Chapter Text
[Slifer Red Dorm - Cafeteria - 6:00 AM]
The door to the cafeteria was open, and before it stood Oleander. He scanned his surroundings, delighted by the fact that he was all alone. Rubbing his hands, he closed the cafeteria door and glided toward the kitchen.
Pulling his PDA, he accessed the “Music” functionality and scrolled through the available songs, eventually landing on a personal favorite of his, the song “Cheia de Manias” by the Brazilian band called “Raça Negra.”
Clicking on the song's icon, he waited for a few short seconds before it started to play. Smirking, he removed his jacket and opted to wear a pink apron that was hanging against one of the walls; now he was all set to prepare his breakfast.
"Cheia de manias~" Oleander sang the lyrics in his native tongue as he cracked an egg, "Toda dengosa~"
As the music progressed, so did Oleander's cooking; he cracked another egg open while placing a slice of bread on the toaster before placing a kettle full of water on the stove. Oh yeah, everything was coming together nice and smooth, just the way he liked.
"Então me ajude a segurar essa barra que é gostar de você~" He flipped the spoon, using it as a microphone before flipping the eggs over.
As the music reached its crescendo, so did Oleander's cooking. By this point, the water was boiling, and so Oleander added both the sugar and coffee before stirring. Turning the oven off, he picked the toast and placed it on a plate before placing the egg over it.
The music was over the exact moment he finished pouring the fresh coffee on a mug. Taking a step back, he admired his handy work while nodding proudly to himself. Even in a completely new world, he still remembered how to cook.
His pride, however, faltered as he heard the sound of clapping behind him. Turning around, he saw Sadie standing in the middle of the cafeteria, clapping her hands while suppressing laughter, and at that moment, Oleander felt all the color in his face drain except for his cheeks, which were now flushed with embarrassment.
"How long were you standing there?" He asked after finally finding his voice.
"Long enough to enjoy the show," Came the swift reply as she peeked over his shoulder to take a good look at the meal he had prepared. "And you didn't disappoint."
Awkward silence hung in the air, well awkward for Oleander because Sadie wasn't feeling a lick of amusement as she took a seat on one of the tables.
"So, are you going to bring that to the table or just going to stand there?" She inquired, idly tapping her fingers along the table's wooden surface. The words snapped Oleander from his little trance.
"Sorry," He said in a meek voice while picking up the plate and mug and hurriedly making his way to the table.
“So, how did the duel with Chazz go?” She nonchalantly asked while taking a bite out of a toast. “Did you manage to survive more than one turn?”
“For your information, I not only lasted ten turns, but I also brought him down all the way to six hundred Life Points” Oleander declared with an annoyed huff.
The purple-haired duelist then went into detail on how the duel played out, from what Chazz did during the duel to what strategies Oleander used and why all the while Sadie leaned on the wooden table thoroughly invested in what he was saying.
What really surprised her was the revelation that Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 wasn't Chazz’s ace but rather, a card called “Light and Darkness Dragonlord”, the same card that cost Oleander the duel.
“And then when I was on the ground, he surprised me by extending a hand and pulling me back to my feet.” He concluded his retelling as he took the final bite from the egg and emptied his mug.
“You must have made somewhat of a good impression on the guy,” Sadie remarks as she finishes her portion of the meal, which was so graciously offered by the purple-haired duelist.
Even with their meal finished, the duo still decided to stay and talk a bit more. There was no real point to their chit-chat; it was just talking for the sake of talking, with topics being dropped and brought on at the drop of a hat.
They must’ve spent a good while talking because they only stopped when the doors to the cafeteria opened. The other Slifers strolled inside, all of whom had sleepiness stapled on their faces.
Tough. They all stopped to look at the table where Oleander and Sadie were sitting, with the duo staring back at the amassed students with mild confusion. Sharpening his hearing, Oleander did his best to try and hear what they were talking about.
"Dude, what's an Obelisk chick doing here?”
“No idea.”
“Check it out; there's an empty plate next to them!”
“Do you think they’re a couple?”
“A Slifer Red dating an Obelisk Blue? As if!”
The murmurs continued, and Oleander couldn't help but internally groan as he was reminded that Slifer Reds were treated no different than a trash bag at the academy, so the fact that a "Slifer Slimer" had an Obelisk Blue, a girl no less, sitting with him must be something out of that world for those poor sods.
He was counting the days until the promotional exams because there were only so many nights one could sleep on a bed like that before developing some kind of back problem, not to mention how tired he was of the bedbugs that inhabited his mattress. It was nothing short of a miracle that he wasn't bitten by the little buggers yet.
"I guess it's time to go," Oleander declared, grabbing Sadie by her wrist and gently nudging her to follow him. Upon doing so, his ears were assaulted by the murmurs and awe of his fellow Slifer Reds.
"What's wrong with them?" Sadie whispered into his ears, yet the only answer she got was him tugging on her wrist and practically dragging her outside of the cafeteria.
"I think we might've started some rumors," he wryly declared as he let go of his soon-to-be coworker and slowed his pace a bit.
It took Sadie nothing more than a split second before it all clicked in place, and once that happened, her cheeks, like clockwork, visibly started to redden. Oh goodness gracious, what had they done?
"What do you say we forget that last part and go on with our day as if nothing happened?" Oleander proposed while wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
Sadie's only response was to sink her face into her hands before making a muffled sound alongside a weak nod.
[Central Academy Main Building - Schoolyard - 6:50 AM]
As they arrived at the schoolyard, Oleander immediately noticed that people were already at the main building. Some students simply entered upon their arrival while others mingled with their friends.
Oleander was quick to spot Shinji, who was sitting cross-legged on a bench with a laptop. He was typing, occasionally stopping to write something in the notebook seated neatly beside him. Even from afar, Oleander could tell that his blue-clad friend was focused. But that focus was broken once Shinji looked up and spotted his approach. He beckoned him over with a wave of his hand.
"What's up, brother?" Oleander greeted, meeting his friend with a fist bump.
"Not much, just doing some final touches on Banner's assignment about the history of alchemy and how it influenced modern science." Shinji then turned his attention to Sadie. "And who's this?"
"Nice to meet you; my name is Sadie Agawa. I'm Oleander's coworker in the card shop." She politely introduced herself by clasping her hands together and bowing respectfully.
"Since when do you work there?" Shinji questioned, shifting his gaze to meet Oleander. The Duelist gave him a noncommittal shrug in response. "By the way, man,” Shinji remembered, “I gotta tell you something crazy that happened this morning!"
Shinji then explained that during his breakfast he got harassed by a group of Obelisk Blue students mocking him for losing against a Slifer Red, only for Chazz Princeton himself to put an end to their little clowfest by putting them in their place. Oleander's jaw practically hung wide open; he knew he made a somewhat good impression on Chazz, but he wasn't expecting him to go out of his way to defend his friend.
But Oleander severely doubted that he did something like that out of the kindness of his heart; he probably did that out of respect. Now that he thought about it, this Chazz acted a lot more like his version in the manga than the one in the anime.
And that was for the best; while Oleander loved to watch Chazz's antics in the anime, he'd rather have the stick-in-the-mud, no-nonsense version of the manga for a number of reasons. Chief among them being the fact that manga-Chazz was more than willing to work together with others if that meant saving the world from certain doom, not to mention the guy took things a lot more seriously.
“I’ve been meaning to ask," Shinji closed his laptop to devote his full attention to the purple-haired duelist. “how did your duel against him go down?”
“Obviously, I lost,” Oleander said with a weary sigh before it crumbled away as he puffed his chest. “But I put on quite a good fight.”
“If his retelling is to be believed, our purple-haired friend here pushed Chazz to allegedly use the true ace of his deck," Saide chimed in while clasping Oleander on his shoulders.
"You're telling me that Armed Dragon Thunder isn't his ace?!" Shinji questioned while looking positively shocked by the revelation. "Now you gotta tell me!"
"It was a card called Light and Darkness Dragonlord, a monster capable of negating any card once per chain at the cost of losing Attack," Oleander explained as he watched his friend scramble to write something in his notebook.
"Man, Bastion is going to lose his mind once I tell him about that card," Shinji remarked with a smile as he opened his notebook yet again to type something.
Ah yes, the titular Bastion Misawa, a character that had large amounts of potential for being the only person to actually play the game in a competitive manner but who got shafted in season 2 and completely forgotten about in season 3. Oleander still remembers the disappointment he felt upon seeing Bastion's fall from grace.
"Sadie and I were about to go to class. You wanna join?" Oleander wondered, nodding toward the building.
"Yeah, just a moment..." Shinji typed a few more things, checked his notebook, and then started typing again. After a moment, he pressed enter and closed the laptop with a satisfied smirk. “Alright, let’s go.”
[Central Academy Main Building - Classroom #4 - 6:57 AM]
Contrary to the schoolyard, the classroom was nearly empty, with the only living souls being Oleander’s group and Crowler, who was sitting at his desk signing some papers.
Upon hearing the door opening, the Obelisk Blue headmaster lifted his head, and his neutral expression quickly morphed into one of surprise upon locking eyes with Oleander, who admittedly was pretty weirded out.
Both student and teacher remained locked in the sudden staring contest, with Crowler occasionally breaking eye contact to furiously rub his eyes before opening them again.
“A Slifer Red, in my class this early?” The words stumbled out of his mouth.
And at that very instant, a very mischievous idea sprouted on Oleander’s skull: time to earn some brownie points.
“You see, doctor Crowler, I came to the realization that I can’t slack in class anymore." Oleander started while putting on his best act “Especially a class as important as yours.”
The purple-haired duelist launched his friends a side-eyed glance, and although confused at first, they quickly caught on to what Oleander was trying to do.
“That’s right, doctor, Oleander here asked me some tips and tricks on how to duel like a true Obelisk Elite,” Shinji chimed in while flashing the man a charming smile.
“He even sought me out to help him turn in some assignments because, in his own words, he refuses to remain a slacker forever." Sadie also butted in while wrapping an arm around Oleander's shoulders and pinching his cheek.
“I never thought I'd see the day w-where..." His words were cut off as his emotions finally got the better of him, and soon enough his eyes started to water. “Excuse me.”
Crowler hurriedly got up from his desk and made a mad dash out of the classroom, tears of joy staining his pristine blue uniform. Once he left the classroom for good, the trio devolved into a fit of laughter.
"And that, my friends, is the textbook definition of bootlicking." Oleander bragged as he took one of the empty seats near the top of the class before placing his feet on top of the table.
Sadie and Shinji gave their purple-haired friend a little round of applause, which only served to inflate his ego even further.
"Keep it up, and he just might call you by name," Shinji remarked while taking his seat.
"Please remind me to buy a lottery ticket when that happens." Sadie chime in.
[2 Hours Later]
Crowler returned to the classroom, and this time it was nearly filled with students, so adjusting his blazer, the Obelisk Headmaster recovered his usual demeanor of superiority as he walked down the steps.
Upon passing by the table Oleander was sitting at, he couldn’t help but smile. Never in all of his twenty years at that wonderful institution did he think he’d see the day when a Slifer Slacker would start to take their studies seriously. Crowler was about to have a wonderful day ahead-
Crowler was so caught up in his little moment that he didn't notice a sleeping Jaden had his foot in the middle of the steps, causing him to fall face-first into the floor with a loud thump that was drowned by the laughter that erupted.
And just like that, all of his excitement and good mood were gone, all because of that slacker!
[Central Academy Main Building - Card Shop - 10:34 AM]
After class, Oleander was idly leaning against the wall outside of the employee locker room, whistling the theme of Dragon Ball GT as he waited for Sadie to change into her uniform. Scanning the card shop, he saw that people were already starting to pour in; some went for the shelves while others were busying themselves, trying their luck in pulling the elusive Golden Eggwich to no avail.
"Sadie, are you done?" Oleander asked while lightly knocking on the door.
"Almost, this damn bra...!" She complained with a frustrated grunt.
Shrugging, Oleander went back to do what he was doing, and after a few moments, the door opened and out walked Sadie, who did her best to smooth out some spots on her uniform but stopped to look at the purple-haired duelist.
"I'm so sorry, My bra it..." She trailed off as he offered; he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"No biggie," He said with a good-natured smile before peering over her shoulder. "But if I were you, I would hurry; there's already some people wanting to buy stuff." He pointed at a line of students that was starting to form at the cash register.
Sadie quickly made her way towards where the line was forming, leaving Oleander to enter the locker room. Walking around a bit, he quickly spotted a locker with his name on it, and upon opening it, he was met with the sight of a brand new uniform.
It consisted of a white shirt with the Central Academy boarded on the chest area; beside it was a dark blue apron accented with vertical red stripes; it even came with a little butterfly bow tie to boot.
[15 Minutes Later]
Oleander strolled out of the locker room, making no effort to hide the swagger in his walk—something that didn’t go unnoticed by Sadie.
"Hello, my considerably less fashionable co-worker." The purple-haired duelist greeted her while leaning against the counter. “Where is my illustrious presence needed?”
“You really think you got some kind of game, don't you?" She arched an eyebrow.
"What can I say?" He swept his purple locks backward. "The ladies absolutely love a sharp-dressed man."
"Okay, Narcissus, now would you be so kind and restock those shelves?" She nodded toward a group of shelves that were practically empty.
"Consider it done, bosslady," he winked at her while pointing two finger guns and clicking his tongue twice, which finally broke her straight face.
Oleander’s shift went by in a blink of an eye as he did everything one could imagine: he mopped the floor, helped the occasional student reach for something on a higher shelf, and even used some flattery language to convince people to buy cards that they may or may not need.
And now the purple-haired duelist found himself swiping the floor but he stopped upon feeling a top on his shoulder, upon turning around he saw Sadie who was holding two little boxes stacked on top of one another.
“Lunch time~” She sang while lifting the boxes to emphasize her point “I had no idea what you liked so I made something simple”
“You just saved me a trip all the way to the Slifer Red Dorm” Oleander responded in a grateful tone as he took one of the bentos in his hands.
“So, how’s your first day been treating you thus far?” She inquired as the two of them started to make their way to the employee break room.
“It has been a blast, I always enjoyed this kind of job if I’m being honest”
Arriving at the door of the break room Oleander did a whole song and dance of opening and allowing her to go in first in an over exaggerated display of chivalry.
Although entering the room, they found Ms. Dorothy frantically pacing back and forth, muttering something about a chicken and golden eggs under her breath.
“What’s wrong, grandma?”
Upon spotting her two employees, she let out a weary sigh. Carefully removing her straw hat and looking at the two of them with a somber look.
“Our prized golden egg-laying chicken was..." She triled off as she gulped, “Kidnapped!”
Sadie’s jaw hit the floor as she dropped her bento box, spilling the contents on the floor. Oleander, on the other hand, was utterly confused by what he just heard.
“I’m sorry, but did you say we have a golden egg-laying chicken?” He said it very slowly, hardly believing in his own words.
“Yes, that chicken was genetically modified to lay golden eggs,” Dorothy explained as she rested her straw hat on the table.
Oleander stood a good few seconds with a dumbfounded expression plastered on his face; what really struck a nerve was how casually she dropped that information.
...then again, Kaiba Corp. is no stranger to doing crazy things because who could forget the time they launched cards into outer space or that time where the company’s CEO literally broke the laws of life and death to play a card game with a pharaoh?
"But anyway, I made my way to the chicken coop to collect the egg, only to find that someone had broken into it." The older woman sat on the chair with a downtrodden expression.
"Don't worry, grandma." Sadie walked to where the older woman was sitting and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "We will find Leslie and make the culprits pay dearly for what they did." She added the last part with a menacing growl.
"I'm calling Shinji; we have better chances to find dearest Leslie with an extra pair of hands." Pulling out his PDA, he quickly sent a text to his blue-clad friend.
"You two are truly wonderful," Dorothy said while nuzzling in her granddaughter's embrace.
"Now, you still look a bit rattled, and I got just the thing." Oleander declared while setting his bento in front of his boss, "Eat and take a nap; you're going to feel better."
"What about you?" Sadie questioned with a bit of concern.
"Don't worry about me; I'm built differently." He proudly declared by puffing his chest and doing his best to ignore the rumble from his stomach. "It wouldn't be the first time that I skipped lunch."
"I'm sure your parents are proud of you." Dorothy said in a grateful tone, "They have every reason to be."
"Thanks..." Oleander responded in an awkward manner while rubbing his arm, but the awkwardness was cut short when he felt a vibration coming from his pocket. Pulling his PDA, he smirked, "Shinji said he's in."
"So, what are we waiting for?!" Sadie, without warning, grabbed Oleander by his arm and practically dragged him out of the card shop, leaving Ms. Dorothy alone to enjoy her meal.
[Central Academy Outskirts - Chicken Coop - 11:11 AM]
Oleander, Sadie, and a newly recruited Shinji were searching in and around the coop. While the two boys searched the inside, Sadie took it upon herself to scan the outside, and to say she was going through would be an understatement.
“Damn, she’s determined." Shinji wryly commented as he watched Sadie effortlessly climb a tree.
"That's an understandable reaction if I'm being honest." The purple-haired duelist commented while running a hand through the coop's door frame to try and find any signs that it was forced open.
"I'm honestly more surprised she's capable of doing all that while wearing heels and a mini skirt."
"That's girl power for you." Oleander joked before getting up, "Well, from what I can tell, the door wasn't forced open."
"And the windows don't show any sign of forced entry either." Shinji hummed, "Are we sure that Ms. Dorothy wasn't careless and accidentally left the door open?"
"From what I understood of the situation, Leslie was already missing by the time she arrived."
"I found something!" Sadie's voice echoed from the forest, causing the two boys to rush out of the coop.
Meeting with her, they saw that she was standing over a bunch of footprints that led deeper in the forest. While a bit hard to tell at first, Oleander could say that there are at least three people.
"Let me test something." Shinji, without waiting for a response, crouched down and pressed his fist near one of the footprints, and upon removing them, he nodded to himself, "These footprints are fresh, meaning they can't be that far away."
Without saying another word, Sadie took off running in the supposed direction of Leslie's kidnappers, leaving Oleander and Shinji flabbergasted before themselves rushing after her.
"Seriously, how can she run this fast in a forest!?" Shinji questioned while already sounding out of breath. "And I would like to remind you that she's wearing heels!"
"When a woman sets her sight on something, it's nearly impossible to stop them!" Oleander rebuked, "That's what my dad used to tell me at least!"
"Less talking and more running!" Sadie barked, causing Oleander and Shinji to flinch.
[Central Academy Outskirts - Harbor - 11:29 AM]
After what felt like an eternity, the trio finally arrived at a point where the footprints stopped; however, they weren’t necessary as near the middle point of the harbor they could see a trio of people cladded in leather jackets holding a distressed Leslie.
“Stop!” Sadie roared before breaking into yet another mad dash, causing Oleander and Shinji to groan in agony as they followed after her.
The culprits turned their heads just in time to see an absolutely enraged Sadie making a B-line in their direction, the killing intent exuding from her.
"Crap!" The one with violet hair cursed as he and his comrades broke into a run.
"You can't escape me!" Sadie shouted from the top of her lungs, "I will chase you all down to the ends of the earth!"
The chase continued with Sadie rapidly closing the distance between herself and Leslie's kidnappers; once close enough, she pounced at one of them, causing him to crash face-first into the ground and giving his two other comrades pause.
That gave enough time to Oleander and Shinji to catch up with the others; the Obelisk Blue looked ready to collapse at any moment.
“Okay, how about everyone calm down?” Oleander raised his arm while placing himself between the two groups.
Now that everyone was mostly piped down, he managed to get a good look at the culprits, and what immediately stood out were the matching leather jackets more fit for cold climates as opposed to the tropical climate of Central Academy.
“You guys are not from these parts, are you?” Oleander questioned while cupping his chin thoughtfully.
"N-no" The guy with orange hair confirmed with a meek voice, "We come from North Academy."
"Come on, O'hara, don't give us away!" The other one had violet hair, and most likely, the group's leader berated the now-named O'hara.
"And what do you want me to do, Iggy?!" O'hara questioned indignantly while motioning to his friend, who was still pinned down by Sadie, "They got Michael on the ground like an animal."
"H-help..." Michael pleaded, which quickly morphed into a whimper as Sadie forced his head on the pavement.
"Aren't you guys located in the, you know, far north?" Shinji questioned after recovering enough strength to talk.
"We came here via submarine," Iggy confidently declared.
"Wait, you guys know how to operate a submarine?" Oleander asked, absolutely gobsmacked.
"No, Michael is the only one that knows how to pilot one of those things," Iggy quickly clarified.
"Okay, so why did a bunch of teenagers pick a submarine to travel God knows how many miles in order to steal a genetically modified chicken?" The purple-haired duelist questioned, hardly believing the absurdity of the situation.
"Isn't it obvious?" Iggy raised Leslie above his head with a confident smirk. "To deal a blow to the academy's morale!"
Silence hung in the air as Oleander stared Iggy dead in the eyes with a blank expression. The stare caused the air of confidence exuding from the North Academy student to vanish in an instant.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Iggy awkwardly asked.
"I'm going to speculate that it's related to the interschool dueling tournament, correct?" The purple-haired duelist questioned as he arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah, that, and we also heard rumors about how delicious the golden egg sandwiches are," O'hara meekly chimed in.
"You idiots kidnapped my grandma prized chicken because of a stupid tournament?!" Sadie questioned, causing Michael to squirm under her.
"But that's beside the point," Iggy stated with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I have a suggestion; I will duel against one of you three, and the winner gets to keep the chicken; how does that sound?"
"Or you can just hand Leslie back to us, and I don't snap your friend's spine in two; how does that sound?" Sadie rebuked while pressing her palm against the pinned student's back.
"A duel sounds fantastic!" Oleander exclaimed with his most charming smile, which faltered somewhat as he felt Sadie's death stare was focused solely on him. "Now before we begin, allow me to speak with my associates to discuss who will duel who."
Without waiting for a response, Oleander grabbed Shinji and, along with Sadie, hunched down for a private conversation, as private as one could get with a terrified student being pinned down by his coworker's heel.
"Okay, Oleander, may I know why we are playing along with those clowns?" Sadie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I have to agree with her," Shinji butted in. "For all intents and purposes, we have the upper hand in every conceivable way."
"Simple, where's the fun in that?" Oleander rhetorically asked with a sly smile, "We already have thwarted their plans; beating them in a duel would be rubbing salt on the wound." His gaze then shifted downwards to the terrified student. "And if all else fails, we can still strongarm them into giving Leslie back to us."
"I want to be the one to do the deed." Sadie sternly declared, "And I won't take no for an answer."
Smiling Oleander broke their little planning session to turn his attention back to Iggy, who was trying to pet Leslie—only for the chicken to snap at him every time his finger got too close for comfort.
"Okay, we decided who will be your opponent." With an air of confidence to match that of Seto Kaiba himself, Oleander pointed at Sadie, "She will be your opponent."
Iggy internally cheered. While it is true that his knowledge regarding Central Academy's ranking system was severely lacking, he knew for a fact that unlike the boys, the girls were automatically placed in Obelisk Blue, which meant that his soon-to-be opponent might not even be that good at the game to begin with.
“O’hara, go fetch the duel disks." Iggy urged his friend, who scampered off toward the submarine. “Anything you’d like to say before we start this duel?”
“Make your peace with whatever god you worship." Sadie ominously declared
"Shinji, can I ask you something?" Oleander whispered in his friend's ear.
"Sure, what 's up?"
"Do you think it is weird that I find Sadie's display of violence extremely attractive?" He inquired while a light blush appeared on his cheeks, "Like, I wasn't expecting such a well-mannered person like Sadie to be like that." He bit his lower lip, mulling over his words, "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."
"Sounds like you discovered your type of woman, my friend." Shinji remarked with a knowing smile and a wise nod.
Although they were talking in a hushed tone, Sadie did manage to catch on to what Oleander said, and if it wasn't for the rage she was feeling at that moment, she would blush. But she would worry about that later, because one of Iggy's goons finally returned carrying two North Academy-issued duel disks.
They looked like the normal academy-issued ones, though they did carry some notable differences, namely the North Academy logo instead of the Central and how the pristine silver painting seemed to be peeling off, revealing a more dark-colored metal underneath it.
"Alright, thanks, O'hara." Iggy patted his tired friend on the back before snatching the duel disks and offering one of them to Sadie, who snatched it from his hands.
Both youngsters were now in position. The blue jewel in their duel disk beeped in unison before turning a vibrant red, announcing the start of a...
Duel!
Iggy Arlo: 4000 Life Points
Sadie Agawa: 4000 Life Points
“I will go first!” Iggy proudly declared as he yanked his first card “Draw!”
Turn 1: Iggy’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6
“Time to show you the superiority of the North Academy!” He picked a card from his hand and slapped on his Spell/Trap Zone “And I will begin with Feast of the Wild LV5; this bad boy allows me to Special Summon a level 5 Warrior-Type monster from my hand, but its effects will be negated.”
“Say hello to Kaiza the Hidden Star (ATK:1000/DEF:2100)!" From a flash of light, a warrior cladded in spiky green armor brandishing a curved sword emerged. Once fully materialized, the warrior kneeled down to assume a defensive stance.
“Now that I have Special Summoned an EARTH monster, I will be able to call forth another warrior!” He picked a third card and slapped it on his duel disk. “Come forth! Senko the Skybolt Star (ATK:2400/DEF:0)!” Another warrior appeared; this one cladded in simple Japanese-style armor, and in his hands he wielded a pike.
“And now I will set two face-downs." He slid two more cards in his Spell/Trap Zone. “And that’s it for my turn.”
"That's a big monster to have." Sadie commented in a monotone voice, "Almost like you're trying to compensate for something."
"W-what?!" Iggy sputtered while looking positively aggravated. "In that case, I want to see you do better!"
"With pleasure," She quickly rebuked as she drew her card.
Turn 2: Sadie’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6
“I will begin by discarding Hecatrice from my hand." She revealed the card in question before discarding it: “I will now be able to search Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." She picked an ejected card and immediately placed it on her Spell/Trap Zone.
From behind Sadie, the remains of a throne room materialized; although the ruins looked abandoned for quite some time, there was no denying the comforting atmosphere it had.
“Thanks to Valhalla’s effect, I am allowed to Special Summon a Fairy-Type monster so long as my Monster Zones are empty." She idly explained as she picked another card and placed it on her field, “And I will Special Summon Tethys, Goddess of Light (ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800).”
A beam of light erupted behind Sadie; from it a beautiful woman appeared, her pristine white hair flowing on the sea breeze. She gently smiled at Sadie while spreading her wings.
“I’m now all set for my next play." Picking another card, she slid on her Spell/Trap Zone. “I will now use Pot of Greed; you already know what it does." She picked the two cards from the top of her deck and yanked them.
At that moment, Tethys’ wings started to glow as soon as Sadie added the cards to her hand. Wordlessly, the enraged employee picked a card from her hand and revealed it to Iggy, the card in question being Darklord Ukoback.
“Since I drew a Fairy-Type monster, Tethys allows me to reveal that monster in order to draw one more card." She placed Ukoback on her hand to draw an additional card.
“If you think I will let that thing remain on your field giving you free cards, you’re sorely mistaken!” Iggy roared as he pressed a button in his duel disk. “I will use the Trap Card known as Expandable Dai; by tributing Kaiza, I’m able to destroy your Goddess of Light!”
Kaiza got up and assumed a more offensive stance before he lunged at Tethys, bringing his sword down on a massive arc. In response, the Goddess of Light clasped her hands together, infusing them in light before herself charging at Kaiza.
Both monsters were destroyed upon collision, with bits and pieces of Kaiza’s armor showering Iggy’s side of the field while feathers fell on Sadie’s side of the field.
“Color me mildly impressed; you actually have critical thinking." She arched an eyebrow in a fleeting moment of awe before picking a card from her hand: “I will now Normal Summon Darklord Ukoback (ATK:700/DEF:1000).”
From the skies another angel descended; this one, however, unlike Tethys, wasn't as angelical; its wings were colored in a deep crimson color, and his body was adorned with ebon armor held together by chains.
“Upon summoning, Ukoback allows me to send a Darklord from my deck straight to the graveyard." She picked a card and flipped it into view. “And I choose to send Darklord Superbia.”
“You sent a powerful monster to the graveyard." Iggy shook his head. “Beating you will be easier than I tough.”
“If you were half as good as you proclaim yourself to be." Sadie spoke up, “Then you would know that the graveyard is often referred to as a duelist’s second hand.”
“But arguing with you is a wasted effort." She concluded with a weary sigh while setting a card face-down. “Get it over with already.”
“Alright, you asked for it!” Iggy yanked his card in an exaggerated fashion “Draw!”
Turn 3: Iggy’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 1 → 2
“Show her who’s the boss, Senko!” The North Academy student roared as he pointed at Ukoback. “Strike that thing with—”
Before he could give the command, however, he was interrupted when Ukoback erupted into a flash of light as the diminutive fallen angel lunged at Senko, obliterating itself and the warrior.
“By sending a Darklord from either my hand or field to the graveyard, Darklord Rebellion allows me to destroy a card on the field." Sadie explained matter-of-factly as she motioned to the revealed card.
“Then I will end my turn with a face-down." Shinji picked a single card from his hand and slid onto his Spell/Trap Zone. “Do your worst.”
"Even that might be too much for you," She taunted while drawing her card.
Turn 4: Sadie’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 4 → 5
“First I will use Allure of Darkness; I will draw two cards." She drew her cards before selecting a card from her hand and revealing it: “And now I banish Darklord Asmodeus to pay the card’s cost." A dark miasma consumed the revealed card before it vanished.
“Now, I will use Foolish Burial in order to send Darklord Edeh Area from my deck to the graveyard." She picked the recently ejected card and dumped it on a shallow grave that opened in front of her.
“I’ve now assembled all the pieces needed to destroy you." She put an emphasis on ‘destroy’ to get her point across, and judging by Iggy’s alarmed expression, she did so successfully.
“Here’s the card known as Darklord Contact; it allows me to Special Summon a Darklord from my graveyard in defense." She slapped the card on her duel disk, causing a card to be ejected from her GY. “And I choose to bring back Darklord Superbia (ATK: 2900/DEF: 2400)!”
A pillar of purple light erupted behind Sadie; from it another fallen angel emerged; this one was a bit more abstract as its body was encased in ebon armor similar to Ukoback; the angelical being spread its crimson wings and let out a screech.
“Upon being Special Summoned from my graveyard, Superbia will resurrect a fellow Darklord." She picked another card from her GY and slapped it on the field: “And I choose to resurrect Darklord Edeh Area (ATK: 2300/DEF: 2000).”
A second fallen angel rose from the ground; this one, however, had a much more goolish appearance with its sickly blue skin.
“Attack Edeh Area!” Sadie commanded with a sharp motion of her hand, causing the zombified angel to lunge at the defenseless Iggy.
“Oh no, you won't!” The North Academy student roared as he pressed a button in his duel disk, flipping one of his set cards. “I use the Negate Attack; this beauty negates your attack!”
"Why are you explaining what that card does?" Oleander finally spoke up with an incredulous expression.
"I mean, every time we use a card, we explain the effect," Iggy turned to face the purple-haired duelist. "It's kind of an unwritten rule."
"But was it really necessary to clarify that Negate Attack...negates an attack?" Oleander asked while speaking very slowly to make sure he got his message across.
"But that's the first time he used that card in the duel," O'hara perked up in defense of his friend.
"Oleander, sweet heart, don't you see that arguing with these buffons is a sisyphean task?" Sadie bluntly stated.
"Sorry, it won't happen again." The purple-haired duelist meekly said while practically shrinking on the spot.
"Anyway, I will end my turn” Sadie declared with a dismissive wave of her hand “You’re up, go”
"With pleasure!" Iggy proudly declared while drawing a card in an overexaggerated fashion.
Turn 5: Iggy’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 1 → 2
“Get ready, because the true duel begins now!” Iggy roared as he held his recently drawn card above his head. “And this card will turn things around!”
“Are you done with your bad stand-up session?” The card shop employee asked as her expression went from bored to annoyed, “If you’re going to play the card, then play the damn card already!”
"Jeez, take a chill pill." Iggy rolled his eyes in an unamused fashion. "Ever heard of spectacle?"
"Ever heard of a sucker punch?" Sadie rebuked, "Because if you don't play that card already, you gonna know."
"Violent woman, got me weak on my knees," Oleander silently remarked to Shinji, earning himself a sympathetic pat on the back from his blue-cladded friend.
"Okay, no need to get more violent." The North Academy student quickly inserted the card in his Spell/Trap Zone: "I will use the card known as Card of Demise, allowing me to draw until I have five cards in my hand!"
Iggy - Cards in Hand: 1 → 5
“You’re so done for,” Iggy declared as he picked one of his freshly drawn cards and jammed in his Spell/Trap Zone. “I will use a second copy of Feast of the Wild LV5; this time I will Special Summon TWO monsters!”
“I Special Summon Kaiki the Unity Star (ATK: 1000/DEF: 2100) and Kaiza the Hidden Star (ATK: 1000/DEF: 2100)!"
In front of Iggy a great pyre suddenly lit up, and from the flames two figures appeared, one of them being Kaiza with his once spotless green armor now displaying a few dents here and there, and a new warrior cladded in a dark blue armor with a gaping mouth in his midriff session. On his back were two batons.
"I will now use Polymerization!" He revealed the familiar card, and like clockwork, the two warriors started to glow in an ethereal red and blue light. "I will fuse these two brave warriors to bring a true legend of the battlefield!"
A purple vortex surrounded the glowing warriors, leaving only their glowing silhouettes visible, which were merged into one another, creating a single silhouette glowing with purple energy.
"Bear witness to the legendary Idaten the Conqueror Star (ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000)!"
The vortex dissipated, and in the place of the two warriors now stood one, Idaten, cladded in regal armor; in his hand he wielded a mighty trident. Another thing that stood out was his sheer size and how he towered over Sadie's monsters.
"Idaten, show her why you were awarded with the title of conqueror!" Iggy punched the air in front of him, "Destroy Edeh Area with Starfall Strike!"
Idaten started to levitate as he aimed his trident at Edeh Area, his weapon glowing with shimmering white and black energy that jumped onto the ghoulish fallen angel and brought it to his knees.
"When battling with a monster with a level equal to or lower than his own, Idaten reduces your monster's attack points to zero!"
"What!?" Sadie questioned incredulously as she looked at her monster and how its attack points started to crash down all the way to zero.
[Darklord Edeh Area - ATK: 2300 → 0]
With an earth-shaking battlecry, Idaten hurled the trident at the weakened angel, striking it in the chest and impaling it against the lighthouse, the shockwave from the attack nearly causing Sadie to lose her balance.
Sadie Agawa: 4000 → 1000 Life Points
“I will now set, one card face-down” Iggy smugly declared “And that’s it for my turn”
“You have angered me greatly” Sadie spat as she whipped the corner of her mouth before drawing her card.
Turn 6: Sadie’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 4 → 5
“I play the card known as Banishment of the Darklords; this allows me to add any Darklord from my deck straight to my hand." She darkly explained as she pulled the ejected card, “And I chose Darklord Desire.”
"I will now tribute Superbia in order to Tribute Summon Darklord Desire (ATK: 3000/DEF: 2800)."
A fourth angel descended from the heavens, cladded in the Darklord's signature ebon armor; however, unlike his fellow fallen angels, whose armors were adorned with silver details, his was adorned with golden details, and his hands were clasped in two massive bladed gauntlets.
“I call it foul!” O’hara roared outraged. “She summoned a level 10 monster with a single tri-”
“Darklord Desire can be summoned by tributing one Fairy-Type monster I control." Sadie quickly explained before turning her hateful gaze toward O'hara. “And if you value that mouth of yours, I would keep it shut.”
O'hara quickly closed his mouth before moving behind Oleander and Shinji for protection. Seemingly satisfied, Sadie turned her gaze back to her opponent.
"By reducing Desire's attack points by exactly one thousand, I can send Idaten to the graveyard." She snapped her fingers, causing Desire's body to be enveloped in a sinister aura.
The aura wormed its way across the field until it started to envelop Idaten, who, despite his best efforts, was unsuccessful in getting rid of the aura and thus was completely consumed by it.
[Darklord Desire - ATK: 3000 → 2000]
“S-she got rid of Idaten in one turn!” O’hara sputtered from where he was hiding.
“You’re now wide open for an attack” Sadie menacingling remarked as Desire flew past her as it lunged at Iggy, slashing at him.
Iggy Arlo: 4000 → 2000 Life Points
Wordlessly Sadie picked a card from her hand and crammed in the Spell/Trap Zone, even with the lack of words it was obvious that she was done with her turn.
Steading himself, Iggy took a deep breath before yanking his next card without much fanfare.
Turn 7: Iggy’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4
Card of Demise Countdown: 5 → 4
“I use the Trap Card known as Necro Fusion!” Iggy roared as the card in question appeared: “I will now banish Idaten and Kaiki in order to Fusion Summon Idaten’s ultimate form!”
The ghosts of Idaten and Kaiki materialized themselves behind Iggy, their forms shimmering with blue and red light. Their forms started to distort as they started to merge the reds and blues, converging until they became a purple vortex with two red eyes peering from it.
“Bear witness to a warrior with an unquenchable lust for battle!” Iggy opened his arms wide. “Appear before us, Shura the Combat Star (ATK: 0/DEF: 0)!”
The vortex dissipated, and in its place the imposing sight of Shura stood. The massive warrior cladded in a purple armor that seemed to be a mishmash of various other pieces; he had four arms, two of which were being used to carry a gigantic staff.
“Why didn’t you summon that thing on my last turn?” Sadie bluntly asked, seeming unbothered by the gigantic warrior staring down at her.
"Wait what?" Iggy questioned as his shoulder sank downwards, his confidence having been shattered once more. "What do you mean?"
“Had you used Necro Fusion on my Battle Phase, you wouldn’t have lost half of your life points,” Sadie explained as if she were talking to a child.
“But Shura has zero attack points!” Iggy motioned to the imposing warrior, “You telling me you wouldn’t attack an easy prey?!”
“And walk into an obvious trap?” Sadie arched an eyebrow. “Not a chance.”
“You know, now that Iggy mentioned that, it is an awfully common occurrence that people attack into zero attack monsters, completely disregarding their effects,” Shinji noted toughfully.
“It does happen a lot, huh?” Oleander chimed in. “You’d think people would be more careful, but apparently not."
"Just spill the beans on Shura's effect," Sadie impatiently demanded while tapping her foot on the ground.
"At the beginning of the Battle Phase, Shura will reduce the attack points of all your monsters to zero, and if they battle, they will gain attack points equal to their level x200," Iggy begrudgingly explained.
"Iggy forgot to activate Necro Fusion, didn't he?" O'hara peeked from where he was hiding, staring at the field with a downtrodden expression. "Of course he did." He shook his head.
"You were supposed to be on my side, O'hara!" Iggy indignantly roared at his fellow North Academy student, who squealed as he hid himself behind Oleander and Shinji once more.
"Back on track with the duel; I will use the Trap card known as Banishment of the Darklords; I can target a monster on the field, negate its effects, and gain Life Points equal to its attack." Her gaze landed on Shura. "Since your monster has no attack, I won't recover anything."
Sadie pressed a button on her duel disk, revealing the card in question, which quickly dissipated into golden and red wisps of light that enveloped Shura, dispelling the menacing red aura that surrounded the monster.
"I will set two cards face-down," Iggy said between clenched teeth. "You're up, go!"
"In a rush, are we?" Sadie sarcastically noted as she took her sweet time drawing her card.
Turn 8: Sadie’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 4 → 5
“Desire, get rid of that eyesore” She snapped her fingers, causing Desire’s body to be enveloped in the same sinister aura.
“Oh no you won’t!” Iggy snapped as he jabbed a button in his duel disk
“I use the Solemn Judgment; by paying half of my Life Points, I will not only negate Desire’s effect, but destroy it!” He explained as a golden aura started to emanate from the revealed card, sapping Iggy’s Life Points.
Iggy Arlo: 2000 → 1000 Life Points
A bolt of lightning fell from the heavens, striking Darklord Desire straight in the forehead. The fallen angel roared in pain before being disintegrated, leaving nothing but a charred spot where he once stood.
“But it’s not over yet!” Iggy roared as he jabbed two other buttons in his duel disk, causing his remaining Trap Cards to reveal themselves.
“First I will activate Darkness Half; by targeting my highest attack monster; in this case, Shura, I can "reduce" its attack points in half in order to Special Summon two Dark Tokens (ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000) to your side of the field!"
Shura roared as a dark smog shot from its body and landed on Sadie's field, where it took the form of two shadowy creatures of vaguely humanoid shape.
"And the second card is called Dark Tournament; what this card does is it changes all monsters you control into attacks and forces them to battle against me!" He explained with a cocky grin.
With the combination of Shura, Darkness Half, and Dark Tournament, Iggy was set to win! It was the perfect combo; there's nothing she could.
"Is that all?" Sadie unamusedly asked as she eyed her new monster with mild interest.
"Say what?" Iggy asked, his confidence having been shattered for a third time.
"I will take that as a yes." Sadie casually picked a card from her hand. "That was one hell of a convoluted combo; it would be a shame if I dismantled with only two cards."
"I will now summon the Condemned Witch (ATK: 100/DEF: 2000)." She calmly announced while placing the card in her Monster Zone.
From a flash of purple light emerged what seemed to be yet another fallen angel; however, unlike the Darklords, she looked worse; her skin and hair being sickly pale, her robes tattered, and her wings seemed to be falling apart.
"Upon being summoned, she allows me to add a "Forbidden" Quick-Play Spell from my deck to my hand." Sadie picked an ejected card. "And this one card will seal my victory; I will use Forbidden Droplet!"
"By discarding any number of cards, Forbidden Droplet allows me to target the same amount of monsters and strip them of their effects."
Sadie discarded a card from her hand, and from the heavens above, a single blue droplet landed on Shura's helmet, causing the warrior to let out an ear piercing shriek as its effects were yet again stripped.
"Impossible," Iggy fell to his knees, utterly dejected. "My ultimate combo, destroyed so easily?"
"Finish this duel," Sadie coldly said as one of the Dark Tokens lunged at the weakened Shura, punching a hole through the giant warrior's armor, causing him to tumble and fall on the ocean.
Iggy Arlo: 1000 → 0 Life Points
Sadie Agawa: 1000 Life Points
Winner: Sadie Agawa
The holograms barely started to disappear before Sadie started to walk toward her defeated opponent, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. She effortlessly lifted him off his feet.
"You lost; now return Leslie, and I won't rearrange your face," Sadie demanded in a menacing tone.
"O'hara, hand the chicken already!" Iggy hurriedly barked the order as he tried and failed to free himself from Sadie's iron grip.
O'hara dashed toward Sadie, with the chicken in his hands. With a huff, she dropped the terrified Iggy to the ground before gently picking the chicken.
"There there, it's okay." She spoke in a soft tone while stroking Leslie's Crisalis. "I'm here; they won't hurt you again." She brought the chicken close to her face in order to embrace her.
"Can we go now?" Iggy hesitantly spoke up.
"You have ten seconds to get your sorry asses off my island," Sadie spoke, returning to her menacing tone.
"W-wait, where's Michael?" O'hara noted while looking left and right, unable to find his friend.
His response came in the form of a loud horn; upon turning back, he saw that the submarine was already activated, with Michael sticking from the hatch and frantically waving at his two friends to hurry. Getting the message, O'hara and Iggy made a mad dash toward the submarine.
"That was certainly one of the days of all time." Oleander idly remarked as he watched the two students jump on the submarine, which quickly submerged itself. "Not a bad way to start my first day."
"I owe you two a lot," Sadie turned to face her friends, having returned to her usual self in a blink of an eye. "I will make sure that grandma rewards you two handsomely."
"No need for that." Shinji dismissively waved her off with a good-natured smile. "You did most of the work; we were just along for the ride."
"Oh no, I don't want any of that humble act; you two took time out of your day to help me and grandma."
"Well, we accept some Golden Eggwich as rewards," Oleander chimed in with a knowing smile.
"You got it!" Sadie winked at him before starting to make the trek back toward the Academy Main Building, but she stopped to face Oleander, a light blush creeping on her cheeks. "By the way, I heard what you said about me, Oleander." And with that, she quickened her pace, leaving a flabbergasted Oleander.
"So munch for secrecy, eh Oleander?" Shinji poked his friend with his elbow, letting out a belly laugh as the purple-haired duelist fell to his knees while covering his face.
"She's not going to let me live that one down, will she?" He peeked between his fingers.
"Nope." That's all Shinji said before himself making his way toward the Academy Main Building.
Oleander sighed as he recomposed himself. Talk about one hell of a way to begin your first day on the job.
[Author Notes]
Hey there folks! It’s ya boy Mac!
I decided to write this chapter as a way to not only establish Oleander’s gang (who will have a fourth member added in the future) but also as a way to give both my readers and myself a bit of breathing room after the bombastic last two chapters.
I am still debating with myself whether or not I should make the next chapter about the Titan Episode or if I should introduce the final member of Oleander’s little groupie.
Anyhow, that’s if, folks! Don’t forget to leave a review containing criticism and/or suggestions! I read all of them!
Mac sign’ out!