also has a second effect similar to it’s predecessor, the difference is that I’m able to add any level 5 or higher wind dragon monster to my hand." He picked yet another card, only to discard it yet again.
“You already know what’s going to happen." His smirk grew as Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 went through yet another transformation.
The dragon kept growing and growing, and it didn't show any signs that it was stopping; its armor now covered most of its body, save for the wings that once extended themselves were revealed to be made out of pure electricity, and its scales were becoming a dark shade of crimson.
After several moments, the dragon stopped growing and was now standing taller than the lighthouse. The dragon then raised its right arm and pointed directly at the sky while letting out a roar so powerful that it nearly knocked Oleander out of balance as a massive lightning bolt struck on the tip of its clawed finger.
"Say hello to Armed Dragon Thunder LV10!" Chazz roared while mimicking the same pose the dragon was striking. "And now I will use the Continuous Spell known as Armed Dragon Lighting!"
The energy around Armed Dragon started to intensify, increasing its already monstrous power.
"Armed Dragon Lighting allows me to do a variety of things, among them increasing my monster's level by 100 times its level." He motioned to his monster.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 “Armed Dragon LV10” - ATK: 3000 → 4000]
“This is it, slacker, time to say good night!” Chazz roared as his monster opened its mawl to charge an attack that would be devastating.
The dragon unleashed a massive torrent of flames imbued with electricity, crashing against Chimerafflesia, causing Oleander’s vision to be consumed with nothing but white.
To be continued…