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Chapter Text

[Central Academy Island - Slifer Red Dorm - 8:45 AM]

It was a beautiful day; birds were singing', flowers were blooming, and a gentle breeze swept across Central Academy Island, causing the trees to gently sway back and forth. The sunlight kept creeping up until it illuminated a particular room in the Slifer Red Dorm and right into the eyes of an unsuspecting boy.

He tossed and turned for a few minutes before a groan escaped his lips. Begrudgingly, he got up from his bed and, with no small amount of effort, dragged himself toward the bathroom. Once inside, he picked up the toothbrush and toothpaste, which were sitting unceremoniously at the sink's edge, and got right on to getting rid of that morning breath.

Or rather, he would’ve if he hadn’t dropped both objects as he stared at his reflection; instead of being met with himself, he was instead looking at a boy who seemed around 15 years old; his violet hair ended in blue highlights, and his crimson-colored eyes were wide in shock.

He hurriedly stumbled back into his room. Now on high alert, he quickly noticed that he wasn't in a hospital room but rather in a rather barren small bedroom. Swallowing hard and steading his breath, his eyes started to scan the room, and soon they laid on a particular object that he never thought he would see in person, a duel disk.

Waking over to the contraption, he quickly recognized it as a duel disk from the GX-era. He picked up the machine and lifted it, surprised at how light it felt.

Upon further inspection, he noticed a deck neatly placed on its respective slot, and so he placed the duel disk back in the wooden desk and removed the deck to go through it, his eyes widening as he quickly recognized the cards. It was a Predaplant deck, complete with a pristine copy of Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, who was sitting at the top of the stack of cards.

He settled the deck down with shaky hands as he yet again started to look around the room, his gaze resting upon a poster depicting none other than Seto Kaiba with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon proudly standing behind him.

And that's when the realization finally fell upon him as he sank to his knees: he had somehow made his way to the world of Yu-Gi-Oh GX. He started to shake from head to toe as a gigantic smile carved itself across his face. It took absolutely every ounce of will for him to not start jumping and cheering.

Taking a deep breath, the purple-haired interloper managed to calm himself, though admittedly he was still a bit gigiddy.

Once he was back on his feet, he proudly walked over to the bathroom for a long and thorough bath; he needed to make a good first impression after all.

[10 minutes later]

Fresh out of the bath, the purple-haired interloper was now sitting on his bed tying up his shoes. His outfit of choice was a pair of ripped black jeans alongside a simple white T-shirt, and to top things off, he put on a pair of purple shoes.

Walking over to his closet, he was delighted to see a fresh Slifer Red jacket waiting for him. As soon as he placed the jacket, he felt something in its pocket. Burying his hand in the jacket’s pocket, he pulled a strange device that vaguely resembled a cell phone.

He pressed one of the buttons on the side, causing the screen to come to life.

Welcome to your Kaiba Corp issued Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Student Name: Oleander Hemlock
Student ID: 77826734

Dormitory: Slifer Red
Date: 01/04/2004

“Oleander Hemlock…” He muttered his name under his breath; if memory didn’t fail him, oleander is an extremely venomous plant. He snorted in amusement before shoving his PDA back in his pocket as he walked to the door ready to take the new world by storm.

[Central Academy Main Building - Classroom #4 - 9:55 AM]

Arriving at the classroom, every student turned to face Oleander, who simply gave them a nervous little smile before plopping himself down on a random vacant seat near some Ra Yellow students.

“May I know why you arrived so late?” Crowler stopped writing on the chalkboard to give the purple-haired duelist a side-eye glare.

"Well, it’s not like the Slifer Red Dorm is on the other side of the island." He commented in an off-handed way, causing the Obelisk Blue headmaster to audibly huff in frustration before turning his attention to the chalkboard.

But he suddenly stopped as he turned to face the class with a big smile stamped on his face, though it somewhat faltered as he laid eyes on Oleander.

"I have a better idea; since this is the first day in the school year, why don't we kick things off with a duel?" He clasped his hands together and hummed in a manner as pleasant as glass shattering.

"Looks like we are indeed going to kickstart the year with a clowfest." Oleander remarked while resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

They were then rounded up by Crowler, who led them deeper and deeper into the building. Some were chattering while others were quietly following the Obelisk Blue headmaster, Oleander, who meanwhile was looking left and right with childlike amusement.

So much so that he didn’t notice when his fellow students all stopped moving, causing him to bump into a girl that was standing in front of him, causing her to drop the book she was holding.

"I'm so sorry, I was a bit distracted and..." He crouched down to pick and deliver the book.

"Don't worry about it; accidents happen." She reassured him with a dismissive wave before taking the book from his hands, but stopped after taking a good look at his face. "You're that boy that arrived late, aren't you?"

"Mayhaps," Oleander answered in a nonchalant way while stuffing his hands in his pockets. "The name is Oleander Hemlock, by the way." He extended a hand.

"Sadie Agawa, nice to meet you." She took the extended hand in a firm grasp and shook it.

Oleander rooked his brain back and forth after hearing the name, and that's when he remembered she was that girl who worked at the card shop alongside that old lady, Ms. Dorothy.

"Nice to meet you too; now I would love to talk some more, but I think it's time for me to face whatever Crowler has in store for me." He spoke with a slightly despondent tone.

"I wish you luck; he's famous for dishing out extra hard punishments, especially when there's a Slifer Red involved." Sadie gave him a final nod before walking away and disappearing in the small crowd.

[Central Academy Main Building - Dueling Arenas #1 - 10:00 AM]

The students were all assembled at the stands with all the Slifer Reds filling the bottom rolls, followed by the Ra Yellows and Obelisk Blue in the upper rolls. Crowler, meanwhile, was holding a stack of papers with the names of all students in his class.

“Very well, students, pay attention because I will only explain this once." He snapped his fingers, getting the universal attention of all the students, with the exception of a certain Slifer Red with hair in the shape of a Kuriboh who was busy dozing off.

“Whoever name I call here has to make their way to the Duel Field." He motioned to one of the many empty fields, “And you will duel against another student." He lowered his head and started to run a finger through the paper.

“Oleander Hemlock and Shinji Abiko, please step forward." Crowler loudly announced while making no effort in hiding his gigantic grin.

The students in question rose from their seats and started to make their way toward the designated field. Oleander couldn’t help but notice the Obelisk Blue uniform that his opponent was wearing.

“Make sure to put on a great performance for your peers” Crowler gave each student a little pat on the shoulder before urging them to take their place on the opposite sides of the Dueling Field.

Once on their respective side of the field both students drew their starting hand as the jew on the center of the duel disk went from blue to red.

Duel!
Shinji Abiko: 4000 Life Points
Oleander Hemlock: 4000 Life Points

“I will go first!” Shinji declared while yanking a card from his deck.

Turn 1: Shinji’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6

“Let’s kick things off with a personal favorite of mine." He picked a card and slid it in his Spell/Trap Zone, “The Spell Card Gold Sarcophagus." Above his head, a see-through visage of the sarcophagus appeared.

“This bad boy allows me to banish any card from my deck, and then after two turns that card will be added to my hand." A card ejected from his deck, but instead of slipping into his pocket, he instead smirked while revealing the card.

“Kaitoptera’s effect activates if it is banished; I will be able to Special Summon it!” He then slapped the card on his duel disk, Monster Zone, causing a pterodactyl to emerge from a flash of bright light.

The dinosaur spread its wings while letting out an ear-piercing screech, causing everyone to cover their ears, except for Oleander, who couldn’t hide the big stupid smile on his face.

“Talk about lateral thinking; you bypassed Gold Sarcophagus’ waiting time." He cupped his chin while whistling all the while his smile grew wider by the second.

"I'm an Obelisk Blue; what did you expect?” Shinji scoffed while tilting his head to the side.

Oleander was about to respond but decided against it, his reasoning being that maybe it is not the best of ideas to make an enemy out of the Obelisk Blue on his very first day.

“But I digress. Kaitoptera’s effect while face-up on the field allows me to add Polymerization from my deck to my hand." A card ejected from his deck, but instead of adding to his hand, he opted to play it right away.

“I will now fuse Kaitoptera with the Carboneddon in my hand.” Kaitoptera took flight hovering just above Shinji’s head while a see-through visage of Carboneddon appeared beside it.

Both monsters started to glow in an ethereal red and blue light, respectively, before being sucked into a swirling portal. Shortly after another pterodactyl descended from the portal, this new dinosaur was significantly bigger, and instead of a screech, it let out a ground-shaking roar.

“Say hello to Horned Saurus!” Shinji roared as the black dinosaur stood proud above its master.

“Horned Saurus allows me to Normal Summon a Dragon-Type or a Dinosaur-Type monster from my hand." He picked a card and slapped it on a spot near Horned Saurus. “Say hello to Divine Dragon Ragnarok!”

Horned Saurus’ eyes flashed with green energy as another flash of light emerged beside it. The light transformed itself into the shape of a traditional Chinese dragon, the dragon’s long body shimmered in golden light.

“And now I will use Carboneddon’s effect to Banish itself from my Graveyard to special summon a level 7 or higher Dragon-Type Monster from my deck in defense position." A card ejected from his deck, which he promptly placed on his duel disk.

A dark and oppressive smog seeped from the tiles on the arena, and from it emerged a serpentine dragon with scales as black as the night sky. The creature narrowed its red eyes as it and Oleander locked eyes.

“I will now set one card face-down." He picked a card from his hand and slipped in his Spell/Trap Zone causing a giant hologram to manifest by his feet. “I end my turn.”

“Okay here goes” Oleander took a deep breath before drawing his own card, he had to admit it did feel cool doing all of those exaggerated maneuvers when drawing.

Turn 2: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6

Oleander analyzed his hand, his eyes sparkling with amusement; though his hand could’ve been better, he wasn't about to complain.

"Okay, I will begin by activating Foolish Burial!” He played the card, causing a shallow grave to appear before him. “This card allows me to send a Monster from my deck to the Graveyard” He picked a card that was ejected and dropped on the open grave, which closed itself after swallowing the card.

"Now Byblisp’s effect activates from my grave, it will allow me to add any Predaplant Monster from my deck to my hand." A flower bloomed from the grave, revealing Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio’s card resting at the very center of the flower.

Oleander snatched the card, causing the flower to quickly wither away, disintegrating into nothing a few moments later.

“Now I will summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio!” Oleander slapped the card, causing a plant creature in the shape of a scorpio to burst from the ground.

“When Scorpio is summoned, I can discard a Monster Card." He revealed Predaplant Moray Nepenthes before dumping it, “To Special Summon another Predaplant straight from my deck”

Ophrys Scorpio’s sting started to bulge, and soon the monster shot a batch of seeds that burrow themselves. A few moments later another plant monster, this time resembling a twin-headed snake, appeared.

“Welcome Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra!” Oleander opened his arms wide as the twin-headed snake snarled at Shinji’s monsters.

“And here’s Cobra’s effect; this bad boy searches Polymerization when it’s summoned through the effect of a Predaplant Monster” Cobra spat a singular seed that bloomed into a gnarled-looking flower with Polymerization hanging from its petals.

Oleander snatched the card, and just like Shinji, he immediately played it, causing Scorpio and Cobra to glow in the same ethereal blue and red light before being sucked by the swirling portal that opened itself above his head.

The sportal spat a giant wiggling mass of vines and flowers; the biggest flower of them all bloomed to reveal rolls of sharp teeth as the monster let out a terrifying roar.

“Say hello to Predaplant Chimerafflesia!” Oleander smirked then took a more menacing air to it: “I will now use Chimerafflesia’s effect to banish a monster you control with a level equal to or lower than my monster.”

“Wait what?!” Shinji's eyes went wide as he watched Chimerafflesia extend its vines to envelop Serpent Night Dragon, devouring it whole.

“Now let’s battle!” Oleander snapped his fingers, causing the plant amalgamation to lunge at Divine Dragon Ragnarok. “And here comes Chimerafflesia’s second effect; it steals 1000 Attack Points from any monster it battles!”

A red aura surrounded the radiant dragon, causing its light to become weaker, while a blue aura surrounded the plant monster, strengthening it.

[Predaplant Chimerafflesia - ATK: 2500 → 3500]

[Divine Dragon Ragnarok - ATK: 1500 → 500]

The attack was successful. Chimerafflesia enveloped the dragon so tightly that the sounds of its bones breaking were heard and felt by those present, causing a few people in the audience to visibly shudder and others to outright faint.

Shinji Abiko: 4000 → 1000 Life Points

“I will now end things with a simple face-down." He wiggled the card he was holding before setting in his Spell/Trap Zone.

“I gotta say." Shinji finally spoke as he recovered himself from the shock. “You have some fancy techniques; you’re pretty good.”

"Aw, stop it, you’re making me blush." Oleander waved him off as he felt his cheeks getting redder.

“As you wish." He shrugged before drawing his card.

Turn 3: Shinji’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4

“I will first use my set Fusion Reverse!” The card revealed itself, causing a projection of King Dragun to appear above the card. “I will now be able to Special Summon one of the materials listed on that card.” He nodded toward the projection before picking a card from his deck and slapping in his Monster Zone.

The card in question turned out to be yet another copy of Divine Dragon Ragnarok; however, what caught Oleander’s attention was the green light emanating from Shinji’s GY.

“Now I will be able to recycle Polymerization." He picked the card and immediately afterward played it: “I will now fuse Divine Dragon Ragnarok and Alexandrite Dragon!”

The dragons in question were consumed by a flash of light, and in their place remained a singular dragon, its body so big that it coiled around the arena; its dark blue scales emanated with a dark energy.

“Say hello to the First of the Dragons!” The dragon roared as its master proudly announced its name: “And this bad boy can’t be destroyed by battle against Effect Monsters nor is it affected by their effects.”

“But I’m far from done." He picked another card in his hand and slid it in his Spell/Trap Zone. “I use Double Evolution Pill!”

“I will now Banish Kaitoptera and Divine Dragon Ragnarok." He removed the cards from his GY before shoving them in his pocket. “I will now be able to Special Summon a Level 7 or higher Dinosaur-Type monster from my hand or deck, ignoring its summoning conditions.”

The ground shook, and with an earth-splitting roar, a black Tyrannosaurus emerged. The mighty dinosaur looked left and right before locking eyes with Oleander, who gulped nervously when the cretacian creature licked its lips hungrily.

 “Time to battle!” Shinji roared the command and in responde First of the Dragons unleashed a massive torrent of flames.

“I activate the Trap Card Impenetrable Attack!” Oleander hurriedly activated the button to use his set card “And I choose to make Chimerafflesia immune to battle destruction!”

A translucent barrier formed around the plant amalgamation keeping it safe from the flames, however the same couldn't be said for Oleander who was grazed by the attack.

Oleander Hemlock: 4000 → 3800 Life Points  

Shinji clicked his tongue now he couldn’t attack with neither Horned Saurus nor Black Tyranno lest he’d trigger Chimerafflesia’s ATK stealing effect.

“I will set one face-down and that’s it” He placed a card in the Spell/Trap Zone.

“Okay, time to put the pedal to the metal!” Oleander exclaimed while drawing his card.

Turn 4: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4

“Go Chimerafflesia!” Oleander shouted the command as the plant monster lunged at Horned Saurus.

“I activate the Trap Card Burst Breath!” Shinji roared as the card revealed itself. First of the Dragons spewed yet another torrent of flames, this time aiming at the ground, incinerating every monster, including itself.

Once the smoke had cleared, all that was left were a few clumps of ash, which were promptly scattered away as a light breeze rolled around.

“And here I was thinking I had it in the bag,” Oleander lamented while shaking his head in a disappointed fashion, but he ultimately shrugged.

“You need a lot more than that to take me down,” Shinji responded back with a smirk of his own.

“Ah well, I will settle with Normal Summon Predaplant Spinodionaea." He picked the card and played it, causing a plant monster that resembled a spinosaurus to emerge from the ground.

“And I will set one card face-down." Another card was picked this time being placed in the Spell/Trap Zone.

Shinji took a deep breath and yanked another card smiling as he recognized it, closing his eyes he took a deep breath, time to show why he deserves to wear that blue uniform.

Turn 5: Shinji’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 1 → 2

“I will begin by activating Pot of Greed!” The Obelisk Blue declared as he jammed the card in his duel disk.

“What does it do?” Oleander playfully asked.

“It allows me to draw two cards,” Shinji quickly explained while drawing the aforementioned two cards.

“Second, the Continuous Spell Future Fusion!” He played the card, causing a bunch of skyscrapers to rise from the ground. “I will send from my deck to the Graveyard the materials for a Fusion Monster." Amidst the skyscrapers, the holographic projection of the Five-Headed Dragon appeared as Shinji dumped five cards straight into his GY.

“Third, I will use Dragon’s Mirror!” As he revealed the card, a mirror adorned with imagery of dragons appeared: “I will now Banish 5 Dragon-Type Monsters to Fusion Summon my strongest monster!”

The glass of the mirror started to warp as the shadowy visage of the dragon in question appeared; the glass exploded in a flash of purple light, causing Oleander to shield his eyes.

Once he lowered his duel disk, the purple-haired duelist found himself staring at a gigantic dragon with five heads. He locked eyes with Spinodionae, who looked positively mortified.

“This is going to hurt..." He braced himself as Five-Headed Dragon reared its heads back before unleashing a torrent of elemental attacks, obliterating Spinodionae and causing Oleander to crash on the floor.

Oleander Hemlock: 3800 → 600

Oleander sat up and immediately proceeded to spit a mouthful of water. He had to admit he wasn't expecting that level of realism; he could taste the seawater!

“Now what will you do?” Shinji rhetorically asked as he smirked proudly.

“I’m going to win this duel!” Oleander proudly declared after picking himself off the ground and yanking a card from his deck.

Turn 6: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 2 → 3

“I will use the Trap Card Predaplanning!” Pressing a button in his duel disk caused the card to reveal itself: “By sending a Predaplant Monster from my deck straight to the grave, I will place a Preda Counter on all face-up Monsters on the field." He slid a second copy of Byblisp in his GY.

Five-Headed Dragon roared as its chest was busted open by a flower that once bloomed revealed a batch of eyes.

“What does that thing do?” Shinji asked while recoiling in disgust as green muk seeped from the plant’s eyes.

“Other then reduce your monster’s level to 1, not munch." Oleander’s smirk suddenly became a lot more predatory. "However, I am going to use that counter in tandem with another card.”

He picked a Monster Card thanks to Byblisp’s effect; he then proceeded to immediately slap the aforementioned card on his field, causing yet again another plant abomination to emerge from the ground, this one resembling an iguana.

“Predaplant Chlamydosundew has a very quirky effect; I can use this little guy." He motioned to the sleeping iguana lying by his feet, “To Fusion Summon a Dark-Attribute Monster without needing to use Polymerization”

“A walking Polymerization…” The Obelisk Blue’s expression became a lot more serious; he could only imagine what his opponent was about to bring.

“But who should I use for the fusion?" He hummed toughfully to himself before snapping his fingers and giving his opponent a vicious smirk. “I know, I will use YOUR Five-Headed Dragon!”

“Y-you what?!” Shinji took a few steps back, completely flabbergasted by what he heard.

He wasn't alone; Crowler and his fellow students were floored by the effect of a monster capable of using the opponent's monster to perform a Fusion Summon.

"Chlamydosundew, do your thing!” Oleander snapped his fingers, causing the sleepy iguana to wake up, its eyes sparkling with purple energy.

Both monsters were transformed into two trails of red and blue light that orbited around Oleander, his eyes glowing with violet energy as above him a shadowy visage of a dragon formed above him.

With a deafening roar, the visage erupted in violet light; once the light faded, everyone bore witness to the new creature on Oleander’s field.

“Say hello to Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!” The purple-haired duelist announced as the violet dragon lowered itself on the ground in a low stance, ready to pounce at Shinji.

“Attack with Ravenous Burst! ” Oleander roared the command right as Starving Venom unleashed a blast of violet energy from its maw engulfing his opponent.

Shinji Abiko: 1000 → 0 Life Points
Oleander Hemlock: 600
Winner: Oleander Hemlock

The holograms faded, and the class was in complete and utter silence. Not only did they witness a Slifer Red defeat an Obelisk Blue, but they also defeated said Obelisk Blue by using their own monster against him.

“Well, talk about a way to start the year." Oleander broke the silence while deactivating his duel disk and dusting his hands. He walked over to where his defeated opponent lay and offered him a helping hand.

“How the hell did you end up in Slifer Red?” That’s all Shinji managed to say before taking the helping hand.

"Ah, you know, stuff of life." He pulled the defeated Obelisk onto his feet and even made sure to dust him off a bit. “Sorry if I was a bit rough with you toward the end.”

“Don’t worry about it; it’s all part of the experience." Shinji shifted his grip on Oleander’s hand to turn into a handshake. “And that was one hell of a duel.”

“I think that was enough for one day; class dismissed." Crowler waved the students off before hurriedly making his way out of the arenas.

Oleander and Shinji exchanged contacts and a few more pleasantries before each going their separate ways. The purple-haired duelist had a certain spring to his step as he made his way through the halls. It was a good day.

[Central Academy Outskirts - Reject Well - 0:00 AM]

Moonlight illuminated the damp walls of the Reject Well, a somewhat famous location where unwanted cards were discarded by their previous owners and as such became a hub for Duel Monster Spirits.

However, that night the very air inside the well felt different, as if there was a presence that wasn't there before, and whatever it was had the other spirits absolutely terrified.

And that’s when it, or rather she, appeared right on the spot where the moonlight was cascading; it was a female humanoid figure, her body glowing with an unnatural dark blue akin to that of the night sky; her silver hair and cape, which seemed to depict the very stars, flowed like water behind her.

On her right hand she held a staff composed of pure light in the shape of a grandfather’s clock hourhandle; her silver eyes were focused on the moon as if waiting for something.

“So it has begun yet again." She spoke in a solemn tone before vanishing into thin air, causing the atmosphere inside the well to return to normal.

Yet none of the spirits dared to show themselves for the rest of the night, some even being unable to sleep altogether.

Chapter Text

[Central Academy Main Building - Classroom #4 - 9:00 AM]

A month had passed since Oleander had “enrolled” in Duel Academy, and he had to say it was not what he was expecting; it was essentially school if said school revolved around a children’s card game.

Though to be fair, the anime barely, if at all, focused on the educational aspect of Duel Academy to focus on Jaden’s wacky shenanigans.

And speaking of the kuriboh-haired slacker, Oleander didn’t have a chance to speak with him, which was a bit weird since he was sure that someone like Jaden who lives and breathes Duel Monsters would be hounding after the purple-haired duelist after his duel against Shinji.

Shinji turned out to be a pretty chill guy; unfortunately, he tends to be extremely busy with extracurricular activities to hang out with Oleander, but the few times they did were a blast.

“Syrus Truesdale, could you please explain to the class what a Continuous Spell is?” Crowler stared at the blue-haired boy dead in the eyes, causing him to flinch.

Oleander then bore witness as poor Syrus just stood there frozen in place, trying and failing to get the words out, causing him to become a laughing stock for the Obelisk Blue.

“Forget it, Miss Rhodes, could you be so kind and remind us what a Continuous Spell is?” He turned to face the blonde in question, his tone of voice being a lot more calm.

“It is a type of card that remains in the field after being activated." Alexis rose from her seat to give the explanation.

“I expected nothing less from someone like you,” Crowler praised her while clasping his hands together.

"Wow, she knows basic text interpretation; what a genius,” Oleander nonchalantly commented while twirling a pen between his fingers.

“What was that?” The Obelisk Blue headmaster asked while looking positively aggravated.

“I said she’s a shiny example that all students should aspire to be." The purple-haired duelist lied while giving his teacher a shit-eating grin.

“Good to see that at least one slacker knows what they’re talking about." Crowler turned to face the chalkboard, but before he could write anything, the bell rang.

"Syrus Truesdale I expect a 10-page report on the story of Continuous Spells is on my desk  tomorrow." The Obelisk Blue Headmaster added, causing the Slifer Red in question to visibly deflate.

The class started to disperse; some students opted to immediately leave the classroom while others chose to stay to chat with their friends. Oleander chose to do the latter; he took out his deck and started to go through the cards, smirking once he reached Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.

Though the analysis of his deck was cut short when a shadow blocked the light, upon turning his attention upward, he was met with Alexis Rhodes and her friends looming over him.

“Let me guess; you heard what I said, didn’t you?” He leaned on his table while resting his chin on the back of his hands.

“Every word,” the blonde confirmed while crossing her arms.

"Well, I didn’t mean to offend, but you have to agree with me that Crowler praising you for the most basic understanding of the game is a bit idiotic." He shrugged while giving her a grin.

"Yeah, I do, but you could’ve been a bit nice, you know?” She tilted her head to the side.

“But it wouldn't have been as fun." He countered while his grin became a lot more smug, though it somewhat faltered after he checked his wristwatch. "Well, I would love to stay and talk, but I got some stuff to do." He collected his deck and swiftly left the classroom.

“What a weirdo.” Jasmine commented, and Alexis couldn't help but agree with her orange-haired friend.

[Central Academy Main Building - Card Shop - 9:13 AM]

Oleander decided to spend the free time he had before PE class by checking out the academy’s card shop, and he was not disappointed by what he saw.

Shelves filled to the absolute brim with all sorts of cards and structure decks, all in the most pristine condition one could imagine, not to mention the inviting aroma of Ms. Dorothy's famous sandwiches.

There was even a machine where one could punch a card code, and the machine would give them the card, provided the person had the Duel Points to spend.

And speaking of them, Duel Points (or DP for short) are the currency used; there are two ways of gaining those oh-so precious DPs.

1. Every student gets an allowance, the amount of which depends on their dormitory, meaning an Obelisk Blue will get a bigger allowance when compared to a Slifer Red.
2. Duels also reward students with DP depending on how well they performed; there was even a challenge tab that would reward extra DP if the student performed a certain task, for example, winning without losing any Life Points and so on.

It was very reminiscent of how things worked on the Tag Force games, said games that Oleander played to hell, and back on his previous life to the point where he was sure that the image of the deck building screen was permanently burned into his PSP screen.

But back to the topic of DP, normally Oleander wouldn't pay too much attention to that sort of stuff; his Predaplant deck was pretty stacked; however, he quickly changed his mind when he saw a copy of Aleister the Invoker on one of the shelves.

Now he wasn't the kind of person that would keep up with the releasing schedule cards, but he was pretty sure that a card like that was released in the 2010's.

And Aleister wasn't the only modern cards—Shaddolls, Dragon Rulers, even Nekroz—meaning it wouldn't be farfetched to assume that if cards like those were in circulation, the bad guys like the Shadow Riders would also have more updated decks.

And Oleander would be damned if he allowed a geriatric old man to use those knock-off versions of the Egyptian God Cards to end the world just because he doesn't want to be old again. And while he wasn't worried to face the likes of Don Zaloog or that Abidus guy, the same couldn't be said for the likes of Camula and Nightshroud because of the amount of support that Vampires and Red-Eyes received, not to mention Camula's Gate of Illusion.

In other words, he was on a bit of a timed schedule; he needed to upgrade not only his deck but the main cast too, because it's like the old saying goes, "Prevention is better than cure.".

But right now he needed to find a way to not only make contact with the main cast but also earn brownie points with them so they see him as an ally, and he was presented with the opportunity because, if memory didn't fail him, that whole situation with Crowler asking Syrus about Continuous Spells was the beginning of the episode where Jaden and Alexis duel on the lake near the Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm.

Now all he needed to do was somehow insert himself in that situation in a natural manner.

“Pretty cool to look at, huh?” A voice spoke behind Oleander, snapping him from his brainstorming session.

Turning around, the purple-haired duelist was met with none other than Sadie, who was wearing her employee uniform; she was holding a mop in her hands.

“Yeah, where I come from, we don’t have a selection this big, much less in such pristine condition.” He remarked while picking up a copy of Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon.

She was about to say something, but a yawn interrupted her before she could begin the sentence. Upon closer look, Oleander noticed the bags that were starting to form under her eyes.

“Are you okay?” He asked while placing the card back on the shelf. “You look like you’re about to fall over.”

“Sorry about that." She rubbed her tired eyes in an attempt to stave off the sleepiness. “I barely had time to sleep these last few days.”

“Then why don’t you ask Ms. Dorothy for some off time?” He questioned while crossing his arms. “I’m sure she would understand.”

“And let my grandma deal with this year’s legion of students?” She shook her head. “No way, don’t worry about me; I can handle a few more–”

Before Sadie could complete her sentence, she lost balance on her mop. Oleander quickly grabbed her before she could fall face-first into the floor.

“Where’s the employee break room?” The purple-haired duelist asked while looking around, trying to spot the aforementioned room.

"Behind the counter." She trailed off when she realized she was still in Oleander's embrace. "You can let go now; I can still walk."

Oleander eased his embrace, allowing her to stand upright again. She wobbled a bit but eventually managed to stabilize her footing.

The duo made their way to the break room, and upon arriving, Sadie practically threw herself face-first onto the couch, only looking up when Oleander offered her a cup of coffee as he took a seat next to her.

The next few moments were spent in silence that would be occasionally broken by the sound of Sadie sipping on her drink; eventually she finished her coffee with a weary sigh.

"Thanks for helping me." She leaned back on the couch.

"No worries," Oleander waved her off. "So this year's batch of students."

"You have no idea." Sadie ran a hand across her face. "Grandma tried to talk with Chancellor Sheppard to see if he could assign more staff, but had no luck."

Ah yes, the titular Chancellor Sheppard, a guy who infuriated Oleander to no end when he watched the anime; he is the definition of incompetence; his feats include but are not limited to handing the Spirit Keys to a bunch of teenagers and, by extension, painting a giant target on their back, allowing a literal cult to remain in the academy, and who could forget that whole situation with Professor Viper?

How he managed to keep his job for as long as he had was a mystery in itself since Kaiba is the kind of person to literally fire a guy because he designed a bottle that bended too easily.

“So what’s the plan?” He leaned against the armrest of the couch. “Because as things stand, you’re going to hurt yourself if you continue like this.”

“Grandma did put on a help-wanted plaquette, but not a single soul has volunteered themselves.”

Oleander was about to open his mouth until he heard the bell ringing, signifying that it was time for his PE class.

"Well, the free period is over, so why don’t you..." He trailed off when he noticed she had fallen asleep.

Getting up from the couch, the purple-haired duelist eased the tired employee into a more comfortable position while taking the empty cup from her hands. Searching the room, he couldn’t find anything to cover her.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully until he looked down at his jacket. Well, if Chazz could walk around in that black trench coat after his soul searching in North Academy, then there would be no trouble with him walking around without his jacket.

Besides, he’s a Slifer Red, so who cares?

[Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm Outskirts - Forest Trail - 22:21 PM]

The chill wind of the night swept across the forest, causing Oleander to shiver while hugging his sides. Apparently, students only got one free uniform if one wanted an extra or had to replace their uniform for whatever reason they had to pay, not in DP but in real money.

And with that in mind, Oleander decided to simply suck it up and brave the cold night; he snuck out of the Slifer Red Dorm to make sure he’d bump into Jaden when he was dashing through the forest.

And speaking of the devil, the purple-haired duelist spotted the kuriboh-haired duelist making a mad dash through the forest, and now all Oleander needed to do to insert himself into that situation was to simply step forward and...

“Ugh!”

“Ack!”

Both youngsters grunted as they crashed onto the ground.

“What the…” Jaden rubbed the front of his head before suddenly stopping as he noticed Oleander, who was lying on his back. “I’m so sorry!”

The HERO user scrambled to help Oleander back on his feet, and once uptight, Jaden made sure to dust him and fix his hair for good measure.

“What’s the hurry?” The purple-haired duelist questioned while tilting his head to the side.

“My bro Sy has gotten himself into some trouble, so I’m rushing to help him!” Jaden hurriedly explained

“He wouldn’t happen to have blue hair and wear small glasses, would he?” Oleander cupped his chin.

Jaden's answer was to simply nod furiously in a display that had Oleander containing a chuckle; he always liked Jaden's childlike antics.

"I was curious where he was going; you don't mind if I tag along, would you?" The purple-haired duelist squinted his eyes while a sly smile appeared on his lips. If Jaden was anything to go by, the answer would surely be a–

"Yeah!" The Slifer Red pumped his fist high in the air "Welcome aboard!"

[Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm - Lake - 22:30 PM]

Oleander and Jaden’s boat silently drifted across the thinly fogged lake; although the purple-haired duelist knew for a fact that nothing supernatural would happen, he still felt a bit on edge, like he was being watched.

He pushed those toughs to the back of his head as the boat with Alexis, her two friends, and poor Syrus, who was tied up, appeared into view.

“I vividly remember telling you to come alone,” Alexis chided.

“Sorry, I bumped into him on the way here,” Jaden explained with a jovial little laugh.

"Bumped him on the path?" Jasmine questioned with a voice full of suspicion, "So he too was making his way here?"

“I saw Syrus sneaking out of the dorm and decided to follow him." Oleander smoothly lied while crossing his legs. “Turns out this little late-night excursion is about to become a whole lot more interesting.”

"Whatever," Alexis shrugged before crouching down and untying Syrus, who wasted no time in scrambling to Jaden's side, clinging tightly to his friend.

"So care to enlighten us on what's going on?" Oleander asked while shifting his position until his chin was resting on the back of his hand, "Because judging by your expression, I will take the wild guess and say you're not about to let them go scott-free."

"Oh yeah, I hadn't told you." Jaden nervously laughed as his cheeks blushed a bit. "Alexis said that she will let us go if I beat her in a duel."

"I will make the assumption that if you lose, she's going to report this incident," Oleander hummed to himself as Jaden nodded.

The purple-haired duelist turned his head to face the blonde, his eyes intently scanning her face; eventually he simply started giggling while shaking his head.

"Didn't your parents teach you that lying is wrong?" Oleander clicked his tongue while shaking his head in a feing display of disappointment.

"Excuse me?" Alexis asked while looking truly taken aback.

"You heard me right, you're lying." Oleander got up and motioned to Jaden, who was busy comforting a still rattled Syrus. "Wherever he wins or loses, you're not going to report anything; you're using this situation as an excuse to duel against Jaden."

"Psh, yeah, right," Mindy scoffed with a smug expression that quickly felt apart as she noticed Alexis' shocked expression.

"How can you tell?" The blonde shot back, earning yet another smirk from the purple-haired duelist.

"I may not know the whole situation, but I do know that this is all one big misunderstanding." Oleander once again sat back down while leaning on the boat. "And you strike me as a reasonable person."

Silence hung in the air for a few moments as Alexis and Oleander were both locked in a staring contest.

"You really threw a wet blanket on my plans; did you know that?" She shook her head, but she smiled regardless. "But you’re right, I never had any intention to get them into trouble."

"So you're not going to report me?" Syrus asked while whipping away the tears that began to form on the corner of his eyes.

"No, I'm not going." She then nodded toward her friends, "And neither will them, right?"

Neither Jasmine nor Mindy spoke; instead, the duo decided to simply nod before sitting on the boat, looking positively downtrodden.

"By the way, Lexi, regardless of whether you're going to report me or not," Jaden got into position and activated his duel disk. "I will still take you on."

[Slifer Red Dorm - Oleander’s Room - 6:33 AM]

Beep…Beep…Bee–

Oleander’s hand came crashing down on the alarm clock. Getting up from the bed, he looked out the window. Even though Oleander, Jaden, and Syrus returned to the Slifer Red Dorm close to midnight, the purple-haired duelist was feeling refreshed.

Jumping out of bed, Oleander started to make the preparations to take the day by storm.

He stopped upon hearing a knock on his door. Curious, he peered over the small window into the outside, but alas he wasn't able to discern who it was, and so opening the door, he was surprised to see Sadie.

She looked a lot better, with the bag under her eyes being barely noticeable; in her arms she was holding Oleander’s Slifer Red jacket.

“What pleasure do I owe you?” The purple-haired duelist inquired while fixing his messy hair and shooting her a charming smile.

“I came here to deliver this to you.” She stated while giving Oleander his jacket.

Now that he was holding it, he couldn’t help but notice how soft it felt in his hands, not to mention the lovely aroma oozing from it.

“I don’t remember it smelling this good." He then shot her an inquisitorial look. “You wouldn’t happen to know why, would you?”

"Maybe a thankful employee gave it a good wash to show her gratitude?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully before shrugging. "But who knows, I'm right?"

"If you do find this thankful employee, tell her that she has my thanks." He paused for a brief second, mulling his words. "Also tell her to take it easy on the card shop, would you?"

"Okay, all jokes aside, I wasn't expecting to find you up so early." Sadie remarked while leaning on the doorframe, her gaze peering inside his room.

"Early bird catches the worm; beside, I want to get on Crowler's good graces, so you know." Oleander trailed off with a nonchalant shrug. "Might as well start acting like a model student."

"Say, Mr. model student, you wouldn't mind having some company on the way to the main building?" She fluttered her eyelashes.

“Of course not; just give me a few minutes, and I will be ready.” That’s all Oleander said before slamming the door shut.

Setting his freshly washed jacket down, the purple-haired duelist rubbed his hands together in a satisfactory manner; his week just kept getting better and better by the minute.

Calming himself down, Oleander quickly made his way to the bathroom, because if there’s one thing his father made sure to drill into his skull back is that when a lady asks you to accompany her, you must be at your best.

Though as soon as he remembered his dad, all his enthusiasm was almost immediately replaced with melancholy; he had been so caught up in the excitement of being in the world of one of his favorite anime that he forgot about his family back home.

He sighed while shaking his head. There was nothing he could do to change things as they stood, and besides, it’s probably for the best—either this or rot on that accursed hospital bed while cancer ate away at him – it’s for the best.

…Right?

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…

Chapter Text

[Central Academy Outskirts - Harbor - 21:45 PM]

Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 reared its head back before unleashing a massive torrent of blue flames enveloped in golden electricity at Oleander and Predaplant Chimerafflesia.

Once the electrified flames made contact with their target, they exploded, creating a shockwave so powerful that it shook the trees and caused the light from the lighthouse to flicker for a few moments before going back to normal.

Chazz now stood triuphamply with a smirk plastered across his face, but his cockness was replaced with mild surprise as he looked at his opponent’s Life Points

Chazz Princeton: 4000 Life Points
Oleander Hemlock: 1000 Life Points

Turning his head from his duel disk to the spot where the attack landed he saw as the dust settled Oleander was still standing, with a translucent barrier surrounding him, in front of him now stood a trap card.

Defense Draw

Chazz cocked an eyebrow, but he kept his cool. While Defense Draw did save his hide, he still lost a monster, and beside Armed Dragon still had some nasty surprises he was sure was going to catch the slacker off guard.

“Delaying the inevitable, are we?” The snob questioned as he pressed a button in his duel disk, revealing a trap card. “So be it; I will use Armed Dragon Thunderbolt.”

Armed Dragon roared as its power level rose to new heights, sparks of electricity jumping everywhere, causing the lighthouse to malfunction yet again.

“For every Armed Dragon monster with a different name in my graveyard, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 will gain 1000 attack points.”

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - ATK: 4000 → 9000]

“Next I will use Dragon Shrine to send a dragon on my deck to the graveyard!” Chazz exclaimed as he picked a card from his deck and dumped it.

“I will now use Knight Armed Dragon effect from my graveyard." Chazz announced as a green aura enveloped Armed Dragon, “Since it was sent to the grave, I can boost the attack of a monster I control by 1000.”

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - ATK: 9000 → 10000]

“Next I will play Card of Burial Magic." Three cards ejected themselves from Chazz’s GY. “By banishing three spell cards, I can draw two cards." The three cards in question vanished into thin air as the snob drew his cards.

“And finally, Pot of Avarice!” More cards ejected themselves from his GY—five cards to be exact. “By shuffling five monsters from my grave into the deck, I can draw two cards." He shoved the cards into this deck, and after the duel disk shuffled the stack of cards, it ejected two more cards.

“And finally I will throw down two face-downs,” He declared while placing two cards in their respective zones.

Oleander ran a hand through his forehead, feeling the cold sweat in his palm. Okay, lets access the current situation. He was facing Chazz, who was using a beefed-up version of his Armed Dragon deck, said cards, of which Oleander had no idea of their existence.

He clicked his tongue while cursing his lack of knowledge when it came to the actual card game, though in his defense Yu-Gi-Oh popularity dipped in Brazil after that infamous talk show condemning the game for being a creation of the devil. To this day he grieved over the loss of his Summoned Skull, which was burned by his aunt.

But back to the situation in front of him, looking down at his deck, he visibly gulped while looking down at his deck. Time to see if the Heart of the Cards was a real thing or if it was a convenient way for Atem to cover up for his blatant cheating.

“Draw!” Oleander declared as he yanked the card from his duel disk.

Turn 5: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4

“Here’s the card known as Predaprunning!” He roared while jamming the card in the Spell/Trap Zone. “This bad boy will bring back a Predaplant from my grave and equip itself to—”

Before Oleander could finish the explanation, he was cut off as a lightning bolt smited the card right in front of him. Confused,  he turned his gaze just in time to see Chazz sliding a card in his hand straight into his GY.

“Armed Dragon allows me to discard a card to destroy a card you control." The snob’s smirk only grew wider as the leftover electricity was absorbed by his dragon. “And he will also gain a further 1000 attack points.”

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - ATK: 10000 → 11000]

A frustrated groan escaped Oleander’s mouth as he helplessly watched the ashen remains of his card disintegrate as a light seabreeze rolled in. His eyes wandered to the remaining cards in his hands before turning to his set card.

“In that case, I will set two face-downs." He hesitantly placed both cards in their Spell/Trap Zone half expecting them to be smited yet again, but thankfully they weren’t.

Wordlessly, Chazz yanked the card from his deck.

Turn 6: Chazz’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 2 → 3

“Pulverize him, Armed Dragon!” Chazz roared as his dragon prepared to unleash yet another devastating attack “Since Armed Dragon’s attack points are over 10000 it will destroy all cards on the fi–”

However, just as the dragon was about to release its blast, the ghostly apparition of Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio and Predaplant Sarraceniant flew from Oleander’s GY. The two specters orbited around the Armed Dragon before possessing the massive dragon, causing all of the electricity in its body to disappear in an instant.

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - ATK: 11000 → 0]

Chazz turned to face his opponent, seeing as one of his set cards had revealed itself to be Ghosts from the Past.

“By banishing two monsters from my grave, I can reduce the attack points of a monster you control to zero,” Oleander explained with a cocky grin. “But why stop with only one card?” He pressed another button, revealing his second face-down to be Emergency Provisions.

Emergency Provision enveloped Ghosts from the Past, and Oleander’s final face-down, which was revealed to be Predaplanet, in a green aura that once had thoroughly consumed the cards, jumped to Oleander.

Oleander Hemlock: 1000 → 3000

“In that case I will use Armed Dragon Lighting to boost the attack points of my dragon yet again” The snob begrudgingly announced as the electricity returned to Armed Dragon’s body.

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - 0 → 1000]

Armed Dragon then unleashed a torrent of flames, though unlike its first attack, the flames were orange and the electricity around them wasn't as prevalent.

Oleander Hemlock: 3000 → 2000

“I will now end my turn here” As Chazz declared the two spirits left the Armed Dragon’s body causing the dragon to recover even more of its sapped strength.

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - 1000 → 4000]

“So, do you mind telling me what else that thing can do?” Oleander questioned before he coughed up some smoke.

“And spoil the surprise?” Chazz clicked his tongue while wagging his finger. “Not a chance slacker.”

Oleander narrowed his eyes at that; his gaze lowered as his eyes lay upon his hand. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that Chazz would be a tad impatient to get his monster’s attack over 10,000 again, and that gave Oleander a mischievous idea.

“Okay, here goes!” The purple-haired duelist exclaimed as he yanked the card from his deck.

Turn 7: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 2 → 3

“Lets begin with a fitting card." He slid the newly added card into his duel disk. “The Beginning of the End!”

A dark smog started to roll from Oleander’s GY as five cards were ejected from its depths. The cards were engulfed by the shadowy miasma, and once the cards were fully consumed, the smog jumped from Oleander’s GY straight to his hand, where it morphed into three cards.

“Since I have more than seven dark monsters in my grave, I banished five of them to draw three cards." He then picked one of the recently added cards: “And this bad boy will be the keystone to my victory!” He proudly announced as he inserted it into the Spell/Trap Zone.

Just as he predicted, Chazz wasted no time in picking a card in his hand and discarding it, which caused a bolt of lightning to fall from the sky.

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - ATK: 4000 → 5000]

“Looks like someone made a grave mistake,” Oleander smugly declared as he motioned to the card that was recently struck to be none other than Waking the Dragon.

Chazz cursed himself for his hastiness; that was the kind of mistake an ammatour would make, and because of that stupid mistake, the slacker will now summon a monster from either his fusion deck or normal deck.

“Judging by your expression, I don’t think I need to explain what that bad boy does." The purple-haired duelist then picked a card from his extra deck and slapped it on the field.

The ground shook as a giant plant monster in the form of a dragon rose; it extended its wings before definitely roaring at the Armed Dragon, to which the electric dragon responded in kind.

“Say hello to Predaplant Dragostapelia!” Oleander pointed at Armed Dragon, “And Dragostapelia has the effect of placing a Preda Counter on your monster!”

Dragostapelia spat a small seed that burroud themselves into Armed Dragon’s shoulder; shortly after, they bloomed into a grotesque flower.

"Monsters with Preda Counters have their levels reduced to 1." As the words left Oleander's mouth, he watched with glee as Chazz's expression became visibly alarmed.

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - Level: 10 → 1]

“And now I will Normal Summon Predaplant Pteraphentes!” Another plant abomination emerged from the ground, this one taking the form similar to that of a miniature pterodactyl.

“Pteraphentes’ effect allows me to take control of a monster you control with a level equal to or less than itself." Snapping his fingers, Pteraphentes opened its mouth to shoot a mass of tentacles.

Yet before they could reach their target, Armed Dragon roared while releasing a burst of electricity, incinerating the incoming vines.

"Are you kidding me?!" Oleander roared in complete outrage. First, that thing can destroy a card during his turn, and now he can't take control of it?! What else? Battle destruction immunity?

"Looks like your plan fell apart," Chazz remarked as he watched the last of the vines fall to the ground, smoke and electricity jumping from their charred form.

"A mere setback, nothing that I can't handle." Oleander retorted as he picked another card in his hand and jammed into his Spell/Trap Zone. "I will use Magic Stone Excavation to discard a card to return Polymerization to my hand." He inserted a card in his GY before picking Polymerization.

Oleander immediately jammed into his Spell/Trap zone, his eyes sparking with violet energy as the shadowy visage of Starving Venom appeared before him.

Chazz squinted his eyes at the scene before him; the same shadowy shape hovering over him was the exact same one he saw dwelling in the fog; whatever the slacker was about to summon couldn't be anything but trouble.

Dragostapelia and Pteraphentes became two flashes of red and blue light that were promptly absorbed into Oleander's chest, causing the shadowy visage above him to erupt in a flash of violet light.

The visage was nowhere to be seen in its place; the physical form of Starving Venom Fusion Dragon proudly hovered above its purple-haired master, who had a sudden shift in demeanor as his scowl was replaced with a savage smirk.

"You're now in trouble, Chazzie~" Oleander chuckled to himself, "Because I will now use Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's effect!"

The dragon's eyes flashed before its two appendages that resembled snakes extended from its back; they opened their mouths, absorbing some kind of purple energy from Armed Dragon, causing sparks of purple electricity to envelop Starving Venom's body.

"Starving Venom has the ability to copy the effect and attack points of a Special Summoned monster you control." The purple-haired duelist explained with sadistic glee as he watched Chazz's face drop.

 [Starving Venom Fusion Dragon - ATK: 2800 → 7800]

“Since I Fusion Summoned a monster, Predaplanning’s graveyard effect will now trigger!” A mass of vines started to creep from Oleander’s GY. “It was the card I discarded to recycle Polymerization”

“I will use Armed Dragon Lighting second effect; I can send this card to my graveyard to stop an Armed Dragon monster I control from being destroyed by a card effect.” The continuous spell disintegrated itself, forming a barrier that protected Armed Dragon from the onslaught of vines.

"Congratulations! You saved your pet dragon for certain doom." He squinted his eyes. "But not for long."

Without warning, Starving Venom reared its head back before unleashing a powerful barrage of violet energy toward Armed Dragon, but just before it could touch its mark, a lime green barrier formed around both the dragon and its spiky-haired master, converting the savage purple energy into soothing sparkles that showered Chazz.

"Sorry, slacker, but my Draining Shield won't allow you to touch my Life Points" Chazz declared as his Life Points skyrocketed.

Chazz Princeton: 4000 → 11800

“You’re starting to annoy me, did you know that?” Oleander’s smirk disappeared to make way for a unamused expression “Have it your way then, I will end my turn with one face-down”

As Oleander’s turn came to a close the electricity that surrounded Starving Venom faded away returning the dragon’s strength to its original value.

[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon - ATK: 7800 → 2800]

Chazz wordlessly drew his card, still feeling on edge at the sudden change in his opponent’s attitude—what the hell happened to him? It's like a switch was flipped in the slacker's mind, and now he was acting like a completely different person.

Turn 8: Chazz’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 2 → 3

Chazz’s eyes wandered across the field; they stared at his Armed Dragon and singular set card all the way to the slacker’s purple dragon and singular set card.

He knew that if he attacked now he’d deal more than enough damage to win the duel, yet last time he got hasty, it nearly cost him one of his best monsters, beside the slacker—no Oleander—proved himself to be not only extremely resourceful but downright dangerous.

So against his better judgment, Chazz simply placed one card face down; no need to be hasty; he could still use Armed Dragon’s effect to get rid of Oleander’s Starving Ve–

He was cut off as his opponent started to snicker as he pressed a button in his duel disk, flipping his set card and revealing it to be Hope for Escape.

“You absolute moron. ” He cackled to himself as a red aura surrounded him as his Life Points started to deplete. “By paying 1000 Life Points I will draw a card for every 2000 Life Points of difference between you and me.”

Chazz watched helplessly as his opponent filled his hand with cards, his shock quickly morphing into frustration; if he attacked, Oleander had something to punish him, but if he decided to play passively, it would be the same thing. Now he went from having no cards in his hand to having it full in a blink of an eye.

Seriously, how the hell did he end up in Slifer Red Dorm of all places? Though under all the shock and frustration, a small part of Chazz couldn't help but feel excitement; after all these years, he found not one but two people that were able to somewhat keep up with him.

Oleander Hemlock: 2000 → 1000
Cards in Hand: 0 → 5

“So, I think it is my turn to shine~” Oleander drew his next card with swiftness and grace.

Turn 9: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 5 → 6

Oleander was feeling good—no, he was feeling great—all of the anxiety, annoyance, and frustration that was building over the course of the duel were gone. Vanished. He didn’t know why, but he honestly didn’t care in the slightest, and that state of ecstasy had only intensified itself as he looked at his hand.

“I will use Armed Dragon’s effect!” Chazz discarded a card, causing a lightning bolt to strike Starving Venom, destroying the dragon.

"Oh, Chazz, when will you learn?” Oleander asked while feing disappointment as he watched a myriad of vines sprouting from the ground and tightly gripping Armed Dragon.

This time Chazz was powerless to stop his dragon from erupting into an explosion of fire and electricity that brought the spiky-haired Obelisk Blue to his knees.

"Since my oh-so precious Starving Venom was destroyed, its second effect activated," Oleander explained with sadistic glee. "All your Special Summoned monsters are destroyed."

"Is there anything else that I should be aware of?" The snob asked while picking himself from the ground and dusting his once spotless blazer.

"And spoil the surprise?" Oleander clicked his tongue while wagging his finger. "Not a chance, prey."

"Now without further ado, let us begin the final act of this duel." Picking a card from his hand and slamming it into the Spell/Trap Zone. "I will begin by activating Monster Reborn!"

A gigantic ankh appeared above Oleander's head, and from it emerged none other than Armed Dragon Thunder LV10, its eyes sparking with purple electricity.

"Now I know why you like this thing so much; I can practically feel the power oozing from it~" He remarked with a sinister giggle before it morphed into a frown. "But it's so lonely, I think I will get it a friend!" He slid another card into his Spell/Trap Zone.

From the ground, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon re-emerged, and it looked pissed off; it's yellow eyes trained on Chazz, who took a few steps back.

"Re-Fusion allows me to Special Summon a Fusion Monster from my grave by paying 800 Life Points and equipping itself to the aforementioned monster."

Oleander Hemlock: 1000 → 200

“Next I will equip Starving Venom with Dragon Nails, now my dear dragon will gain 600 attack points and will become immune to being destroyed by card effects” Starving Venom roared as his claws were coated in liquid metal.

[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon - ATK:2800 → 3400]

“For my next card, I will play Megamorph; since my Life Points are lower than yours, Starving Venom’s original attack points will be doubled!”

Starving Venom roared once more as it started to grow in size, quickly becoming the same height as Armed Dragon Thunder LV 10.

[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon - ATK:3400 → 6200]

“Time for some payback!” Oleander punched the air in front of him as Starving Venom lunged at Chazz while releasing a blast from its mawl.

The attack connected with Chazz sending the spiky-haired snob sliding across the harbor’s pavement.

Chazz Princeton: 11800 → 5600

“I will now use the quick-play spell Concentrating Current; Now Armed Dragon will gain attack points equal to its defense points” The purple electricity around Armed Dragon’s body intensified itself even further.

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 - ATK: 3000 → 5000]

Armed Dragon clasped its hands together, charging an orb of purple energy. Once the dragon gathered enough energy, it hurled the ball of electricity at its former master, but before it could hit its mark, the dragon shot a fireball from its mawl, exploding the orb and sending Chazz sliding even further, nearly being knocked out of the harbor and into the ocean.

Chazz Princeton: 5600 → 600

“How the mighty have fallen." Oleander clicked his tongue while shaking his head. “Look at you once so high and mighty, but now brought down by your best card no less.”

“And who said that Armed Dragon is my best card?” Chazz was questioned as his expression hardened.

That caught Oleander’s attention. While he was in an advantageous position, he’d rather be safe than sorry. After briefly analyzing his hand, he saw the perfect card to serve as a backup plan if all else fails.

“I will set one face-down." He slides a card into its corresponding zone.

Chazz took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and placed two fingers on the top card of his deck. It was all or nothing; the next card he drew would decide who would emerge victorious. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and drew the card with one sharp motion.

Flipping the card over, he smiled gently, though his smile somewhat faltered as his gaze wandered over to Oleander’s field and his dragons.

Turn 10: Chazz’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4

“I will begin by Banishing Meteor B. Dragon from my Fusion Deck." Chazz showed the card before it disappeared into specks of light.

A pillar of light erupted in front of the Spiky-Haired snob; from it emerged a serpentine dragon; its pristine white scales were adorned with golden armor; it spread its radiant angelical wings.

Oleander recognized that monster; it was the Light End Dragon, but wasn't that card supposed to be a Synchro Monster? And did it have an effect on Special Summon itself?

"I see you're confused, so let me explain." Chazz motioned to the angelical dragon hovering over him. "Light End Sublimation Dragon can be Special Summoned by Banishing a level 8 dragon from my Fusion Deck."

Ah, of course yet another variation of a classic monster; tough now he was a tad bit apprehensive. Armed Dragon Thunder was a major headache to deal with, so he could only imagine what that thing was capable of.

"Sublimation Dragon effect allows me to fuse it alongside Dark End Evaporation Dragon!" Chazz roared as he revealed the card in question.

"You what?!" Oleander asked as all of his smugness was replaced with sheer panic. How far advanced were the monsters from that world?!

Another dragon emerged next to the angelical dragon, this one having ebony black scales and a malicious face carved on its chest. The dragons were then superimposed onto one another before erupting into light.

The light subsided, and Oleander's jaw, metaphorically speaking, hit the floor. The new dragon looked exactly like the OG Light and Darkness Dragon; the only difference was the golden mane that started at its head and went all the way down the length of its split tail. Its white and black parts were adorned with golden details.

"This is my best card and the monster who got me where I am!" Chazz proudly declared as he pointed at his dragon, "Light and Darkness Dragonlord!" 

The dragon didn't roar; it just hovered over the spiky-haired duelist menacingly, its gaze focused solely on Starving Venom, with the violet dragon snarling at it in a failed attempt to intimidate the monochromatic dragon.

"It is time to bring this duel to a close." With a sharp motion, Chazz pointed at Armed Dragon, "Light and Darkness Dragonlord, end this duel with Duality Burst! "

The dragon opened its mawl; upon doing so, it started to gather energy, forming a swirling orb made of dark and golden energy. It then released a gigantic blast that was flying toward Armed Dragon.

"No, so fast, buddy!” Oleander declared while pressing a button in his duel disk, revealing his set card to be Magical Cylinder. “Now all of those attack points will be—”

However, before Oleander could end his explanation, a dark and golden aura surrounded his newly revealed card, disintegrating it.

“Once per chain, when you activate a card effect, Dragonlord loses 1000 attack points and negates that card,” Chazz explained while playing a card from his hand. “But I can mitigate with the card known as Dragon’s Light and Darkness, and I choose to increase Dragonlord’s attack by its level x 100!”

[Light and Darkness Dragonlord - ATK: 3400 → 2400 → 3400]

Oleander watched as the monochromatic blast not only obliterated the Armed Dragon but also carved a warpath way toward him; during that split second before his defeat, he locked eyes with Starving Venom and smirked.

Next time, there’s a next time.

With a thunderous boom, Oleander’s body was consumed amidst the light and darkness from the attack, throwing him backwards as his remaining Life Points crashed all the way to zero.

Oleander Hemlock: 200 → 0
Chazz Princeton: 600
Winner: Chazz Princeton

Chazz let out a sigh of relief as he whipped the cold sweat that had been building in his forehead. Looking forward, he saw the holograms disappear, leaving nothing but the sight of his defeated opponent with lines of smoke rising from his body.

Usually the snob would start mocking his opponent for even thinking they could have defeated him, but not this time Oleander had proved himself a cut above the rest, and for that he earned a bit of Chazz’s respect.

So deactivating his duel disk, the spiky-haired snob walked to where his opponent was lying until he was looming over him.

Oleander cracked his eyes open; all of the previous catharsis he was feeling was gone, leaving nothing but a sweet aftertaste of that sensation alongside the bitterness of defeat.

“I guess this is the part where you call me some variation of a slacker." He joked with a weak laugh that devolved into a coughing fit. “So go ahead, I won’t stop you; after all, you managed to make me eat those words.”

Instead of mocking him, Chazz surprised Oleander by extending a helping hand. The purple-haired duelist just stared at the extended hand with mild confusion. Did the blast from that upgraded form of Light and Darkness Dragon make him see things? Was Chazz Princeton offering him help in getting up?

Hesitantly, Oleander reached forward, half-expecting the snob to pull a fast one on him, but it never happened; instead, Chazz gripped at his hand and pulled him back to his feet.

"Well, I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't that." The purple-haired duelist remarked while pulling his hand and shoving it in his pocket. "But it definitely wasn't that."

"You put up a good fight; it's the least I could do." Chazz stated matter-of-factly as he started to make his way out of the harbor.

"Hey Chazz!" Oleander shouted, "Next time you won't be so lucky!"

Chazz stopped his walk to turn his attention back at Oleander, and he acknowledged with a simple nod before continuing on his merry way, disappearing in the forest.

Now left to his own devices Oleander opted to walk to the very edge of the harbor and sit down to reflect on what had transpired. While he was sure that Chazz was still a complete jerk, he at least seemed to have the capability to recognize the strength of his opponents regardless of the color of the dorm they come from.

But what really got Oleander thinking was what happened shortly after he summoned Starving Venom—that sensation of catharsis. Reaching in his deck box, he pulled the card in question to stare at its artwork for several seconds, his mind racing to find an answer, but alas it failed to do so.

Shaking his head and placing the card back where it belongs, Oleander got up and stretched a bit, causing a huge yawn to escape his lips. Wow,  he was absolutely drained. Better head back to the dorm, especially since tomorrow is his first day as the card shop's newest employee.

[Slifer Red Dorm - Oleander’s Room - 0:00 AM]

Oleander was passed out in his bed, his slumber so deep that he didn’t rise as a faint blue light illuminated his room.

Looming over him stood the blue figure carrying the staff resembling a clockhandle. She crouched down intently, studying his facial features. She had been watching him for about a month and was thoroughly satisfied with what she saw.

While it is true that he lost his second duel since he had arrived on that world, it didn't bother her; not only he still had room to grow, but there was nothing important at stake with that duel; however, even if his performance was significantly better than the previous ones, it was still too early to advance things to the next step.

She had to make sure he was ready, and so she reached forward and adjusted his covers until they were properly covering him. The entity watched as her protégé snuggled in the bed; if she had a mouth right about now, she'd be smiling.

But all good things must come to an end, and right now Oleander was well overdue for some rest and so after making sure he was comfortable the entity got up and disappeared into thin air, leaving a blissfully unaware Oleander to snooze in peace.

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!

Chapter Text

[?]

Darkness, pitch-black inky darkness as far as the eye could see, surrounded Oleander; every step he took echoed on the infinite black void in which he found himself. When did he get there? How did he get there? How long was he just walking?

A million questions swirled around Oleander’s head, each demanding an answer, but all that stopped when he looked down and saw a duel disk strapped to his arm. Suddenly the darkness lit up, temporarily blinding him, and soon after the overwhelming sound of cheering was heard.

He opened his eyes, but his vision was blurry from the brightness of the spotlights, but from what he could understand, he was dueling against someone; in front of him was what he assumed to be his singular monster, something large and red.

Oleander could feel the cold sweat running down his forehead; the demented cheering that surrounded him was drowning in the sound of his heart beating like a piston. But it quickly got overwhelmed as the "audience" demanded he continue the duel.

Confused, the purple-haired duelist shouted something, causing the red monster to lunge at his opponent, and then all the sounds were cut off as he heard a bloodcurdling scream followed by a roar. Oleander's vision finally adjusted itself; his monster was gone, and all that remained was his opponent, who was bloodied and splayed on the ground. He was not moving.

No...wait, he didn't mean to...

But it didn't matter; the audience cheered once more, so loud that it caused Oleander to fall to his knees, grabbing his head as a splitting headache assaulted his senses, the cheering becoming louder by the second, demanding more bloodshed.

No, it was just an accident; it wasn't supposed to be like that.

The audience started to chant for something, or rather someone, over and over again in a tireless, demented chorus. By this point, Oleander was lying in a fetal position on the ground, tears streaming down his face. Why can't these people see that it was just an accident? 

He's not a monster. He's not a monster. He's not a monster.He's not a monster. He's not a monster. He's not a monster.He's not a monster. He's not a monster. He's not a monster.He's not a monster. He's not a monster. He's not a monster.He's not a monster. He's not a monster. He's not a monster.

HE 'S NOT A MONSTER.

[Slifer Red Dorm - Oleander’s Room - 02:45 AM]

With a loud gasp, Oleander shot up from his bed and frantically started to look left and right. He somewhat calmed down once he realized that he was safe and sound in his room and it was just a bad dream.

Placing a hand on his forehead, he quickly noticed that he was drenched head to toe in cold sweat. With a sigh, he got up from his bed and walked to the bathroom. Once inside, he flipped the lightswitch, allowing him to have a good look in the mirror.

For the next ten minutes or so, Oleander didn't move a muscle as he stared at his own reflection in the mirror. He looked terrible; not only was his hair a mess and his eyes had bags under them, but his skin was pale as a sheet of paper.

Shaking his head, the purple-haired duelist decided that a cold shower would set him straight, and so he did; upon turning the shower, he stood there motionless in order to allow the cold water to wash all over his body. Now that his mind had somewhat calmed down, he could reflect on the events of the dream.

But might as he tried, he couldn't recall a single thing that had happened, and while he could remember the emotions he felt, the events that led to the aforementioned emotions were fuzzy at best and downright nonsensical at worst.

Shaking his head he figured that there was no point in trying to piece together so instead he decided that it was best to simply clear his mind and enjoy the bath before going back to sleep.

Tomorrow will be another day.

[Central Academy Main Building - Classroom #4 - 8:30 AM]

Shinji entered the classroom and was quick to spot Sadie and the unmistakable sight of his best friend Oleander, tough not in the way he expected; the usual energetic Oleander was laying face-first on the table, snoring loudly, a fact that didn't seem to bother Sadie, who carried on with reading her book.

"Hey Sadie, what's up?" He greeted her as he took a spot near the sleepy purple-haired duelist.

"Good morning to you too, Shinji; nice to see that at least one of my friends had a good night's sleep." She spoke in a monotone, if a bit annoyed, tone.

"I will be honest, I wasn't expecting someone like Oleander to be in such a state." He wryly declared while giving his friend a firm yet gentle shake on his shoulder.

Groaning, the purple-haired duelist slowly raised his head. Now that Shinji got a proper look at his face, he could see how disheveled he looked; his hair was unkempt, and heavy bags had formed under his eyes. In general, he looked like he had spent multiple days awakened.

"O quê..?" He murmured in his native tongue as his eyes struggled to adjust themselves to the classroom's light. His vision thankfully readjusted, and he was quick to notice Shinji, who was looking over him with a bit of concern.

"Hey Shinji, how's it going?" He groggily greeted his blue-cladded friend.

"You don't look too good; are you okay?" Shinji asked as he fixed Oleander's hair.

"Don't worry about me; I just had a terrible nightmare." He waved his friend's concerns while forcing himself to smile weakly.

"Then you should talk about it." Sadie spoke as she finally set down her book to devote her attention to the two boys sitting beside her. "My mother says that if you tell someone about a nightmare, it doesn't happen again."

"I would tell you two if I could remember what happened on it." He dryly stated before cupping his chin toughfully, "Although I can't remember exactly what happened, I do remember the emotions I felt."

"Which were?" Sadie pressed, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Rage, the kind of rage that could send even the calmest person into a blind frenzy." Oleander somberly declared while shuddering ever so slightly. "And I will be honest, that kind of scared me a bit."

"People usually feel scared or nervous when they have a nightmare," Shinji pointed out.

"Weird as it sounds, it is the truth—something about what happened in that dream just makes me so...!" He tightly clenched his fists but quickly calmed himself with a long sigh.

"I have an idea," Sadie perked up. "Why don't you swing by Grandma's private quarters for a cup of tea? I'm sure it will help you clear your mind."

"Sounds like a plan," Oleander nodded as he raised his hands above his head, grunting as he felt the joints in his body make various popping noises.

"Damn, you two are already dating?" Shinji playfully asked. "I mean, I knew Sadie was flattered by what you said about her when those North Academy students showed up."

"Of course he will bring that up." Oleander brought his hands to his face in order to hide his embarrassment.

"Shinji, would you be so kind as to zip it before I zip it for you?" Sadie declared with a sweet smile that harbored a menacing tone underneath it.

"Sorry~" He said with a smug smirk, not a hint of regret or fear being visible on his face. "Tough, I'm sure Oleander is loving it, aren't you buddy?"

"I will give you any amount of money to stop." The purple-haired duelist weakly said as he practically shrunk on the spot.

Thankfully for both Sadie and Oleander, the classroom bell rang, causing Shinji to finally settle down, but one look at his eyes made it clear that he was not done with teasing his friends.

"Very well, class, settle down." Crowler spoke; he stopped for a moment to make sure all eyes were on him. "I would like to announce that today we will receive two new students."

That caused the students to murmur among themselves as Oleander's fellow students started to theorize on who the new arrivals would be, some being more realistic than others.

But all of a sudden all of the chatter was cut off as the classroom doors opened themselves, and in the doorway stood two relatively small figures. One was a boy cladded in the Slifer Red Jacket wearing an oversized hat with a bandana underneath it.

And the other also had a Slifer Red Jacket, but instead of wearing it, the boy decided to instead tie it around his waist. The second boy's hair was orange, and on top of it was what Oleander could only describe as a motorcycle helmet.

"What are you two waiting for?" Crowler questioned with an audible hint of annoyance, "Get down here and introduce yourselves; we don't have all day!"

Both youngsters flinched at the Obelisk Blue Headmaster's words and were quick to make their way to where he was standing; all the while Oleander watched with interest the whole scene unfold; he knew one of them—the one wearing the oversized cap—was Blair Flaningan, Zane's number one fangirl, who later became Jaden's number one fangirl, but as for the second individual,.

He didn't recognize the boy with a motorcycle helmet; he could have been a character from the Yu-Gi-Oh GX manga, something Oleander had a limited understanding of, save for a few key points here and there about the overarching plot.

"Hello, my name is Blair Flaningan." The "boy" with a big cap introduced himself in a meek tone and respectfully bowing to "his" classmates, "It's nice to meet you all."

"Howdy!" The boy with a motorcycle helmet spoke next; he waved at the students with a big smile on his face. "My name is Sect Ijuin; nice to meet y'all!"

"What's up, Sect!" Jaden greeted Sect with his signature smile. "You want to throw down after class?"

"You bet!" Sect enthusiastically shot back.

Oleander couldn't help but smile at the interaction between the two Slifers as Sect sat beside Jaden, the two of them wasting no time in chatting about their favorite cards, while Oleander knew for a fact that Jaden was a cool guy from watching the anime; seeing his cheerful personality in full display made him feel warm inside.

“Erm...excuse me," Blair quietly spoke, snapping Oleander from his little moment. "I've noticed that there's an empty seat next to that girl; would it be a problem for me to sit there?"

"Is it okay, Sadie?" Oleander asked his coworker, getting a thumbs up. "You heard the lady; make yourself comfortable."

"Much appreciated," Blair bowed respectfully, taking a great deal of care to not let "his" hat fall. Sidestepping around Shinji and Oleander, Blair managed to take "his" place near Sadie.

"Very well, with introductions out of the way, we may begin the class." Crowler spoke, clasping his hands behind him as the professor cleared his throat. "Does someone know the difference between a Non-Effect and a Normal Monster?"

"Doctor, may I?" The purple-haired duelist spoke while raising his hand.

"A Slifer Red taking the initiative, that's a new one." Crowler spoke in an amused tone, but he ultimately shrugged, "Very well, you may proceed."

"A Normal Monster is defined by the golden border on the card, while a Non-Effect Monster is any and all monsters that lack an effect, but since they lack the ´Normal´ text next to their typing, they are a special case."

"What would that be?" Crowler pressed on, utterly fascinated by the fact that a slacker was showing this degree of knowledge.

"It's all in how cards are worded; for example, a card like White Elephant's Gift can be used on both a Normal Monster and a Non-Effect Monster; however, something like Birthright will not affect a Non-Effect Monster, seeing as the card text states specifically a Normal Monster"

"To put it in layman's terms, every card that affects Non-Effect Monsters will work just fine on Normal Monsters; however, cards that specifically mention Normal Monsters on their text will have no effect on Non-Effect Monsters."

"Beautifully said." The Obelisk Blue Headmaster couldn't help but praise Oleander. "I hope everyone took notes on what Mr. Hemlock just explained; it could make all the difference when planning a deck."

"Thank you, Doctor." Oleander gave the man a curt little bow as he sat down once more, a shit-eating grin appearing on his face as he felt his ego going through the roof.

"Teacher's pet," Shinji said in a playful tone as he gave his purple-haired friend a little jab with his elbow.

"You're just jealous." The purple-haired duelist shot back with a jab of his own.

“I didn’t know that” Blair muttered under “his” breath while taking notes on what Oleander just said.

"Hey Blair," Oleander spoke, getting the crossdresser's attention. "What are you going to do after class?"

"O-oh, you know...hang out with the...boys?" The words came tumbling out of Blair's mouth. "Yeah, hang out with the boys," "he" repeated with a bit more confidence.

"I was thinking that maybe we could give you a little tour of the academy." Oleander pressed on with a cheeky grin. "You wouldn't want Crowler to get all over your back for arriving late because you got lost now, would we?"

Blair gulped as her gaze shifted to the Obelisk Blue Headmaster, who was busy verbally tearing Jaden a new one for yet again sleeping in his class and for being a slacker in general.

"I think that would be a good idea, yes." The crossdresser gulped before turning her attention back to the purple-haired duelist. "I don't think I caught neither your nor your friend's names."

"The guy in the blue blazer is my homie Shinji Abiko; the pretty girl sitting beside you is my coworker Sadie Agawa," Oleander said as he placed an arm around his friend's shoulders and hugged them closer. "And together we are the dream team."

"And hey, maybe we can even duel against one another; that might be fun." The purple-haired duelist concluded as he let go of his friends.

“Y-yeah, it sounds a lot of fun” The crossdresser said with a smile on her face.

[Central Academy Main Building - Card Shop - 10:30 AM]

“Lady and gentlemans, I thank you all for choosing Central Academy Tour Guide Enterprise." Oleander placed a hand over his chest and bowed, “My name is Oleander Hemlock, your guide for today, and our first stop is the card shop!” He excitedly motioned to the door, which was still being unlocked by Sadie.

“The card shop is your go-to option when you’re looking for a good way to boost your deck; not only do they have a breathtaking selection of cards but also such low prices that will make you question the manager’s sanity!”

“He really seems to like that shop, doesn’t he?” Blair sweatdropped as she whispered to Shinji.

“You have absolutely no idea." Shinji smirked while shaking his head. “He treats that card shop like a sacred temple.”

"In just a few moments, my lovely assistant will finish opening the aforementioned fine establishment." The purple-haired duelist motioned to Sadie.

“I don’t remember applying for that job." Sadie stopped to give a side-eye glance to her purple-haired coworker.

"Come on, Sadie, don't ruin the magic." Oleander deadpanned before turning to face Shinji and Blair once more. "Forgive my assistant; she's a bit of a spoilsport."

Instead of continuing bickering, Sadie returned to the task of unlocking the many locks on the shop's entrance, although she had to admit that Oleander's act was very entertaining. With one last grunt, she turned the key, unlocking the final padlock and allowing the doors to swing open.

Setting foot inside the shop, Oleander made his way to the light switches and, with a gracious motion, flipped them, flooding the shop in light.

Blair looked left and right, utterly flabbergasted by the sheer amount of things in stock. She thought that Oleander was merely overhyping the shop, but the place was as good as he described.

"I knew you'd be floored." The purple-haired duelist commented with a smirk. "Feel free to look around and buy anything that catches your attention." 

Blair did so without hesitation. While it is true that she was no stranger to card shops and even frequented one that was near her house, she was not used to the sheer amount of cards they had in stock, and the best part was the fact that all of them were not only sleeved but were also in an immaculate state. It almost looked like they were recently printed.

Through her browsing, she eventually came across a card that caught her attention; it was a normal monster called "Phantasm Spiral Dragon," a Level 8 Water-Attribute Wyrm-Type that was one hundred attack points short of being as strong as a Blue-Eyes White Dragon! And to her utter delight, the card came with a 70% discount if Blair were to buy it, alongside its respective Equip Spells. 

Pulling her PDA, she checked her DP balance and frowed. She could afford the cards, but that would leave her with only 200 DP to her name. While it would cripple her, she would be getting four cards, and seeing as the deck she bought before "enrolling" in the academy was full of Normal Monsters, it could give it a much-needed boost.

And so, with no amount of hesitation, she nabbed the Monster Card alongside the three Equip Spells and made her way to the check-out counter, which was already occupied by that Sadie girl.

"I would like to buy these cards, please." The crossdresser slapped the cards on the counter and averted her gaze from the screen as the price she needed to pay started to go up. With no small amount of hesitation, she pulled her PDA to confirm the purchase.

"Thanks for the purchase; do come again!' Sadie sang in an upbeat tone while giving the crossdresser a polite bow.

Nodding, she picked up her recently acquired cards and shoved them in her holster before making her way back to Oleander and Shinji, who were leaning against the shop's entrance.

"So, are you ready to continue our illustrious tour?" The purple-haired duelist inquired as he flashed her his most charming smile.

"Anything to help me forget a potentially impulsive purchase." The crossdresser sighed exasperatedly.

"Great!" The purple-haired duelist grabbed Blair and Shinji's hands and practically dragged the two of them out of the shop. "Bye-bye, Sadie! Thanks for covering for me!"

[Central Academy Outskirts - Slifer Red Dorm - 11:00 AM]

“Welcome to the Slifer Red Dormitory!” Oleander opened his arms wide and smiled.

“That’s a dormitory?!” Blair squealed as she took a good look at the building. “I’ve seen rundown buildings that looked better than that!”

"Oh, come on, don’t let its rustic appearance fool you." Oleander waved off the crossdresser's concerns: “Once you get past the bedbugs, mold, leakings, cheap mattress, and the food that could and probably should be considered a biohazard, it's a very homey environment!”

His face dropped once he noticed that Blair still looked horrified; in fact, it seems like his little description made her even more afraid.

"At least the academy has an infirmary." Blair spoke in a solemn tone while trying to take solace in that fact.

"Don't worry, if you work hard enough, you might be promoted to Ra Yellow." Shinji patted her on the shoulder. "And trust me, the rooms and quality of life in general do get a lot better."

“If there’s a God out there, may it listen to your words” Blair said while clapping her hands together as if praying.

“Chop-Chop everyone, we still gotta see the rest of the dorms~!” Oleander sang as he yet again started to drag the two students around.

[Central Academy Main Building - Dueling Arenas - 15:45 PM]

“I’ve saved the best for last!” Oleander excitedly announced as he motioned to the dueling fields behind him, “Welcome to the Dueling Arenas, where boys get to become true men.”

Blair’s gaze shifted from her overly excited “tour guide” to the arenas, and sure enough they were being used; one of them even had Jaden dueling against Sect, with the former having some sort of bizarre creature that had a dragon’s head for an arm charging at Sect’s giant moth.

“Oh, Jaden is already duking it out with one of the newbies?” Shinji pondered as he watched the Kuriboh-haired slacker flip a card face-up, causing Sect’s monster to go up in flames.

“That’s Jaden for you; the guy never misses an opportunity when it comes to having a good duel,” Oleander chuckled while shaking his head.

Shinji was about to say something but stopped once he felt something buzzing in his pocket; pulling out his PDA, his eyes widened in horror.

“I need to go, or I will be late for the meeting in the occultism club!” The Obelisk Blue declared before breaking into a mad dash out of the arena.

“Well, that happened,” Oleander declared, a bit bummed out that his best friend had to leave in such a hurry.

But it didn’t last long as he recovered his usual air of himself, while an idea sprouted in his mind; shifting his gaze to Blair, he smiled mischievously.

"Oh silly me, it seems like I've forgotten another hotspot in the academy!" He declared out loud with an exasperated groan as he facepalmed, "What kind of tour guide would I be if I didn't show you?"

"Do we really need to?" The crossdresser said as her shoulders slumped, "All this walking is making me extremely tired."

"Oh trust me, it is our final destination; after that you're free to go." His smirk then grew ever so slightly. "And besides, I do need to talk with you about something that concerns you directly."

That last part caused Blair to gulp as cold sweat started to form on the back of her neck; something about the way he said the last part made her think that he had figured out her disguise. But that's impossible! She spent months practicing her mannerisms; there's no way he could have figured it out!

"S-sure, whatever you say." The words stumbled out of the crossdresser's mouth as she forced herself to stare at Oleander's crimson eyes and smile.

[Central Academy Main Building - Rooftop - 15:50 PM]

As Oleander opened the door leading to the rooftop, a sudden gust of wind nearly knocked Blair’s cap out of her head, something she was quick to prevent by tightly wrapping her hands around it.

“Beautiful, is it not?” The purple-haired duelist asked as he motioned to the scenery.

Once the crossdresser had recovered from the little hiccup, she looked at what Oleander was motioning to, and her jaw practically hit the floor; she could see absolutely everything: the sea, the forest, the various dorms.

"It's lovely." She responded, still taken aback by the beauty that she was witnessing.

"Good, now that we have some privacy, we can finally have a little heart-to-heart." Oleander clasped his hands behind his back and started to circle Blair, in a fashion similar to that of a predator that had found its prey.

That caused the crossdresser's blood to run cold as all the color in her face was drained in an instant; slowly she lifted her gaze to meet Oleander's, and at that moment she noticed that there was a sudden shift to it; gone was his good-natured smile and easygoing air; those were now replaced with a borderline vicious smirk and a menacing air that seemed to surround the two of them.

"I know for a fact that you're not who you claim to be." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I know that you're a girl that snuck into the academy."

At that point, Blair fell to her knees, which finally caused her cap to fall from her head; without anything to hold her hair, it cascaded down all the way to her back, causing her bandana to fall too.

"How did you figure it out so quickly?" She asked, taken aback by the fact that her cover was blown so quickly.

"You might have fooled everyone, but you see, Blair..." Oleander pointed his thumb at him as his smirk grew. "You're not dealing with your average Slifer Red."

"I assume this is the part where you report me and get me sent back home, isn't it?" Her shock was replaced with sadness; an entire year of planning and practicing were about to go to–

"Nah, I don't think so." Oleander said in a very nonchalant manner, "I'm more curious what led you to do what you did, if I'm being honest."

For the second time, Blair was absolutely flabbergasted. Lifting her head, she saw that there was another shift to him; all of a sudden, all of that menacing air had dissipated, and he was back to being his usual self.

Who the hell is that guy?

"So, are you going to stay there and gawk at my amazing deduction skills?" Oleander deadpanned, "Or are you going to spill the rest of the beans?"

"The reason I went through all the trouble of getting into the academy was..." Blair felt her cheeks blush. "In the name of love!"

"In the name of love?" The purple-haired duelist arched an eyebrow. "Well, now I have to listen to what you have to say."

Blair then went on to describe an extremely idealized version of her encounter with Zane, all the while Oleander did his best to block out some of the more visceral details, like how Zane was shirtless, had a six-pack...and was on a white horse.

... Yeah, safe to say that the purple-haired duelist wouldn't be having a good night's sleep...again.

"And that's why I came here." Blair cupped her cheeks and looked away into the horizon with a dreamy look on her face. "So that I may declare my undying love for him!"

"I've read fanfics that were less fetishized than this," Oleander answered truthfully, but he sighed as his face became a lot more serious. "But sorry to pop your bubble, Blair, but that's not love."

"What?" Blair turned to face Oleander, her expression having been shattered. "What do you mean, That's not love?"

"You heard me right; that's not love; that's an unhealthy obsession with a person you only interacted with once." He walked over to the railings next to the maiden in love and stared at the horizon. "And before you say anything, allow me to pose you a question: Do you truly know who Zane Truesdale is?"

"Of course I know; he's Central Academy's number 1 student!" The dreamy smile returned to her face. "And he's the most amazing and handsome guy a girl could lay her eyes on."

"I asked if you know who Zane Truesdale is as a person," Oleander elaborated. "Do you know what he likes and dislikes? Do you know his dreams and aspirations? Do you even know his favorite color?"

Blair opened her mouth to protest, but she quickly closed it when she realized she couldn't answer any of the questions that were being proposed to her.

"No..." She hesitantly responded while looking positively crestfallen.

"Something you gotta understand is that love is one of, if not the most, complicated emotions one could have." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And because of said complexity, you can't rush things."

"Why are you giving me advice instead of reporting me to the Chancellor?" Blair finally asked.

"Well, you could say that my inner older brother has resurfaced and is taking the wheel," Oleander joked with a chuckle. "And besides, I can clearly see that you didn't sneak into the academy for some nefarious purpose."

“I’m so confused,” She whined while running her hands through her face.

“In that case, here’s a piece of advice: give time to time; you’re still young and thus have a lot of time to think.” Oleander said truthfully before he felt a vibration in his pocket; pulling his PDA, he frowned a bit. "Well, Sadie needs my help at the card shop."

"I guess this is the part where you report me to the chancellor," Blair lamented.

"What are you talking about?" The purple-haired duelist questioned as he feigned ignorance. "You haven't done anything wrong; you're just a normal boy whom I gave a tour to." He winked at her before making his way out of the rooftop and presumably toward the card shop.

Blair just stood there, now alone with nothing but her thoughts, and turning her gaze back to the horizon, she started to think about the short, albeit eye-opening, chat she had with Oleander. But it didn't take long for her to rub her temple in frustration; there's just so much stuff to process, and she barely knows where to even begin!

But maybe Oleander was right; she had time to figure things out, and so after collecting her fallen cap and bandana, she decided right then and there that she would "give time to time" and allow her thoughts to organize themselves.

Turning her gaze to the scenery before her, she smirked. Coming to the academy ended up not according to plan, and maybe that's for the best.

Chapter Text

[?]

Oleander opened his eyes only to find that he wasn't in his room; instead, he found himself standing in an eerily familiar black void. Gulping, he hesitantly started to walk, his footsteps echoing in the shadowy expanse.

The purple-haired duelist, however, stopped walking when he saw something in the distance; squinting his eyes, he saw what appeared to be a white dot in a rectangular shape. It was at that moment that Oleander felt the ground shake in a rhythmic thump.

Turning around, he saw another thing in the dark, some kind of large creature with piercing yellow eyes, its body crackling with purple sparks. The monster was making its way toward Oleander at a rapid pace, letting out an inhuman shriek that caused the purple-haired duelist to snap out of his trance and make a break toward the white dot.

With labored breaths, Oleander did his best to ignore the fatigue that afflicted his legs; looking over his shoulder, he could see that the creature was slowly catching up to him; looking in front of him, he could finally identify the white dot; it turned out to be a wooden door.

Mustering up his remaining strength, the purple-haired duelist braced himself as he crashed shoulder-first against the door, causing it to open and Oleander to fall on the floor. Looking back, he saw the creature was just about to reach the door when it suddenly closed itself.

The monster banged on it a few times, but luckily for the purple-haired duelist, the wooden door held strong, and eventually the creature gave up, its booming steps eventually disappearing as it went back into the darkness.

Lying on his back Oleander did his best to recover himself; allowing the tension to drain from his body, he started to analyze the new room he was in. It was some sort of corridor similar to those of the Central Academy.

Getting up, he wiped the sweat from his forehead before making his way through the corridors; even though the immediate danger was long gone, he was still on.

"̶!̴u̸o̵y̶ ̶r̶o̵f̵ ̷e̴r̶e̸h̸w̶y̵r̶e̴v̷e̸ ̵g̶n̵i̴k̴o̷o̸l̷ ̴n̸e̵e̶b̸ ̸e̷v̵'̴I̸ ̸,̸c̵r̷a̴Z̴ ̸e̷r̷a̸ ̴u̴o̴y̸ ̴e̵r̷e̵h̷T̶"̵ A distorted voice spoke, making Oleander snap his attention around.

Standing before him was a female humanoid figure; she was wearing what looked like a modified version of the Obelisk Blue uniform that the girls wear, with the skirt reaching all the way to her kneecaps. But those things went unnoticed by Oleander, who focused on her face, or rather lack thereof.

Where her face was supposed to be was scratched out, making it impossible to identify her.

"̴c̴i̸t̷s̸i̸d̴a̴s̴ ̶e̶r̶o̵m̴.̷.̵.̷d̸r̶i̴e̶w̶ ̴g̶n̵i̷t̸c̴a̴ ̵n̸e̵e̷b̶ ̴e̵v̵a̶h̸ ̶u̸o̸y̶ ̸̸t̵n̵e̸d̶i̷ "̵ She placed a comforting hand over Oleander’s shoulder.

“I’m fine.” The purple-haired duelist responded in a dismissive tone, “Now if you excuse me, I have stuff to do.” He was about to turn and leave when she tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"̸.̸u̵o̵y̵ ̷t̴u̸o̴b̶a̴ ̶d̴e̷i̴r̶r̴o̷w̶ ̷s̶i̸ ̵e̴n̷o̸y̴r̵e̸v̶e̶ ̸,̴n̶o̴ ̴̴g̴n̸i ̵s̴'̸t̷a̷h̶w̴ ̴e̷m̶ ̶l̸l̸e̶t̵ ̸,̵e̶s̸a̵e̵l̴p̸ ̶,̶c̵r̸a̷Z̵"̴ She said, her voice filled with worry.

“Not this again,” Oleander groaned in frustration as he removed the figure’s hand from his shoulder.

"̷n̷o̵ ̶g̶n̵i̷o̵g̷ ̷s̶'̴t̴a̵h̶w̸ ̸e̶m̶ ̸l̶l̷e̶t̵ ̸,̶e̷m̶ ̷o̶t̷ ̶k̶l̴a̷t̸ ̵,̸u̴o̵y̶ ̵t̷u̷o̴b̸a̸ ̵d̵e̵i̶r̴r̸o̴w̶ ̴m̴'̷I̸"̶ She pleaded while clasping his hands together.

“You want to know what’s bothering me?” The purple-haired duelist got real close to the figure's face. “You’re bothering me, every time you come pestering me about the same thing over and over again.” He jabbed a finger at her. “So pick that concern and shove it up your ass; I don’t need it.”

With a final huff he turned around and started to walk. The figure shouted something, but Oleander couldn’t care less; he had more important stuff to take care of. Reaching his destination, he pushed the door open and…

[Central Academy Main Building - Card Shop - 12:30 PM]

Opening his eyes, Oleander found himself staring at the ceiling of the employees break room. He lay there for a few more moments before he sat up on the couch. Looking around, he spotted two empty bento boxes sitting on the wooden table.

And that’s when he remembered he and Sadie having some lunch before he decided to take a nap, groaning while rubbing his eyes. Oleander dragged himself to a sink to wash his face. Turning on the water, he splashed his face a couple of times before picking a towel to dry himself.

But once he looked at the mirror, he felt his blood running cold and the color drain from his face; behind his terrified reflection stood a monster he was all too familiar with.

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon was standing behind him, and Oleander couldn't do anything but stand there utterly paralyzed by fear. Slowly, he turned around, his body shaking from head to toe, yet when his gaze turned to the room behind him, he saw...nothing.

Quickly turning around, he stared at his reflection again, but this time the mirror only showed his confused, albeit still shaken-up, expression. Letting out a sigh of relief, he fixed his hair and made his way out of the break room.

Now in the card shop, he saw Sadie leaning on the cashier, making some small talk with Blair and Shinji, but the trio stopped to look at Oleander, and their expressions became slightly worried as they saw how shaken up he was.

"I had another one of those dreams." He bluntly stated as he made his way closer to the group and took a seat on the stool that his coworker so graciously offered him.

"That's the third one in a row." Shinji stated as he extended his hand to fix his friend's purple locks, without much success. "Don't you think it's high time you paid Nurse Fontaine a visit?"

"And what exactly am I supposed to tell her?" The purple-haired duelist arched an eyebrow. "That I need some medication for some bad dreams?"

"Maybe she can prescribe you something to make you sleep better?" Blair innocently chimed in, which served to soften Oleander's expression.

"The problem is not the quality of sleep; I'm waking up feeling refreshed." The purple-haired duelist bit his lower lip as he mulled over his words. "What's bothering me is the content of the aforementioned dreams."

"And besides, something weird happened when I woke up." He declared while looking over his shoulder and toward the break room. "When I was washing my face, I saw none other than Starving Venom standing behind me."

"What do you mean by "it was standing behind you"?" Sadie spoke slowly, trying to wrap her head around the bombshell that was dropped.

"I saw its reflection behind mine," Oleander responded truthfully. "But when I turned around, there was nothing, and it also disappeared from the mirror."

"Dude, I think we are dealing with the classic case of a Duel Monster Spirit." Shinji declared with a grave expression.

"Duel Monster Spirit?" Blair repeated what was just said, "What are those?"

"A Duel Monster Spirit is, as the name implies, the spirit of a Duel Monster card." Shinji started to explain as he pulled a Monster Card from his deck. "Torrey believes that every Duel Monsters card is inhabited by a spirit."

"Shinji, I really don't think it's time for you to explain you and your occult club buddies crackpot theory." Sadie bluntly stated, "Oleander is clearly going through something, and those fairy tales won't help in solving his problem."

"It's not a "fairy tale", Sadie." Shinji countered, sounding positively insulted, "We have a mountain of evidence to back up our theory."

"Okay, let's say for a moment that we are indeed dealing with a Duel Monster Ghost, or whatever they're called." The employee motioned to her purple-haired co-worker, "What exactly can you do to help him?"

"I don't know." The Obelisk Blue confidently answered, "But what I do know is that a friend is dealing with something clearly supernatural, and I will give my all to help him."

"Say what you will about him." Blair once again chimed in, "But you can't say that he isn't determined."

Shinji and Sadie bickered for a bit more, but Oleander had simply tuned them out as he immersed himself in deep thought to ponder whatever the hell was happening to him. Be it his sudden change in mood when he summoned the dragon against Chazz or the dreams that plague him nonstop, all those occurrences can be more or less traced back to one culprit, one card in particular.

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.

"I need to see a professional on the matter." Oleander spoke, causing his coworker and best friend to stop bickering. "I need to see Professor Banner."

[Slifer Red Dorm - Professor Banner’s Office - 13:00 PM]

Standing before the wooden door that led to the office of Professor Lyman Banner was a lone Oleander; his friends offered to come with him, but he refused because things tend to get messy when Duel Monster Spirits get involved.

… On that note, he should keep a close eye on the occultism club to make sure that Shinji doesn’t become a victim when those idiots summon Jinzo.

Getting back on track, the purple-haired duelist mustered up the courage to raise his fist and knock on the door; a few moments passed before shuffling accompanied by a meow was heard, and not long after, the man himself peeked out of the door.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Hemlock.” The alchemist greeted his student with a friendly smile. “How may I help you?”

“Good afternoon, Professor Banner.” Oleander greeted the man with a polite bow. “I have some problems, and I believe you’re the only capable person that can help me.”

"Pray tell, what seems to be the problem?" He tilted his head to the side. "Perhaps you need help with perfecting my fried shrimp recipe?"

"No, it involves..." He bit his lower lip before finally speaking: "Duel Monster Spirits."

In a blink of an eye, Banner's smile faded, and his eyes, which usually remained closed, had opened themselves just enough to spot the red-colored iris. Pursing his lips, the man opened the door before looking left and right, satisfied with the lack of possible onlookers, before urging Oleander inside his office.

Setting foot inside the office, Oleander took a good look at the place; strange apparatus and paraphernalia littered most surfaces, books open to pages depicting strange symbols, and a faint, albeit noticeable, smell of catnip hung in the air. The place could be best described as an organized mess.

"My sincerest apologies for the state of my office." The alchemist lamented as he closed the blinds, "I'm not used to receiving visitors."

"I will be honest; I kind of like this place." Oleander answered truthfully. "It vibes with me."

"So nice to see a younger generation take interest in more esoteric forms of science." The alchemist responded with a soft smile, "Would you like some tea?"

"Considering the topic we will discuss, that sounds like a good idea." The purple-haired duelist took a seat on a chair that sat in front of a wooden desk.

"Then sit tight while I gather the necessary components." The Slifer Red Headmaster made his way to a cupboard and started to rummage through it.

"Just watch out not to make a potion that will turn me into a frog," Oleander joked as some tension was drained from his body.

"Modern media did a disservice to alchemy indeed." Banner lamented by shaking his head in a downtrodden manner, "Alchemy is not all about making potions, you know."

"Yeah, I know it's all about making the elusive Philosopher's Stone." Oleander lazily turned his head to see that Banner was staring at him with a bit of a shocked expression. "Surprise, surprise, I actually pay attention to your classes."

"I shouldn't be surprised; you're one of the selected few that actually turn in their assignments." Banner turned his attention to the kettle as he turned his stove on.

"How long have you been studying alchemy?" Oleander's gaze swept around the office, his eyes passing over various objects that seemed to come straight out of the pages of Harry Potter.

"Good question." Banner hummed to himself while looking up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "I've been conducting my studies for so long that I've lost track of time." He answered truthfully.

“Although I would love nothing more than to sit with you and discuss alchemy all day long, I would like to know about your little problem.” The alchemist peered over his shoulder. “And how it is tied to Duel Monsters Spirits."

Oleander then went on to not only explain the strange dreams he's been having for the past few days but also retell how he saw Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's reflection in the mirror standing behind him.

"And when I turned around there was nothing." The purple-haired duelist finished his explanation with a heavy sigh as he sipped on some tea. "I will be honest with you, professor; I'm starting to get scared."

"A natural human response when presented with something that cannot be logically explained," Banner commented as he settled some tea for his cat. 

"So, what now?" Oleander apprehensively asked, "I don't know what to do, and the last thing I need is for one of my best cards to turn out to be some sort of malefic spirit."

"Could you please show me the card in question?" The alchemist settled his tea down. "I would like to see it up close and personal."

Nodding, the purple-haired duelist reached into his holster and pulled the card in question and handed it to the Slifer Red Headmaster.

Holding the card just inches from his face, Banner analyzed it intently, his gaze periodically shifting from the card to Oleander then right back to the card. Seemingly satisfied, he settled the card down but didn't return it to his purple-haired student.

"At a surface level the card looks like any other; however..." Banner cupped his chin. "I couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance that you share with it."

"What do you mean by that?" Oleander pressed on.

"It is difficult to put a finger on it, but you two are very much alike." He leaned against his chair and looked at one of the windows. "Even if the resemblance in question doesn't apply appearance-wise."

"Now that you mention it, something happened when I summoned Starving Venom against Chazz." Oleander picked the card and stared at its artwork. "As soon as the card was placed on the field, I felt a sudden rush of euphoria, like all of the frustration was gone in an instant."

"So you believe that the dreams, the visage in the mirror, and the sudden change in mood during your duel against Mr. Princeton can all be tied to this card?" Banner idly tapped his fingers on the wooden surface of his desk.

"It's my only lead." The purple-haired duelist somberly declared as he placed Starving Venom back in his holster.

"I will not lie to you, Mr. Hemlock; this is a most curious situation you brought to my doorstep." The alchemist hummed to himself, "What's the first thing you know about Duel Monster Spirits?"

"Only that they've been around ever since Ancient Egypt."

"Actually, the first records of Duel Monster Spirits date back to the city of Atlantis." Banner chimed in with a knowing smile, "Professor Hopkin's discovery shook the theories to their very core."

"So, how does that help me?" The purple-haired duelist arched an eyebrow.

"I'm merely gauging how knowledgeable you are on the subject." Banner's smile then took on a more prideful air to it: "And while it is severely lacking, you at least are not ignorant to it."

"Mr. Hemlock, what would you say about some private lessons on the matter of Duel Monster Spirits?"

"So you're really going to help me?" Oleander stared at him with his eyes full of expectation.

"But of course, not only is it my duty as a professor and your headmaster." Banner then turned to face the various alchemical paraphernalia that littered his office. "But also as a researcher."

“So, when are we going to start?” The purple-haired duelist shot up from the chair he was sitting in, feeling pumped up.

“Do you have any plans for this weekend?" Banner asked as he opened a drawer to pull a small notebook and started to go through it.

Ten minutes later the door to Banner’s office opened, and from it a very satisfied Oleander emerged. The purple-haired duelist exchanged a few more pleasantries with his headmaster before going on his merry way, leaving Banner to his own devices.

Now alone in his office, Banner let out a sigh of relief as the very atmosphere became a lot lighter. What a peculiar situation he found himself in, one of his students coming up to him looking for some aid regarding a possible spirit plaguing him.

And Mr. Hemlock’s ace monster, the titular Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, was a sight to behold; even if Banner himself lacks the ability to perceive Duel Monster Spirits, he could still feel the killing intent oozing from that card. 

Yet the killing intent was more akin to a dog protecting its owner rather than a malicious one. Humming to himself, he walked toward a bookshelf and started to go through some books, eventually landing on a tome in particular, picking it up, and cleaning some dust off its cover, revealing the book's title.

A Comprehensive Understanding of Duel Monster Spirits and How They Affected The Today’s World
By Professor Rebecca Hopkins

[Slifer Red Dormitory - Cafeteria - 13:13 PM]

Oleander hummed to himself as he sat down at a vacant table to enjoy some coffee he had recently brewed, feeling content. In a few days he’d finally get to work on solving his issue, and if everything went well, he would finally have a good night’s sleep.

Setting his mug down, the purple-haired duelist settled his mug down and reached for his holster; removing Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's card from it, he then proceeded to stare intently at the card's artwork. Part of him was hoping that the card didn't have anything to do with the nightmares, but it's like he himself said to Banner, what other leads did he have?

And speaking of the alchemist, while Oleander acknowledged the risk of seeking the leader of the Shadow Riders for help, it was indeed dangerous; at the end of the day, he was the only reliable source to help with his peculiar problem.

And who knows? Maybe Oleander can find something about the man that will give the Key Bearers a leg up or perhaps a piece of evidence that exposes who he truly is. That would be a nice change of pace.

However, Oleander was staring so intently at the card that he didn't notice when a certain Slifer Red with a Kuriboh-shaped hair sat across from him.

"What's up, bro!" Jaden loudly announced himself, startling Oleander and causing him to drop the card.

"Oh... Jaden, it's just you." Oleander let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry, I was focused on something and didn't see you there."

"Yeah, you were staring at that card for a while," he remarked, picking up the card and wagging it. "Is everything alright with you, bro?"

"Yup." Came the quick response as Oleander quickly snatched Starving Venom's card from Jaden's hands and promptly shoved it in his deck holster. "Just caught up with some things, but enough about me. What are you up to lately?"

"The gang and I are thinking of gathering in the cafeteria at night to tell some spooky stories." Jaden said the last part while wagging his fingers.

Oleander stopped mid-sip as he stared Jaden dead in the eyes for a few seconds; Jaden and his friends gathering in the cafeteria to tell some spooky stories sounded oddly familiar...

And that's when a lightbulb, metaphorically and literally, lit itself above the purple-haired duelist; what Jaden was referring to was the setup for the episode where Crowler hires a guy called Titan to essentially scare Jaden off the academy. If memory didn't fail, the plan kind of backfires as the creep ends up kidnapping Alexis, forcing Jaden to enter the Abandoned Dorm.

Which leads to a whole other shit-show that has Jaden and Syrus having to duel against the Paradox Brothers to fight for their spot in the academy. The more Oleander thought about it, the more he was convinced that Sheppard was terrible at his job. No wonder the guy "steps down" in Season 2.

...Granted, Crowler becomes the new chancellor, which isn't much of an improvement, but that whole mess is beside the point. What does count is that Oleander will make sure that none of that happens; just this once, he will take Jaden's place and become the star of the show, because neither Syrus nor Alexis deserves the stress that Crowler put them through because of his wounded ego.

"Oleander, you good, bro?" Jaden waved his hands inches from Oleander's face, slightly concerned by the purple-haired duelist's thousand-yard stare.

"Sorry, I was zoning out for a second there," Oleander said with a smile. "But can I participate in that gathering of yours?" He asked while taking an inconspicuous sip from his coffee. "I do have some rather bone-chilling Brazilian folklore to share."

“I had no idea you were from there!” Jaden said with all the excitement of a child. “Can you teach me how to speak Spanish?”

Oleander’s smile then completely crumbled as he visibly cringed, and that reminded him that while Jaden had a heart pure as gold, he wasn’t exactly the brightest knife in the crayon box…

"Jaden, don't ever say that again." The purple-haired duelist once more settled his mug down to place a comforting hand on his fellow Slifer's shoulder. "Brazilians absolutely hate it when you do something like that."

"My bad," Jaden responded truthfully with an awkward smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "But yeah, the gang would love to have you!"

"Then it is settled; I will join you people tonight." The purple-haired duelist said with a sense of finality as he downed the rest of his coffee, and he then got up from his chair and yawned, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have stuff to do.”

"See you around, bro!" Jaden waved Oleander off as he watched him leave the cafeteria.

[A few hours later at the cafeteria…]

“...and then when he reached his home, he felt something moving in his leg,” Sect said in a menacing tone as he held the lantern close to his face. "He removed the bandage, only to see his wound filled with cockroach eggs!”

"Oh, come on!" Syrus said before he gagged and covered his mouth.

"I think I'm gonna pass out..." Chumley spoke next before falling backwards.

"When did the cockroaches have time to lay eggs?" Oleander questioned, being more puzzled than revolted.

"Eh, I've seen worse things on the internet." Jaden shrugged in, utterly unfazed by Sect's story.

"And that's a wrap!" The freshman declared as he settled the lantern down, "What did you guys think?"

"Sect, we are telling scary stories!" Syrus slammed his hands on the table and pointed an accusatory finger at his fellow Slifer Red "And not gross stories!"

"Hey, take it with the Koreans." Sect raised his hands in a defensive stance. "I didn't come up with that."

"Honestly, Syrus, you should be thanking our friend here." Oleander leaned back on his seat while placing his feet on top of the wooden table. "He told one of the tamer versions."

"That was a tamer version?!" Chumley repeated, utterly bewildered by what he heard.

"All I will say is there's one version involving a girl's tampon." The purple-haired duelist allowed his words to hang in the air.

"Man, Korean people have some sick folklore!" Jaden said with his usual amount of optimism, "And here I thought Japanese people had some out-of-pocket stuff."

"Speaking of folklore, I believe it is my turn," Oleander declared as he placed his hand on top of the deck and yanked a card. "Let's see how many stars my monster has..."

Flipping the card over, the lantern's light illuminated it, revealing it to be Jaden's Winged Kuriboh; seeing the card caused Oleander to let out a melancholic sigh. 

"And here I was thinking I was about to tell some scary things." He shook his head as he placed the card on a small pile of monster cards. "Ah well, maybe next time."

"Thank goodness..." Syrus and Chumley spoke at the same time, utterly relieved by the result Oleander drew.

"Well, since I can't exactly tell a scary story, I will tell a pretty interesting one." Grabbing the lantern, Oleander brought it close to his face, casting an odd-shaped shadow behind him. "Do you guys know the story of the Pink Button?"

"What's that?" Sect questioned.

"It is a Brazilian folklore that tells the story of the titular Pink Button." A smile appeared on the purple-haired duelist's face. "Legend speaks of the animal transforming itself into a handsome young man who would go to parties in order to seduce young ladies."

"After getting them pregnant, he would abandon them as he reverted back to his animal form." Setting the lantern down, he scanned the people gathered there. "The legend also speaks of him always wearing a fedora, because they say the little hole that the animal had remains in his human form, reeking with the smell of fish."

"That wasn't scary at all," Chumley declared as he yawned.

"I'm trying to do my best, Chumley." Oleander said in an annoyed tone, "Besides that, the urban legend was so widespread that people actively started killing Pink Buttons." He rubbed the back of his head in an awkward fashion.

"What?!" Everyone spoke at the same time.

"And it wasn't one or two people killing them, oh no." The purple-haired duelist shook his head. "We are talking about groups of up to six men armed with shotguns and hunting rifles going to the Amazon Rainforest to gun down those animals."

"That's horrible!" A mortified Sect declared.

"Yeah, they had to stop it because the Pink Button became an endangered species." Oleander smacked his lips with a sense of finality.

"Now I'm bummed out." Chumley visibly deflated, earning a sympathetic pat on the back from Syrus.

"My, what are you youngsters doing at this hour?" A new voice spoke.

Everyone's attention turned to the cafeteria's door only to see Professor Banner walking in, his cat Pharaoh sleeping soundly in the alchemist's arms.

"Hey, teach!" Jaden waved at the man, "We are telling some spooky stories; care to join us?"

"Spooky stories, you say?" The Slifer Red Headmaster hummed to himself, "Sure, I think I have one or two bone-chilling tales to share with you youngsters."

Crouching down, Banner released his cat, who promptly scurried off somewhere, before reaching forward and drawing a card from the pile. Smirking, he flipped the card, revealing it to be the Level 12 F.G.D.

"Get ready, everyone; things are about to get interesting." Oleander spoke as he adjusted himself on his seat.

Upon sitting at the table, Banner proceeded to tell everyone about the Abandoned Dorm, Central Academy's exclusion zone, while Sect and Chumley were absolutely terrified; the same couldn't be said for the other three.

Oleander and Jaden were interested in the tale, but the same could not be said about Syrus, who looked downright depressed when Banner mentioned the place.

"An abandoned dorm in the middle of the woods where a bunch of students disappeared." The purple-haired duelist mused, "How the hell did you guys manage to keep that under wraps?"

"That's Kaiba Corp. for you, Mr. Hemlock." The alchemist shot back. "When you are the biggest corporation in the world, censorship becomes as easy as the very act of breathing."

"And you just admit it without a shred of shame." The purple-haired duelist points out.

"Denying it would serve no purpose other than insulting your intelligence." Banner then got up and snapped his fingers, which caused Pharaoh to come running and jump straight into his arms. "But I'm afraid I have to cut this gathering short; the promotional exams are in a few weeks, and you youngsters need to rest."

"Don't need to tell us twice!" Chumley hurriedly declared as he and Sect started to gather the card.

A few minutes later the group started to leave the cafeteria while Sect, Chumley, and Jaden were all talking about the stories they told. Oleander looked back to see Syrus lagging behind a bit, his gaze fixed on the ground as he hugged his sides.

"Man, this Abandoned Dorm sounds like some spooky stuff," Jaden giddily declared as he turned to face the group. "What do you guys say we end the night on a high note?"

"No," Syrus said firmly, getting the attention of the group.

"Come on, Sy, we will only get a quick–"

"Jaden, I put up with a lot of stuff that you do." Syrus balled his fists tightly. "But I will not go anywhere near that accursed place, and this is non-negotiable." He squinted his eyes. "Am I clear?"

"Y-yeah, Sy," Jaden nodded with a nervous smile and a forced laugh.

"Sorry, Ja, it's just..." The diminutive Slifer let out a huge sigh.

"It's okay, Sy, I know that I can be a bit much to handle sometimes." The Kuriboh-haired Slifer said as his smile became a lot more genuine.

"Heartwarming bromance aside, I'm not ready to hit the hay just yet." Oleander's gaze turned to the docks. "I think I will go for a little stroll." He paused briefly. "Preferably, alone."

He then waved at the group before making his way to the docks, occasionally looking over his shoulder to see if Jaden's groupie had entered their rooms; once out of sight, his casual stroll immediately broke into a mad dash.

If he's quick enough, he will be able to get Crowler in the act and hopefully have something to stop him from making Jaden's life a living hell.

  [Central Academy Outskirts - Docks - 2:45 AM]

Amidst the heavy fog, a lone figure stood. Doctor Vellian Crowler was fidgeting a bit on the spot; beside him stood a silver briefcase filled with money. He didn’t want to resort to such drastic measures, but that slacker simply left him with no choice!

His plans failed one after the other; even his attempt at getting Alexis to report him for trespassing in the girls dorm failed because of that purple-haired slacker. If he wants to play rough, then Crowler would play even rougher. After he was done with Jaden, he would see a fitting punishment for Oleander for getting in his way...yes, Crowler would give him a mountain of homework of titanic proportions...yes, that would teach him.

The fog suddenly got a lot denser, and not long after, heavy footsteps were heard. Gulping, the Obelisk Blue Headmaster did his best to stay his ground as he saw two silhouettes appear in the fog. As the two figures got closer and closer, their features became clearer and clearer.

The one on the left was wearing a black trench coat with some sort of apparatus strapped to his chest and left shoulder; his face possessed a strong jawline, which was adorned with a silver mask that left the bottom half of his face exposed. On top of his head was a black fedora.

The one on the right was also wearing a black trench coat; however, unlike his partner, whose was pure black, his was adorned with dark blue trim lines that ran on his shoulders and chest. His left hand was adorned with a glove that was a one-to-one copy of the ones used in Duelist Kingdom; he had a malicious smirk plastered across his pale face.

"G-gentleman," Crowler began, trying and failing miserably at keeping the sense of authority his voice usually carries, "I thank you two for coming at such short notice."

"Who is the poor sod that needs to be taught a lesson?" The silver-masked individual spoke, his deep voice sending a shiver down the headmaster's spine.

"A-ah, Slifer Red Student by the name of Jaden Yuki." With trembling fingers he reached for his regal blue blazer and pulled a photo of the student in question, which was snatched in a blink of an eye.

"What, that's the target?" The man wearing the glove laughed, "Man, easiest job in the world!"

"Is there anything else you require of us?" The silver-masked individual asked as he took a look at the photo.

"Yes, I would like you two to lure him to the Abandoned Dorm." Crowler then removed a map of the island with a spot in the forest marked.

"Where's the cash?" The man flexed his gloved hand.

Nodding fervently, Crowler quickly picked up the briefcase and opened it, revealing the various bills that were neatly organized in their container. Satisfied with what he saw, the silver-haired man closed the briefcase and picked it up.

"By the time we are done with the pipsqueak, he won't be able to so much as look at a card without wetting his pants." The silver-masked man ominously declared as he extended a hand.

Tentatively, Crowler reached forward and shook the man's hand, but upon doing so, he noticed what seemed to be a flash in the fog, something that didn't go by unnoticed by the duo.

"Did you see that?" The gloved one asked.

"It's nothing." The silver-masked one spoke, "Come on, we have a job to do."

With that, the duo once more walked into the fog, disappearing as fast as they appeared. With a heavy sigh, Crowler picked a piece of fabric to wipe the cold sweat off of his forehead, and not a second later he started to giggle to himself.

"That slacker is done for." The Obelisk Blue headmaster 'graciously' sang as he skipped on his step away from the docks.

Silence permeated the place before it was broken by the sound of someone letting out a long-winded sigh, peeking from his hiding spot. Oleander made sure that the cost was clear. He was expecting Crowler to hire Titan, but he wasn't expecting Panik, of all people, to be making an appearance.

Wasn't that guy sent to the Shadow Realm or whatever by the Pharaoh during the Duelist Kingdom?

Regardless, he now had to double-time to reach Alexis before they did.

[Central Academy Outskirts - Abandoned Dorm - 3:33 AM]

Standing before the Abandoned Dorm was Alexis Rhodes; in her arms she held a bouquet, and with a somber expression, she gently settled down before placing her hands behind her back and bowing her head.

She was so focused on her mourning that she didn’t notice the two tall figures approaching her. Titan extended a hand forward and–

“Alexis!” Oleander shouted from the top of his lungs, “Get down!”

The blonde whipped around to see the two creeps and managed to dodge just in time before they could grab her. Titan balled his fists as he growled in frustration.

"Oleander!?" She asked, sounding out of breath, "What's going on here!?"

"I was taking a stroll through the docks and saw those creeps." The purple-haired duelist hastily explained as he helped the blonde back on her feet. "I decided to tail them, which led me here."

"I knew there was someone there!" Panik concluded with a click of his tongue. "If you were there, it means you heard too much."

"Who the hell are you two creeps?" Alexis growled as she turned her hateful gaze toward the duo.

"We are the harbingers of your doom." Titan declared ominously as he pressed a button in his suit, causing the gemstone on it to go from a dull blue to a vibrant red. 

"I am Panik." The man in question declared with a cocky grin as he mimicked his partner's actions, "And we are about to teach you snot-nosed brats not to meddle with grown-up business!"

"They are here because of Jaden." Oleander turned to face the blonde with a grave expression. "I don't know what it is, but it can't be good."

"If you two think I will allow a friend of mine to be hurt," Alexis glowered as she activated her duel disk and assumed her dueling stance. "Then you are sorely mistaken."

"Good thing I brought my own toy to this." The purple-haired duelist declared with a smirk as he activated his duel disk and assumed his stance, "Time to show them the true meaning of fear."

Duel!

To be continued…

Chapter Text

[Central Academy Outskirts - Abandoned Dorm - 3:33 AM]

Duel!
Panik/Titan: 8000 Life Points
Alexis/Oleander: 8000 Life Points

“I will begin this duel” Panik declared with a sinister smirk as he drew his opening hand.

Turn 1: Panik’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6

“First of all, I will use Genta, Gateman of Dark World’s effect!” He wagged the card before dumping it into his GY “By discarding him, I’m able to add the Field Spell known as The Gates of Dark World!”

The card in question ejected itself from the former eliminator’s deck, which was promptly slapped in his Field Spell Zone; the ground rumbled, and behind the duo of creeps, a massive stone gate emerged, its doors swinging open to reveal a lavender-colored portal.

“This card will not only boost all of our Fiend-Type monsters by three hundred points, but will also allow me to banish a fiend from my graveyard, to discard a card, and then draw one card.” He smirked as a sinister light started to emanate from his GY. “And I will do it now!”

“I banish Genta, to discard my Beige, Vanguard of Dark World!” He removed one card from his GY, discarded one, and promptly drew a card.

The portal behind Panik started to crackle with energy, and from it two grotesque-looking monsters appeared; one was wearing a scarf while carrying a greatshield, while the other wore a pair of goggles and wielded a spear.

“When Genta is banished while I control a Dark World card, I can immediately Special Summon it.” He then pointed at the other monster. “And if Beiige is discarded, I can Special Summon it.”

Both monsters roared in unison as their forms were enveloped by the field spell's sinister energy, their muscles bulging considerably and their height increasing.

[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World - ATK: 1600 → 1900]
[Genta. Gateman of Dark World - DEF: 1800 → 2100]

“A Dark World user are we?” Oleander mused while cupping his cheek. “Not a bad choice for an archetype; easy to use and easy to master.” He then smirked, “Perfect for a simpleton like you.”

"You talk a lot of shit for someone who is about to be face-down on the ground crying for Mommy, Panik angrily shot back with a snarl.

“This one knows some pretty big words.” The purple-haired duelist giggled, “Color me moderately impressed!”

Panik was about to open his mouth to speak but was stopped when his partner placed a hand over his shoulder and shook his head. Huffing, he picked two cards and jammed them in his Spell/Trap Zone.

“Now that the children are done arguing,” Alexis placed two fingers on the top card of her deck. “Then it is my turn!” She roared as she yanked her card.

Turn 2: Alexis Turn - Cards in Hand: 6

“I will use Polymerization!’ She slapped the card in her duel disk before picking three cards in her hands. “I will fuse Lunalight Crimson Fox, Black Sheep, and Purple Butterfly!”

Three anthropomorphic creatures appeared: one looked like a fox, the other one a sheep, and the third one a butterfly, their forms being enveloped in ethereal reds, blues, and greens, respectively, before merging and erupting in a flash of light.

The light subsided, and in the place of the three figures stood a singular one; it was a tall woman with the features of a wolf wielding a massive curved sword.

“Say hello to Lunalight Sabre Dancer!” The blonde proudly declared her monster’s name as the wolf woman assumed a combat stance. "And not only will she gain two hundred attack points for every Beast-Warrior-Type monster in my graveyard or banished, but she also can't be targeted by your card effects!"

[Lunalight Sabre Dancer - ATK: 3000 → 3600]

"She's beautiful." Oleander blushed, which was only intensified when Sabre Dancer winked at him.

"I will now use Black Sheep's effect from my graveyard!" A shimmering light emanated from Alexis GY as Purple Butterfly was ejected. "Since she was used for a Fusion Summon, I can return a Lunalight monster from my graveyard to my hand."

[Lunalight Sabre Dancer - 3600 → 3400]

The light in Alexis GY color changed from silver to crimson as it suddenly shot toward Beiige, hitting the fiend square on the chest and bringing it to its knees.

"And that was Crimson Fox's effect." A small smile appeared on the blonde's lips. "Since she was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, I can target a monster you control and reduce its attack to zero."

[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World - ATK: 1900 → 0]

"Lastly, I will use Purple Butterfly's effect!" She flipped the recently added card and once more slid it into her GY. "By discarding her, I can make a Lunalight monster I control and make her gain one thousand attack points!"

Once more the light in Alexis GY changed color, this time to a rich purple before it enveloped Sabre Dancer, making the wolf woman howl as her attack points increased.

[Lunalight Sabre Dancer - ATK: 3400 → 4600]

"Way to go, girl!" Oleander cheered. "Now I see why people call you the queen of the Obelisk Blue!"

"Sabre Dancer, attack!" The blonde roared the command as she punched the air in front of her, causing Sabre Dancer to leap high in the air while raising her sword above her head, preparing to deal a devastating blow.

However, the attack never reached Beiige, as Sabre Dancer was repelled by a translucent barrier, sending her crashing back to Alexis's side of the field.

“I would’ve been sweating, honestly,” Panik commented before Genta stepped to the side to reveal the former eliminator’s newly flipped-over card.

Which was Depth Amulet

“Every time one of you brats tries to attack me, all I need to do is discard a card.” His smirk grew as he discarded a card. “And I will now use Broww, Huntsman of Dark World’s effect, which allows me to draw one card.”

“He’s good…” Alexis, weary, declared as she watched her monster get up.

“The guy was Pegasus's top Eliminator during Duelist Kingdom for a reason.” Oleander let out a sigh as his smile disappeared.

“Good to see that my fame precedes me,” The former Eliminator proudly declared while puffing his chest a bit.

“Said Eliminator that got beaten by Yugi when the same was using his grandpa’s deck” Oleander quipped as his smug-smirk returned in full force. “A deck that was trash even by that time’s standard.”

“Why you…!”

“I will set two cards face down.” The blonde slid two cards in her Spell/Trap Zone.

“Then it is my turn to show you two true darknesses.” Titan ominously declared, “I hope you two made your peace, because I will make sure to send your souls to the Shadow Realm.”

“Y-you what?” Alexis asked, looking positively mortified.

“Not again with this,” Panik grumbled under his breath. “Just ignore him, girlie; he loves this grift of saying he will send people to the Shadow Realm…”

"Yeah, I figured that out pretty quick," Oleander nonchalantly commented as he checked his nails for dirt. "Not only are Shadow Games completely bogus, but even if they are true, he doesn't have a Millennium Item."

"Then how do you explain THIS!" He roared while pulling a familiar object in the shape of a pyramid. "I got the Millennium Pendant in my hands."

"It's called the Millennium Puzzle, dumbass." The purple-haired duelist rolled his eyes. "And last I saw it, it was comfortably around Yugi Muto's neck."

"So this isn't a Shadow Game." Alexis then let out a sigh of relief.

"I mean, they can still do some real damage to us," Oleander shrugged, seeming indifferent to the very real danger of physical harm.

"I told you it was a waste of money buying that toy." Panik growled as he side-eyed his partner. "And you didn't even bother to learn the blasted thing's name."

"And how else am I supposed to strike fear into the hearts of our victims?" Titan angrily countered.

"How about through actual skill?" The former Eliminator nonchalantly shot back.

Titan was about to say something when he was interrupted by the sound of Alexis clearing her throat; shooting a glare at the blonde, he saw her motioning to his duel disk, urging him to continue his turn.

Turn 3: Titan’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6

“I will cast the spell known as Advanced Ritual Art.” A card ejects itself from the creep’s duel disk. “I will send a Normal Monster from my deck to the graveyard in order to meet the requirement for the Ritual Summoning of a Ritual Monster.”

“Was it really necessary to clarify that you were going to Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster?” Oleander chimed in, sounding genuinely confused.

“I am with the cabbage-haired brat, Thomas.” Panik couldn't help but nod.

“The hell did you just call me?!” The purple-haired duelist roared, balling his fists indignantly.

"Can you two please stop?!" Alexis interjected, absolutely fed up with the kindergarten level of the squabble between the two of them.

"He started it!" Both of them shouted in unison while pointing an accusatory finger at one another.

"And the monster I selected for the aforementioned summon...!" Titan spoke between gritted teeth as he picked a card in his hand and slapped it in his Monster Zone. "Will be Archfiend's Awakening!"

Blue sparks emerged from the ground before none other than Summoned Skull emerged from it, though this iteration had some differences, namely his horns, which looked sharper and slightly elongated, and the blue electricity that surrounded his body, said sparks that intensified as the monster's attack was boosted.

[Archfiend’s Awakening - ATK: 2500 → 2800]

“I will now use the Equip Spell known as Raregold Armor!” He raised the card above his head, and it transformed into a flash of light, enveloping the newly summoned monster and adorning it with a gilded white armor. “Now you brats are forced to attack Archfiend’s Awakening, which cannot be destroyed either by battle or by card effect that isn't from a Ritual Monster.”

“But you will still take damage~” Oleander sang while wagging his finger.

“Oleander, while your attempts at lighting up the mood are appreciated, I would rather that you please stop talking.” Alexis spoke with a deadpan tone as she side-eyed her partner.

“Can you blame me?” The purple-haired duelist raised his hands. “Look at him; he’s trying so hard to be broody and dark, but that’s just goofy!” He motioned toward a very angry Titan.

“Gotta say, it’s hard to argue against the cabbage-haired brat when he makes good points like those,” Panik spoke while picking his nose.

"Will you stop siding with him?!" Titan snapped as he turned to face his partner.

"And you could stop giving them ammunition." Panik countered with a toothy grin.

"Says the man who a mere moment ago was arguing with the same child..." The masked creep growled as he picked a single card and shoved it in his Spell/Trap Zone. "You're up; go!"

"Okay, time for me to shine!" Oleander cracked his neck as he enthusiastically drew his next card. 

Turn 4: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 6

“First I will play my very own Polymerization!” Oleander slapped the card in his duel disk, but before it could properly activate, a bolt of lightning smited it.

“By paying two thousand Life Points,” Titan began as a sinister red aura surrounded his body and started to sap his Life Points. “Solemn Warning negates your card.”

Titan/Panik: 8000 → 6000 Life Points

“Talk about killing my vibe.” The purple-haired duelist, weary, commented as his shoulders slacked, but he recovered some of his usual air before picking a card: “In this case I will play Predaplast by revealing a Predap card from my hand.” He revealed Predaplant Squid Drosera. “I can place a Predator Counter on your monsters up to the number of revealed cards.”

From beneath Archfiend’s awakening feet, a monster resembling a tree emerged; the demons struggled but were unable to stop one of the vines from the plant abomination from stinging its shoulder. With its mission complete, Squid Drosera burrowed once more in the ground.

Archfiend's Awakening roared in pain as a flower burst through its chest, shattering its armor; the flower bloomed to reveal a cluster of eyeballs.

"While that Predator Counter on its own does nothing more than reduce the level of your monster all the way to one." He picked another card as he smirked, "I can do some pretty interesting interactions with my cards; for example, now that you have a monster with a Predator Counter, I can Special Summon this!" He slapped the card on his duel disk. "Meet Predaplant Heliamphorhynchus!"

A shriek was heard deep in the forest, and from the treeline, a plant creature in the form of a pterodactyl appeared; the plant abomination touched down on the field, shrieking at the duo of creeps.

"I will now Normal Summon Predaplant Squid Drosera." He picked a card and placed it in his Monster Zone without much fanfare as the familiar tree-like Predaplant once more burst from the ground.

"And now to close the wonderful act." He slid two cards in his Spell/Trap Zone.

“Then I guess it is back to the old grind with me.” Panik cracked his neck before yanking his next card.

Turn 5: Panik’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4

“Time to bring some friends to this party.” Picking a card from his hand, he slid it on his duel disk. “I will use Dark Corridor, which allows me to add a Dark World monster to my hand.” He picked an ejected card. “And then I discard a card.” He then discarded the newly added card.

A cackle echoed in the air, and from a dark fog, a new grotesque monster appeared beside Sabre Dancer. This one, being small and grinning from ear to ear, the diminutive demon turned to face Alexis before sticking its tongue out at her.

"What the hell is that thing?" The blonde recoiled in disgust as saliva started to drool from the fiend's tongue.

"It was the card I discarded." The former Eliminator clarified, "Ceruli, Guru of Dark World, whose effect Special Summons it to your side of the field." Panik them grinned menacingly. "And that little guy will make me discard a card."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I activated the Trap Card known as Fusion Duplication!" He jabbed a button on his duel disk, flipping the card over. "This card Banishes Polymerization or any fusion card from my grave and copies its effect!"

The trap card started to shimmer and distort as it began to morph into the familiar sight of Polymerization.

"And I will fuse my two Predaplants in order to bring out a toxic nightmare!" The purple-haired duelist pointed at his monsters, his eyes already sparking with purple energy as the visage of Starving Venom started to materialize above his head.

Both monsters were turned into specs of light that were promptly absorbed by the dragon’s shadowy visage before it erupted in a flash of purple light as it let out a mighty roar. The light subsided, and in its place stood Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.

Upon touching down on the field, the dragon got on all fours and assumed a defensive stance in front of its master, snapping and growling at the two thugs as if daring them to approach.

“That’s one big dragon…” Titan commented while gulping.

“Oh trust me, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Oleander chuckled darkly as he felt the same sensation of euphoria taking a hold of me. “But by all means, continue your play; I’ve already done my part.”

"Like I was saying, Ceruli's effect makes the opponent, in this case yours truly." Panik motioned to himself. "Discard a card."

The former Eliminator snapped his fingers, causing Ceruli to shoot a bolt of black and golden lightning straight at Panik's hand, causing one of the cards in his hand to be disintegrated.

Soon after thunderous steps echoed from The Gates of Dark World, getting louder and stronger by the second, Alexis was staring at the structure with apprehension while Oleander displayed mild interest.

From the depths of the Dark World another demon appeared; however, unlike the other ones, this fiend was far from grotesque. Quite the contrary, the monster had a regal air to it; Beiige and Genta hurriedly stepped out of the way, bowing as the massive demon walked past them. 

"Say hello to Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World!" Panik proudly declared as he motioned to his newly summoned monster. 

[Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World - ATK: 2500 → 2800]

"And since he was discarded by an opponent's card effect, not only does he Special Summon himself, but now I get the choice of either destroying all of your Spells and Traps or Monsters!" He then brought his hand down and pointed at the monsters. "And I choose to wreck your guys!"

Reign-Beaux cracked his neck as the crest embedded in his chest started to shimmer with washed-out colors, and with a mighty roar, the demon released a blast that completely obliterated all the monsters on Alexis and Oleander's side of the field, leaving nothing but a pile of ash that used to be their monsters.

"Starving Venom left this world too soon... sniffle sniffle." Oleander spoke in a mocking display of sadness before he gave the two thugs a predatory smile. "But it is my dragon who will have the last laugh."

Before Panik could ask what he meant by that, he was surprised when various vines suddenly burst from the ground, enveloping all of the monsters on his side of the field, with the exception being Archfiend's Awakening, who managed to create a barrier to protect itself.

"You see, Starving Venom is a very, very vengeful creature." The purple-haired duelist explained as he watched in glee the vines lift Panik's monsters from the ground. "And since it was destroyed, it will take all of your Special Summoned monsters to hell with it!"

The fiends roared in unison as the vines tightened their grip on them before their agonizing roars were silenced as a sickening crunch reverberated across the forest, and then monsters went limp before being dragged into the ground by the vines.

"This kid is sick..." Titan wearily commented, thankful for the effect that prevented his monster from suffering such a grueling fate.

"I see that thing is still on the field." Oleander cupped his cheek, completely unbothered by the fact that both he and his partner were wide open. "Ah well, it's more fun like this."

“So that’s how you want to play, huh?” Panik growled before picking a card in his hand and shoving it into his Spell/Trap Zone. “I will use the card known as Dark World Accession!”

The translucent ghosts of the recently destroyed monsters alongside Titan's Summoned Skull appeared behind Panik, their forms being bathed in dark energy before being absorbed by the gates.

“I will combine these fiends in order to create the true ruler of the Dark World!”

The ghost's forms started to shimmer and be distorted as they were absorbed by the portal whose color started to be drained; soon the entire structure’s color scheme consisted of nothing but black and white, and it didn’t stop there.

Everything around the portal lost its colors, and not long after the entire surrounding area had its color drained, giving the forest a surrealistic look.

From the portal a demon appeared, this one having a more humanoid appearance to it; his body was made out of some kind of inky substance that dripped with every step he took. In his hand he held a staff that had Reign-Beaux's crest firmly embedded on the top. Clorless' unamused gaze swept across the field, eventually landing on Alexis and Oleander.

"Bow before Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World!" Panik's roar echoed across the now monochromatic forest. "Upon being Fusion Summoned, two things will happen, the first one being you punks will lose every single one of your cards!"

"In this case I will use my set Predaplanning." Oleander said in a dry tone of voice. "By sending a Predaplant from my deck to my grave." He picked a card and revealed it to be Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra before dumping it. "I can place a Predator Counter on all of your monsters."

Clorless grunted as he clutched his chest; from it a grotesque-looking flower burst, ripping through his robes. Once bloomed, it revealed a mouth with various rolls of sharp teeth. Snarling, the Chaos King used his staff to release a blast that finished whipping the field.

[Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World - Level: 12 → 1] (Predator Counter(s): 0 → 1)

"And here's Clorless's second effect: he will gain one thousand attack points for every monster used on the fusion, and I've used five monsters!"

The spirits of the monsters momentarily appeared behind Clorless, where they were then promptly absorbed by the monster, causing him to let out a mighty roar as his attack points skyrocketed.

[Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World - ATK: ? --> 5000 --> 5300]

"Clorless, destroy those pesky brats!" The former Eliminator pointed at the duo. "Monochromatic Annihilation!"

"Archfiend's Awakening attack with Underworld Skyfire!" Titan roared as he mimicked his partner's motion.

Clorless brought his staff close to his face while muttering something in a foreign language. To his left, Archfiend's Awakening placed his two claws together and started to channel energy into his talons. Then the monsters released their attacks; the combined might of Clorless Blast and Archfiend's Awakening thunders caused a giant explosion to erupt, kicking a huge cloud of dust.

Silence hung in the air as Panik used that moment to catch his breath. Once he had recovered enough of his breath, he started to giggle, which soon became a full-on howling laughter. He then checked his duel disk in order to see the Life Points of his opponents drop to zero so that he may... he may...

Oleander/Alexis: 8000 → 2550

He then felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard a sinister giggle come from within the dust cloud; lifting his gaze from his duel disk, he watched the cloud dissipate to reveal Alexis down on one knee and Oleander, who was still standing, a sinister violet aura in the shape of his ace monster surrounding him.

"H-how?" Titan sputtered. "The combined attack from both of our monsters should have been more than enough to wipe out your Life Points!"

"When I activated Predaplanning, I didn't send any ordinary monster." He wagged his finger while clicking his tongue. "Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra's effect allows me to banish a Predaplant from my grave and return another banished monster back to the grave to half the battle damage we would have taken from Clorless; in this case, I banished Squid Drosera in order to return Lunalight Crimson Fox."

"Oleander, are you okay?" Alexis wearily asked as she got back up on her feet. "You're kind of scaring me right now."

"I'm feeling fantastic." He giddily declared before taking a deep breath and refocusing his attention on his opponents. "But I think it's high time we stopped playing with our food and jump straight to the main course already; I'm famished. " He rubbed his tummy while humming to himself.

"I—I end my turn." Panik sputtered the words as he side-eyed his partner, who was equally put off by the purple-haired brat's sudden change in attitude.

"In that case it is my turn!" Alexis loudly declared as she yanked her card, all the while trying her best to keep her attention on the duel at hand.

Turn 6: Alexis' Turn - Cards in Hand: 0 → 1

"I will play Roll of Fate!" She slapped the card on her duel disk, causing a die to appear on her hand. "I will draw cards depending on the dice's result, but then I must banish cards from the top of my deck equal to the number of cards I drew."

Taking a deep breath and closing her hand around the dice, she prayed that she'd draw the right amount of cards, and then with a swift motion, she threw the dice. It spun on the ground for a few moments; everyone watched intently. It landed on a four.

Alexis promptly yanked eight cards from the top of her deck; four were added to her hand, and the rest she shoved into her deck holster. She smirked upon seeing the cards she drew.

"I will use a second copy of Polymerization!" Sliding the card into her Spell/Trap Zone, the blonde picked two monsters and dumped them into her GY. "I will fuse my Lunalight Kaleido Chick and Emerald Bird to Fusion Summon Lunalight Cat Dancer."

The two cards in Alexis' hand became specs of blue and red light that merged into a single larger spec of purple light that started to take form. Once the light subsided, before Alexis stood a new monster, a woman with cat features wearing a colorful outfit; she stretched a bit before assuming a defensive position.

"I will now set one card face down." She jammed a card in her Spell/Trap Zone. "And that's it for my turn."

Depth Amulet started to crack before the piece of jewelry exploded into a million pieces; however, Titan and Panik were too focused on the duel to care about the loss of the card.

"Then it is my turn!" Titan declared as he yanked a card from his deck.

Turn 8: Titan's Turn - Cards in Hand: 3 → 4

"Archfiend's Awakening, get rid of that wench!" The masked individual roared as he punched the air in front of him, causing his monster to unleash an electric blast straight at Cat Dancer.

Yet before the attack could reach the cat woman, she retaliated by hurling four kunais; the weapons dispersed in midair, dividing Archfiend's Awakening attack and weakening it to the point where once it reached its mark, it did nothing more than puff her fur a bit.

"Cat Dancer cannot be destroyed by battle." Alexis stated with a confident smirk. "So, you two can't beat her."

"I-I..." Titan's gaze switched from Alexis to Oleander, who was staring at him like he was a slab of fresh meat. "I end my turn."

"Time to feast..." The purple-haired duelist purred as he took his sweet, sweet time drawing his next card.

Turn 8: Oleander’s Turn - Cards in Hand: 0 → 1

"I will activate the card known as Pot of Avarice." Oleander gleefully revealed the card. "I will shuffle five monsters from my graveyard back into my deck in order to draw two cards."

Five cards were ejected from Alexis and Oleander's GY, Starving Venom being among them; the purple-haired duelist wasted no time in shuffling them in their respective places before yanking two cards from the top of his deck. The viciousness of his smile intensified as he saw them.

"First of all, I will Normal Summon a creature known as Possessed Dark Soul!" Slapping the card in his duel disk caused a torrent of flames to erupt in front of him. The flames' intensity subsided as they began to take the form of a horned humanoid figure.

"Possessed Dark Soul is a very special monster, for you see." He motioned to the demonic figure before him. "I can tribute it in order to take control of all monsters on your side of the field that are level three or lower." He chuckled darkly. "Riddle me this, prey: What do Predator Counters do?"

"They reduce the level of all monsters to...one." Titan said in a crestfallen manner as the realization dawned upon him.

" Precisely. " The purple-haired duelist confirmed, his voice dripping with venom.

Oleander snapped his fingers, causing Possessed Dark Soul to shriek before its form suddenly dissipated into wisps of fire that wasted no time in darting toward Archfiend's Awakening and Clorless and burrowing in their foreheads. Both fiends were then engulfed in flames, disappearing from the duo's side of the field only to reappear on Oleander and Alexis's side of the field, their eyes now devoid of life.

"I could end this duel right now if I wanted to, you know." Oleander pointed out before he wagged the last card in his hand. "But I'm going to do it on my own terms."

Jamming the card on his Spell/Trap Zone, the card revealed itself to be Polymerization; both of Oleander's recently acquired monsters' became specs of light that orbited around him, his eyes glowing with a familiar purple energy as Starving Venom's visage loomed over him. The visage opened its maw and devoured the two lights, the shadows that composed its body dissolving away, giving way to the dragon's physical form.

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon locked eyes with the two thugs, and to say that the dragon was pissed off would be the understatement of the month; rearing its head back, the dragon let out a terrifyingly powerful roar that caused Titan to shrink on the spot, Panik, on the other hand, somewhat kept his cool.

"Alexis." Oleander's voice cut through the tense silence that had settled shortly after the dragon's second coming. "Be a dear and use Sabre Dancer's effect to boost Starving Venom's attack."

The blonde just stood there frozen for a few moments; she was kicked back into action when Oleander and Starving Venom simultaneously turned their heads to face her, giving the blonde a sharp look.

"By banishing Sabre Dancer from my graveyard." She began as she pressed a button on her duel disk with a trembling finger. "I'm able to increase the attack points of a Fusion Monster on my field by three thousand."

Sabre Dancer's ghost hovered over Alexis; the wolf woman scowled upon seeing Starving Venom, who growled in response, but the ghost complied as its form disintegrated into silver-colored wisps of light that enveloped and empowered the dragon.

[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon - ATK: 2800 → 5800]

"Any last words before we tear you two limb from limb?" Oleander tilted his head to the side.

"P-please, I-I'm sorry." Titan began speaking while shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no." Oleander's expression suddenly got a whole lot more serious as he shook his head. "You don't get to pull the shit that you just did and then grovel for mercy when your back is against the wall."

"Is that so?" Panik inquired in a defiant tone before he opened his arms wide. "Then come on, brat, hit me with everything you got!" He roared from the top of his lungs. "If I'm going down, I'm going down like a man!"

"At least this one has the guts." The purple-haired duelist commented before smirking viciously. "But not for long."

Snapping his fingers once more, Starving Venom opened its maw, purple energy being channeled as a sphere of cracking energy started to materialize. The dragon's eyes flashed for a moment before it unleashed a gigantic blast that carved a warpath toward the two thugs. Titan screeched as he tried to protect himself, but Panik didn't move an inch as the attack got closer and closer. Once the blast hit their targets, it exploded with a thunderous roar that shook the forest.

Titan/Panik: 6000 → 200

The cloud of smoke cleared itself to reveal the two thugs on the ground, their movements minimal and their breathing shallow. Oleander watched the whole thing with mild interest while Alexis stared at the scene unfurling in front of her in pure horror.

"Go ahead, Alexis." Oleander side-eyed the blonde. "Finish it."

"Oleander, please calm down." She began cautiously while reaching forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We have practically won; no need to kick them while they are down."

"They tried to hurt Jaden." Oleander countered with a growl. "The least we can do is make it hurt. "

"I understand you; I'm angry at them too." She motioned to the two downed thugs. "But you're going to be no better than them."

"I can live with that." He responded with a noncommittal shrug. "Now hurry up; I want to be done with this clownfest."

Seeing as she was not going to get through to him, she turned her attention back to the duel at hand, her gaze going from her monster, which was switched to attack position before the battle phase started, to the two thugs. Closing her eyes, she did a sharp motion with her hand, praying that the attack didn't hit them too hard.

Cat Dancer pulled a single kunai and took aim; she launched the weapon, which landed on a patch of dirt between the two creeps. While the attack didn't make contact with them directly, it was enough to register as a successful attack.

Titan/Panik: 200 → 0
Oleander/Alexis: 2550
Winner(s): Oleander/Alexis

“Coward.” Oleander snarked as he side-eyed Cat Dancer and Alexis.

Before the holograms disappeared, the purple-haired duelist started to make his way to the downed thugs; once close enough to Titan, he proceeded to press his foot on top of his neck. The thug tried to free himself, but he was too weak to do so. Wheezing for air, he looked up at Oleander with tears streaming down his pleading eyes.

“Oleander!” Alexis exclaimed as she rushed to him. “Please, stop!” She pleaded while taking hold of him, trying and failing to get him off the thug's throat.

And at that moment, Oleander finally came to his senses, all of the sadistic satisfaction having disappeared as it was replaced with horror; removing his foot from Titan’s throat, he stumbled backwards as he fell on the ground alongside Alexis. Scrambling back to his feet, he saw that Titan had stopped breathing.

Did... did he just...

Thankfully, the thug took a deep breath as his body suddenly jerked into action. Rushing to him, Oleander was quick to adjust the position of his head to facilitate breathing. Meanwhile, Alexis was quick to pull her PDA and dial the emergency contact to the academy's security.

Amidst all the chaos, Oleander managed to catch a glimpse of Starving Venom's card, which had fallen on the ground. 

That does it; once he was done with Banner, that card was going to sleep with the fish.

He is not a monster.

Chapter Text

[Central Academy Main Building - Chancellor’s Office - 6:33 AM]

Silence hung in the air as Oleander and Alexis sat outside of the chancellor’s office waiting for the chairwoman to be done talking with Sheppard so that he and the blonde may properly explain the events that transpired a few hours ago; the only sound that permeated the ambient was that of a grandfather clock ticking away.

“Weather is terrible, no?” Oleander asked before smacking his lips and giving Alexis an awkward smile.

Her only response was to shuffle away from him a bit, which served to erase the smile on Oleander’s face. Honestly, he hardly blames her for being a tad bit unnerved at him, especially when you factor in that he did almost kill someone.

Deciding that it was for the best not to press the issue, the purple-haired duelist opted to sink into his seat and close his eyes. While he doubted he would be able to catch any sleep, he desperately needed to rest; running around the woods in the middle of the night, dueling two creeps, and getting dragged around by the academy's security tends to take a toll on one's energy.

But alas, Oleander's moment of respite was cut short when the oak doors that led into the office opened themselves, and from the inside emerged a woman wearing a militarized version of the girls uniform, the blues having been replaced with green, while a cape adorned her back; on top of her short black hair was a green beret.

The woman in question being none other than Chairwoman Madelin, the head of the academy's security and, in many ways but in name, the academy's second in command. How a clown like Crowler got the position of vice-chancellor while she was stuck as the chairwoman was beyond Oleander, but he quickly chalked that up to Sheppard being Sheppard, as in utterly incompetent in his job.

Speaking of the Obelisk Blue headmaster, Oleander was still debating with himself whether or not he should pull out the picture he took and air the guy's dirty laundry to the one person other than Seto Kaiba he feared. He'd think about that later because right now it was time to talk with the chancellor himself.

Getting up from their seats in unison, Oleander and Alexis were guided inside the office, where they were met with Chancellor Sheppard in the flesh. The bald man smiled warmly at his students while motioning for them to take a seat in two really comfortable-looking chairs that sat neatly in front of his desk.

"I would like to begin this conversation by assuring the two of you that the culprits are securely under the care of Central Academy Internal Security." Sheppard began as he watched the two teens take their seat. "And in a few hours they will be shipped out of this island and towards jail, so you two may rest easy." However, his expression then became a tad more serious. "Now I would like to know what happened to the one wearing a silver mask; he arrived at the infirmary barely breathing."

Oleander and Alexis exchanged awkward looks at one another, and so, taking a deep breath, the purple-haired duelist rose from his seat to make sure all eyes were on him.

"It was me, chancellor." He began while keeping a straight posture. "Once the duel was over, I decided to get justice with my bare hands and..." Taking a deep breath through his nostrils, he continued. "I pressed my feet on his neck for several seconds."

Sheppard and Madelin stared at the purple-haired Slifer Red with a shocked expression at the revelation that a literal high schooler is the reason that a grown man is now breathing with the aid of a machine.

"Were you out of your mind, boy?!" Sheppard scolded him, his tone shifting to something much more stern. "Not only did you approach an individual that, for all intents and purposes, could very well be armed, but your little stunt left the man incapable of being interrogated!"

"What about the other one?" Alexis spoke as she leaned against the armrest of her chair.

"He refused to cooperate." Chairwoman Madelin stated matter-of-factly, a hint of a scowl being visible under the mask of professional indifference she wore. "He said, and I quote, 'Snitches get stitches,' and simply refused to say anything else, even after we offered for him to get out with a lighter sentence."

"Back to the topic at hand." Sheppard cut in as he set his gaze on Oleander once more. "Chairwoman Madelin relayed the information that you saved Ms. Rhodes from being abducted by those two scums." Placing a hand over his chest, he gave the purple-haired duelist a respectful bow. "While I thank you on behalf of the academy, it does not erase your recklessness."

"And the same applies for you two, Ms. Rhodes." He then turned his gaze to face the blonde, who looked about just ready to fall asleep right then and there. "I understand you were mourning the loss of someone...important," He said with a heavy sigh before quickly composing himself. "But you were caught walking around during an active curfew, the two of you."

"I would like to add that, while my team found them in the premises of the academy's exclusion zone." Madelin began as she clasped her hands behind her back. "They did not enter it; therefore they should only face repercussions for infringing the curfew."

"Good, I was worried we would need to duel against two pro-duelists to not face expulsion." Oleander 'joked' as he took back his seat.

"Heavens forbid!" Sheppard said with a good-natured laugh. "Who in their right mind would do such a thing?"

Oleander fought with all his might against the urge to launch the man the world's biggest blank stare known to man. But somehow he managed to.

"Now, I think appropriate punishment would be your DP accounts being frozen, meaning you will not be able to earn anything through duels, nor will you be able to use any remaining DP that was present by the time it was frozen." Scratching his chin, he contemplated for a few moments. "I also want a ten-page essay on the importance of curfews and the dangers of not abiding by them."

"Is there anything else?" Oleander tiredly asked as he rubbed his eyes. "Because I can hear my bed calling my name all the way up here."

"I second that." Alexis said in an equally tired voice.

"I will call the headmasters of your dorms." He explained while picking up the phone on top of his desk and dialing. "While the danger has already passed, I still think it is best if you two are accompanied by adults."

"With your permission, Chancellor, I shall take my leave." Madelin turned to face the man and gave him a salute before marching out of the office.

"And I will crash on the couch outside the office if you don't mind." Oleander got up from his seat and dragged his tired feet all the way to the door, slamming it behind him.

Throwing himself on the luxurious black couch, Oleander sighed in relief as his head was finally allowed some rest after going back and forth nonstop for the last few hours. He was so tired, in fact, that he did not even notice that the reflection on the glass that housed the grandfather’s clock pendulum was displaying Starving Venom perched on the couch, watching over the purple-haired duelist like a gargoyle.

Half an hour later, Oleander felt a hand on his shoulder. Groaning, he spun on the couch until he saw that the person who had woken from his nap was Professor Banner. The alchemist helped his student to sit up on the couch and even smooth the purple-haired duelist's jacket.

Rubbing his eyes, Oleander turned his head to the side and was able to see Nurse Fontaine speaking with Chancellor about dismissing both Oleander and Alexis from classes for the rest of the day. Honestly, even if he wasn't dismissed from the classes, he had no intention of attending them anyway; he really wasn't a fan of dealing with Crowler's clownfest only to spend a good chunk of the morning hearing his voice.

"Good morning, Professor Banner." The purple-haired duelist groggily greeted his headmaster.

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Hemlock." The alchemist responded with a kind smile as he took a hold of Oleander's shoulder and helped him on his feet. "Come, I will prepare something for you once we arrive at the dorm."

"I just want to sleep, that is all." Oleander responded as he turned his head back to see Alexis following Nurse Fontaine, the two of them quickly disappearing after turning around a corner. "By the way, professor, what did they tell you about what happened?"

"Only that apparently you and Ms. Rhodes dueled and defeated two mercenaries for hire whose jobs targeted one of my students." A scowl formed on his face as he said the last part.

"Well, I gotta tell you something that happened in the duel toward the end." Oleander began as the two of them started to make the walk back to the dorm. "And before you ask, it is related to Starving Venom and my...mood swings."

"Is that so?" A glint flashed across Banner's eyes. "Pray tell, because Ms. Rhodes was looking at you with genuine fear in her eyes."

"I nearly killed a man." The purple-haired duelist admitted while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Once the duel was over, I walked up to him and stomped on his neck." 

"So it is getting worse, no?" Banner remarked thoughtfully while cupping his chin. "I'm really sorry about that, Mr. Hemlock." The alchemist lamented with genuine sadness. "No child of your age should deal with things like that."

"It is what it is." The purple-haired duelist gave his headmaster a noncommittal shrug as they both walked into the schoolyard. "And besides, it is not like we are going to let this...thing do as it pleases with me."

"And that is why I'm terribly sorry for how long it is taking to set things up." He placed a comforting hand on his student's shoulder. "But I must make sure everything is perfect so that we may begin our studies."

"So long as we eventually rid this spiritual parasite from me, you can take as much time as you want." The purple-haired duelist waved off the alchemist's concern. "But what do you recommend I do in the meantime?"

"Cease the usage of Starving Venom Fusion Dragon." Banner spoke matter-of-factly. "While I know it is one of your most powerful cards, I'm sure you understand that we can't afford you having another one of your episodes with one of the students."

"No need to tell me twice." Oleander grumbled as he dug his hand on his deck holster; pulling Starving Venom's card, he tried to pass it on to Banner, but was surprised when the alchemist refused. "What gives?"

"I do not think it is wise to separate the spirit from the duelist it is attached to." The alchemist wearily declared as he eyed the card with worry. "Best to simply keep it on your person and not use it, lest we risk kicking the metaphorical hornet's nest."

"Why can't things involving spirits be simple?" Oleander lamented with a crestfallen sigh as he shoved the card on his holster once more.

"I ask myself that same question on a fairly regular basis." Banner spoke in an equally dejected, if a bit frustrated, tone.

Both student and professor then came to a silent agreement to walk the rest of the path without talking, which did serve to give Oleander some much-needed quiet time to process what to do with the incriminating picture he has of Crowler.

He briefly considered partaking in that information with Banner but quickly snuffed out that idea because of the myriad of issues it could cause.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the two of them finally arrived at the Slifer Red Dorm, and Oleander never thought he would feel relief upon laying eyes on the borderline run-down building, but if there's one thing he knew regarding Central Academy Island, it is that anything is possible.

"Get some rest; you are long overdue for it." Banner turned to face his purple-haired student while placing a hand over his shoulder. "And don't you worry; I'm working overtime to make sure everything is ready, and I give you my word that we will solve this problem."

"Thanks a lot." Oleander responded with a nod before ascending the stairs leading to the dorm's second floor and toward his room.

[Slifer Red Dorm - Oleander’s Room - 7:30 AM]

Now inside his room, the purple-haired duelist simply kicked off his shoes, each going in a different direction, before throwing himself on his mattress, sighing softly to himself as his head sank somewhat comfortably in the pillow. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep in mere moments, causing him to become unaware of the ethereal blue spirit that was now looming over him.

"I know how cruel all of this looks." The Entity spoke in a soft tone as she crouched down so that she may adjust the blanket over Oleander's sleeping form. "But I assure you it will be worth it in the end."

Straightening her position, she picked up Oleander's discarded shoes and placed them neatly by his bed. Once she was sure that he was as comfortable as he could be, she opened her hand, causing her staff to come into existence before she disappeared into nothing. Leaving Oleander to finally sleep in peace.

  [Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm - Alexis’ Room - 7:30 AM]

Tick…tack…tick…tack…

The constant and monotonous noise of Alexis' alarm clock filled the room. Lying on her bed, the blonde stared at the ceiling with a thousand-yard stare. She was utterly drained and desperately wanted and needed to sleep, yet she couldn’t, no matter how much time she kept her eyes closed.

A knock on her door was heard, but before she could get up, it opened, and in walked Jasmine and Mindy, her best friends, whom she had known ever since duel-prep school. Sitting up on her bed, the blonde managed to crack the slightest of smiles. Her two friends exchanged worried looks before quickly making their way to her bed and wasted no time in pulling her into a tight hug.

"How are you doing, girl?" Mindy asked as she pulled from the hug.

"I'm hanging in there." Alexis said as she rubbed her eyes. "I can't sleep, no matter how hard I try."

"We heard you whooped those creeps asses." Jasmine spoke next with a confident smirk. "Showed them not to mess with the Obelisk Blue Queen, eh?"

"I can't take all the credit; Oleander not only saved me from being kidnapped but also duelled with me." She let out a long-winded sigh. "But damn, did he start to frighten me in the latter half of the duel."

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked next.

"It is kind of hard to say, but..." She bit her lower lip trying to find the proper words. "It was like a switch was flipped on him; he started the duel fine, cracking jokes and generally trying to lighten up the mood, not too dissimilar from what Jaden would do, actually."

"And then?" Jasmine pressed on while fixing her friend's messy hair. "What happened?"

"When he summoned that purple dragon, his demeanor completely changed." She hugged her sides close to herself while shuddering a bit. "All of a sudden he started to refer to those creeps as prey and how he would tear them apart limb from limb."

"And that's not all; once the duel was over, he marched to where one of them was lying on the ground and, without warning, stomped on his neck." The blonde retold as the memory of Oleander's act flashed across her mind. "If I hadn't tackled him onto the ground, I'm sure he would have killed him."

"T-that's horrible!" Mindy commented, looking pale as a ghost.

"He just did that out of the blue?" Jasmine arched an eyebrow. "Like he just started to act like a psycho without warning and then just did... that?"

“Completely out of nowhere.” Alexis confirmed with a nod. “But the part that really stuck with me was on the final turn of the duel.” She stopped to collect her thoughts before taking a deep breath. “He pressured me into boosting the attack points of his dragon, and when I didn’t do it, he AND his dragon both turned to face me.”

"Alexis girl, I hate to say it to you, but this Oleander guy sounds like bad news." Jasmine said while crossing his arms.

"Yeah, I watched enough horror movies to know that people like that are serial killers in the making." Mindy chimed in. "Before you know it, he's going to put on a hockey mask and pick a machete!"

"Mindy, not helping." Jasmine chided her friend, who then proceeded to place both hands over her mouth just in case.

"Look, I know how bad all this sounds, but truth be told, I'm not in the right headspace to process that." Sweeping her hair backwards, the blonde fell backwards into the mattress. "So could you two please leave?" The blonde lifted her hair ever so slightly. "I really want to sleep all of this off."

"Sure, girl, take as much time as you want." Jasmine reassured her friend as she took hold of Mindy's wrist and led her out of Alexis's bedroom.

"We are here if you need us!" Mindy reassured her friend through the door before their footsteps were heard walking down the corridor.

Alone once more, the blonde decided to refocus her gaze on the ceiling; this time, however, she could feel her eyes getting progressively heavier and heavier, and before long they closed completely as Alexis was finally allowed the release of sweet, sweet sleep.

[Sea of Japan - S.S. Anne - 12:00 AM]

Boredom—that's all Panik could feel at the very instant. It was pure, unadulterated boredom. Having his hands and knees handcuffed to the bed frame really limits one's options to entertain themselves on a long trip on their way to jail, and he was tired of playing "I Spy with my little eye," seeing as he had exhausted all of the options in the room to play the game.

Groaning, Panik's eyes scanned the room once more in a desperate attempt to stave off the dreadful boredom that had a vice grip on him, yet for the fifteenth time that day he was met with the same result: nothing.

He couldn't even talk with his partner, seeing as he currently was in the ship's medical wing, probably surrounded by a dozen machines to allow him to breathe. The former Eliminator grimaced as the memory of the purple-haired brat stomping on his partner's throat appeared in his mind.

Stomping on someone's throat, that's the kind of stuff that even Panik would hesitate in doing, and he didn't know what the hell possessed the kid into doing something like that. But if he was to guess, maybe it had something to do with their job involving that... what was his name again? Schmaden Schmuki? Yeah, Schmaden or something.

Panik's train of thought was stopped dead in his tracks when the lights in his room started to flicker before shutting down completely; once turning back on, the former Eliminator wasn't alone anymore.

Standing over him was a humanoid female figure glowing in an ethereal blue light, her silver eyes staring down at Panik with unrestrained disdain. She opened the palm of her hand, and from thin air conjured a staff that looked like the clock pointer of a grandfather clock.

"I don't suppose you're here to serve me lunch, are you?" Panik joked, trying to keep his cool in the face of such a bizarre being he was seeing.

"The elusive Panik, once Maximillian Pegasus's top Eliminator during Duelist Kingdom." The entity began speaking as she started to circle his bed, one hand clasped behind her back. "Now reduced to a simple mercenary willing to take any job to make ends meet, how pathetic." 

"Who the hell are you?" Panik growled as he watched her intently.

"Panik is a very interesting alias." She remarked, completely ignoring the question she was just asked. "Certainly more intimidating than Connor Williams." 

"Hey!" He barked, "How the hell do you know my name?!" 

"It is unimportant, because in mere seconds you will be nothing more than a footnote in the journey of my protégé." The Entity chided as she raised her staff above her head. "I'm sure Bronn will be thrilled to have a new toy to play with."

Blue light flooded the room as Panik let out a bloodcurdling scream that was abruptly cut off when the light subsided; the room was now completely empty. The handcuffs that were used to keep their prisoner in check now dangled uselessly.

One of the guards barged into the room; upon spotting the now-empty bed, he immediately radioed his colleagues to report a missing prisoner. Before he pressed the alarm button to alert the rest of the crew about the escaping attempt.