Hey guys, here's chapter 11 of Rise of Zeo. This chapter will be an adaptation of the episode First Day. Enjoy.
"I'm not ready for this, Eda. Maybe we should go back" Luz told her mentor.
"Nah, kid, you got this. Just do what we practiced!" Eda said with a reassuring smile.
"But what if I mess something up? Or what if I do something wrong? What if I die?" Luz said in a worried yet somewhat exaggerated tone.
"Relax, Luz, you've got nothing to worry about" Zeo reassured, leaning against a wall while looking through his cards.
"Zeo's right. I had to do the same thing when I was a witchling. It's like a rite of passage" Eda told her apprentice, "Granted, I was a little more skilled" she added.
"Eda!" Luz looked at her.
"Right, right. Sorry, sorry" Eda apologized, "Now, get pumped"
"Pumped!" Luz repeated, smiling.
"Get ready" Eda told her.
"Ready!" Luz said with determination.
"Now, go!" Eda pushed Luz out on stage.
"Good luck, Luz" Zeo told his human friend.
"From the humblest of beginnings, a hero will rise…" Luz began.
"She's narrating? Really?" Zeo raised an eyebrow.
"Shh!" Eda shushed him.
"I have traveled from another realm and trained with a powerful witch to master dark and forbidden magic. I am…" Luz removed the cloak she had been wearing for dramatic effect, "Luz Noceda!" she introduced herself.
"Ok, I'll admit, that was a nice intro" Zeo shrugged.
"Right… the human that wants to be a witch" Bump said, "Against my better judgement, I've allowed you to take this exam into Hexside. But can you even do magic with all your… human parts?" he asked.
"I sure can" Luz replied, "It's said that humans can't do magic, but I've discovered a lost technique that changes everything" she got on her knees placed two pieces of paper with a different glyph out in front of her.
"Hmm?" Bump looked at her curiously. Luz then tapped a glyph, creating a small ball of light; followed by tapping the other glyph which created a small pillar of light underneath it, "Spells cast with paper? I've never heard of such a thing. But is it enough to pass the exam?" Bump asked, unsure.
"Uhh…" Luz started.
"Improvise" Eda whispered to her.
"I can do other things. What about… this?" Luz popped her inner eyelids over her eyeballs, "Bleep, bloop, bleep!" she moved her eyelids with her fingers, "Ow, ow, eyelash! Eyelash!" she said, only to trip off stage and fall onto Bump, "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" she crawled off him, only to accidentally place her hand on another ice glyph, "Whoops…" she muttered, the ice glyph activating, leaving him dangling by her foot in front of Bump's face, "I failed, didn't I?" Luz asked the principal.
"Believe it or not, I've seen worse" Bump replied as Luz fell on her face, "Welcome, Luz, to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics!" he passed her a pamphlet which lightly fell on her head.
"Hurray" Luz weakly cheered.
Luz then stood up, popping her neck and lower back before getting back on stage and going behind it where she met back up with Luz and Eda.
"Except for the part where you fell on your face, I think you did pretty well" Zeo commented.
"Thanks" Luz replied, popping her shoulder, "Now it's your turn"
"Right. Wish me luck" Zeo said as he walked out on stage.
"Good luck" both girls said at the same time.
"He's got this" Luz said to Eda.
"Oh, totally" Eda replied in agreement.
"Principal Bump, it's nice to meet you" Zeo introduced himself to the principal.
"Ah, yes… Zeo, was it?" Bump replied.
"Yes, that's me" Zeo replied.
"When Eda told me of your story before convincing me to enroll you as well, I'll admit, I was surprised" Bump said.
"What did she tell you?" Zeo asked, glancing at his mother out of the corner of his eye.
"That you were a clone of hers that somehow didn't disappear when hit" Bump told him.
Zeo cast a glance towards Eda.
"I had to explain someway" Eda whispered.
"Ugh…" Zeo rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'm a clone. But I'll say this: I'm proud to be the clone and son of the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!" he smiled.
"You see yourself as her son? That's actually kind of sweet" Bump said.
This made Eda hide her face with her bangs, groaning in annoyance with an embarrassed blush across her cheeks. Why did Zeo have to say that?
"Well, we don't have all day. So, show me what you've got" Bump said.
"Gladly, Principal Bump" Zeo said as he pulled out four cards from his deck.
"Card tricks? Not exactly original or exciting" Bump noted.
"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet. Watch this, Bump" Zeo smirked, "Knight Owl, Frost Lizard, Magma Lizard, arise!" he tossed the cards, summoning his armored owl as well as the lizard brothers.
To say Bump was surprised at this was an understatement. Zeo turned a glance at Luz and Eda, nodding
"Magic Card: Fusion Vortex!" he tossed the card between the two lizards. The lizard turned into icy-blue and red wisps as they entered a small vortex which condensed and exploded in a swirling pillar of fire and ice, "Arise, Frostfire Dragon!" Zeo said as his dragon appeared, the beast releasing a mighty roar that shook the room.
"Combining your beasts into a singular being. Impressive" Bump said with amazement.
"Would you like to see a command for Knight Owl or Frostfire Dragon?" Zeo asked up, holding up his creatures' command cards.
"Hmm…" Bump rubbed his chin, "I guess the bird" he pointed to Knight Owl.
"Excellent choice" Zeo pulled out one of Knight Owl's command cards, "You might want to stay back, he once obliterated a death worm with this" he warned. Bump drew a spell circle in the air, creating a green force field around himself, "Command Card: Lunar Victory!" he tossed the card into the armored bird.
Knight Owl performed his signature attack, his armor glowing before gathering into a giant ball of energy in front of his body. That's when the auditorium door opened, revealing Willow with a giant mutated plant in her hands.
"Principal Bump, the plant track teacher wants to know how to—Gah!" Willow screamed, jumping out of the way just in time to avoid the powerful attack. Her plant creature, however, wasn't so lucky, having been obliterated in the process.
"Oops. Sorry, Willow!" Zeo said with an apologetic look, "I assure you, that was not planned" he said as Knight Owl let out an apologetic hoot, "Uhh… how was that, Bump?" he asked the principal, rubbing the back of his head, "Again, I'm sorry, Willow!" he called out to the plant student.
"It's… It's ok, Zeo" Willow replied, her hand on her chest as she panted.
"So? How'd I do?" Zeo asked Principal Bump.
"Well, aside from destroying another student's project, I'd say… Yes" Bump said, "Welcome, Zeo, to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics"
"Awesome!" Zeo fistpumped, "Frostfire Dragon, defuse and return" he recalled his dragon back into the lizard brothers' card forms, "Looks like we're in, buddy!" Zeo petted Knight Owl's wing.
"You sure are. I must say, I really am impressed. This, Knight Owl I believe you called him? He's completely loyal to you?" Bump asked.
"Yep" Zeo smiled, "They all are" he said, patting his deck.
"Interesting. Have you thought about enrolling in the Beast Keeping track?" Bump asked, "I'm sure with skills like this, you could easily take top student" he said.
"Tempting, but I've already decided on the Potions track" Zeo said.
"Potions track? Why?" Bump asked.
Zeo glanced at Eda for a brief second, "Um… Personal reasons. Let's just say I have my reasons for wanting to be in this specific track" he told him.
"While I say that would be a waste of your talents, I have no choice but to respect your decision" Bump said, drawing a spell circle, causing the sleeves and leggings on Zeo's uniform to change from white to yellow.
"Excellent" Zeo smiled.
The Next Day…
Hexside Academy…
"We gotta go back" Luz said, riding on Eda's staff behind Eda herself while Zeo rode on the back of Knight Owl, "This was a mistake! I'm going to mess things up again and everyone will see and—"
"Right, you gotta calm down" Eda told her, "What are you nervous about? You've been to school before"
"That's why I'm nervous! At my human school, I didn't make a good first impression. This is a chance to be seen as something other than a screw-up" Luz replied.
"Eh, you've got nothing to worry about, Luz. Just stay calm, don't let those jerks get to you and you'll be fine" Zeo told her reassuringly.
"He's right" Eda agreed, "Plus, if you want my advice, walk into class and punch the first kid you see. To establish dominance" she told the human girl.
"Aw, I won't be doing that, but thanks" Luz replied.
"I might" Zeo said.
"Of course, you would" Luz said as Owlbert and Knight Owl landed.
"Last chance to back out, and earn new bad girl coven patches" Eda held out two handmade patches to the teens, "Quitting: It's like trying, but easier" she advertised.
"Nah, I'll just earn it when I quit showering. Bye!" Luz said as she and Zeo started to walk off with Zeo recalling Knight Owl.
"Hold up!" Eda detached her hand and tossed it at Luz's head, making her turn to face her, "Just try not to be a goody Luz shoes. You've got this" she told her as she reattached her hand.
"Thanks, Eda" Luz smiled, "In fact, I have written a heartfelt sonnet to commemorate this occasion" she said, pulling out sock puppets.
"Whoops! A gust of wind just got me. See you after school. Byeeee!" Eda called out, flying away on her staff.
"She so did that on purpose…" Zeo muttered with a small chuckle.
"Zeo, maybe you'd like to—" Luz turned to him to show her puppets, only to see him walking towards the school, "Hey, wait up!" she called out, running after him.
Luz and Zeo were on campus, when they spotted Amity with her abomination.
"Hey, Luz! Hey, Zeo! Congrats on getting in. And not being in the baby class" Amity whispered that last sentence to Luz.
"Thanks, Amity! Up top!" Luz said, receiving a high five from both Amity and her abomination. The goo monster, however, ended up accidentally high fiving Luz's face, covering it in thick, purple goop.
"Yeah. Pound it" Zeo said, receiving a fist bump from Amity, the card wielder quickly turning down one offered by the abomination as it and its master walked off.
"Blegh!" Luz wiped the goop off her face in disgust, "Wow, our first day at Hexside. A chance to discover our true magical potential" she looked Zeo.
"Good luck with that!" a voice said.
"What the hell?" Zeo looked at Luz's backpack, the duo looking to see King pop out of it.
"King?" they said in unison.
"Boop!" King booped Luz on the nose.
"Why are you in my bag?" Luz asked.
"You're a free ride to the best buffet in town!" King leapt out of Luz's bag and into a nearby trashcan, "The trash cans here are filled with half-eaten gold!" he said.
"Just when I thought my respect for you couldn't go any lower…" Zeo shook his head.
"If anyone asks, you don't know us" Luz told him.
"Have a wonderful school day, people-I-don't-know!" King said to them as they walked away.
"I just realized. Since we're going to be here most hours almost every day, Emira will have more chances to flirt with me" Zeo noted, "Even though I find it a little embarrassing, I've got to admit, she is kind of cute"
Luz growled under her breath upon hearing that last part. It did take long for them to reach the entrance where they met up with Gus and Willow.
"Luz! Zeo!" they greeted them.
"Hello, fellow Hexoleos!" Luz greeted them back.
"Hello, classmates!" Willow winked at them with a bit of sass.
"Again, sorry about your plant thing, Willow" Zeo apologized.
"Ah, It's ok. The Plant Track professor would like to talk to you after school though" Willow told him.
"You did it, guys!" Gus said happily, drawing a spell circle that spelled out letters that read Better Luck Next Time. Zeo and Willow glared at him, "Sorry, I was covering my bases" he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"So, do you know who those witches are?" Willow asked the duo as she gestured to several banners, each with a different emblem.
"Uh, I'm guessing they have something to do with the covens?" Zeo said half sarcastically.
"Yes, Zeo. They're the heads of the main nine covens. Each one excelled at a magic school like Glandus, St. Epiderm, and, of course, Hexside" Willow informed them, "Are you two prepared to enter these hallowed halls?" she asked the duo.
"Ready as we'll ever be. Later, guys" Zeo said as he and Luz walked into the building.
Reporter: A terrible development at Glandus High School, students were found unconscious and without magic. The cause remains unknown.
"Ha! Take that, Glandus! Looks like this year's Grudgby match is going to be a forfeit" Bump said to himself.
That's when Luz and Zeo came in.
"Hey, Principal Dump" Zeo greeted with his hands in his pockets.
"Human. Clone" Principal Bump greeted back with distain.
"Uh, I'm more than just a clone, Bump" Zeo glared at him.
"Whatever makes you happy. I still you should be in the Beast Keeping track though" Bump said.
"So you keep saying" Zeo rolled his eyes.
"Now, today we will be visited by the Emperor's Coven for a routine inspection. If we want to impress them, you'll need to join a coven track before they arrive, Luz" Principal Bump told the human witch.
"Actually, Principal Bump, I've made my own schedule" Luz pulled out a long piece of paper… long enough to be a scroll.
"Damn, Luz…" Zeo said.
"First, vet care for mythical beasts, and then healing and dealing, and then after lunch—"
Luz was cut off by Bump's laughter, "Studying multiple tracks at once? No one does that" he told her.
"Then I'll be the first" Luz smiled.
"No, you won't According to the rules, a good witch needs to hocus-focus. You can only pick one of the nine tracks" Bump pointed to the banners hanging at the top of the wall behind him, "And you do not want to embarrass me in front of the inspector" he added sternly.
"But the all the tracks are so cool!" Luz whined, "Is there some sort of enchanted article of clothing that can sort this out for me?" she asked.
"There used to be, but.." Principal Bump trailed off.
[Flashback]
"Oh, I'm so excited!" a young student said as Bump placed at a hat on his head, a hat with a spooky face.
"And now… I feed!" the hat said creepily before covering his entire head, the boy screaming.
[End of Flashback]
Bump shuddered at the memory of that day.
"I don't know if I can choose just one" Luz said.
"Then I'll choose one for you" Principal Bump said, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!" he pointed to the banner of the Potions Track, "Ah, yes! The Potions Track, you humans are filled with liquids, right?" Bump asked as he changed the sleeves and leggings of Luz's uniform from white to yellow.
"Oh, I guess I have always liked pouring things into other things" Luz said, looking at her uniform.
"Eh, at least we'll be in the same class together" Zeo shrugged.
"I expect you two to be on your best behavior. Based on the costly repairs from recent incidents, we could really use a donation from the Emperor's Coven. So, don't do anything to compromise it" Principal Bump told them.
"No promises" Zeo replied.
"And you!" Principal Bump pointed to the card wielder, "Your "mother" had one of the worst reputations in this school. So, please, try not to be like her" he said.
[Flashback]
Luz and Zeo entered the halls of Hexside. The duo was greeted by the sight of several students walking by.
"Looks like we'll be going here most days of the week" Zeo commented.
"Yeah… Isn't it great?" Luz beamed, "Please don't punch anyone on your first day" she told Zeo.
However, Zeo ended up punching a student that was walking past them, right in the jaw. A student from the Construction Track. The blow had knocked the student to the ground unconscious, the kid wearing a pin that read "H.A.S President".
"Too late!" Zeo smirked smugly.
[End of Flashback]
"Yeah, I can't guarantee that" Zeo replied.
"Well, you don'twant to do the stuff she had to do to get me to enroll the two of you." he warned Zeo.
"I'll try to be good" Zeo rolled his eyes, "No promises…" he quickly muttered under his breath.
"Now, off to class!" he told them.
Potions Class…
"Welcome to a new semester! Let's get stirring!" The potions teacher introduced, "Today we'll make…" the teacher smashed a bottle on the floor, creating a cloud of smoke, "Fog brews. Begin!"
"So, why did you choose the Potions Track? Wouldn't it make more sense for you to pick Abomination or Beast Keeping?" Luz asked Zeo, the two sitting next to each other as they stirred their own respective potions.
"I have my reasons" Zeo said vaguely. He then looked out the window, "Hey, look!" he got Luz's attention, pointing outside to see Willow and a student from the Oracle Track facing each other.
"The Oracle Track!" Luz noted as the Oracle student summoned a ghost with her crystal ball, "The Plant Track!" she noted as Willow summoned as giant plant monster. The two beasts then clashed, "Wow!" Luz beamed in awe. However, she accidentally knocked over her cauldron. The teacher cleared their throat, causing Luz to face them as they had a scowl, "Sorry!" Luz apologized sheepishly.
Several moments later, Luz and Zeo exited the Potions class.
"Ooh boy, stirring is in the pits" Luz commented while rubbing her arm.
"Yeah, well, get used to it. The rest of the day is nothing but potions" Zeo told her.
"I wish I could be a part of multiple tracks. That battle Willow was having looked so cool!" Luz said.
"I wish I could battle using my beasts" Zeo replied while looking at his cards, Luz chuckling. They then saw the Oracle student from earlier place a crystal ball back onto a nearby shelf.
"A crystal ball. Maybe it can show me if I'm on the right track" Luz said.
"You serious? You heard what Bump said. No matter how tempting it is, it's our first day. We have to make a good—" Zeo stopped midsentence when he saw Luz in front of the crystal balls, "Ugh…" he sighed, walking over to her.
"All I want to do is take one peek into the crystal ball to see if I'm on the right path" Luz grabbed a ball, which instantly released the same ghost the Oracle student did some time ago,
"Here's your future: this is going to backfire horribly" Zeo told her.
"Two warriors with immense power; a vulpine curse; and a complicated relationship" the ghost said mysteriously, "Also, you two will be in trouble very soon" it warned before vanishing.
"Oh, god damn it…" Zeo muttered.
"What do you think all that meant?" Luz asked.
Zeo looked behind them, "I don't what the other stuff was about, but…" he pointed in Luz's direction behind them.
There they saw Bump, and based on the look on his face, he saw everything and wasn't too happy about it.
"Ohh…" Luz winced.
Zeo stood in front of Luz, "Bump, don't blame Luz. I dared her to touch the crystal ball. So, if you're going to punish anyone, punish me" he told the principal, defending his friend.
"No! Zeo had nothing to do with this!" Luz said, "I appreciate this, but Bump's right, you shouldn't be like Eda on your first day" Luz told Zeo.
"Too late for that…" Zeo muttered under his breath.
Detention Track…
"But we weren't studying other subjects!" Luz tried to tell Bump as he dragged her and Zeo by their arms, "Uh… fog brew!" Luz smashed the fog potion to the ground, only to create a mess off liquid and broken glass, "Yeah, I figured that wouldn't work" Luz hung her head in disappointment.
They saw King pop his head out of the trash.
"King! Vouch for our characters!" Luz told the tiny demon.
"Uh, right! I don't know you!" King winked at them, Luz staring back at him with a glare.
"Remind me to have one of beasts hurt you when we get home!" Zeo yelled with a glare more intense than Luz's.
Moments later, Bump had pushed them into another room that had three other students.
"What is this place?" Luz asked.
"This is where all the troublemakers go" Principal Bump said as he drew a spell circle that changed the sleeves and leggings of the Zeo and Luz's uniforms from yellow to grey, "The Detention Track"
"Detention Track?" Luz and Zeo repeated.
"Yes. Actual detention still needs… repairs. I am keeping all troublemakers far away from the eyes of the inspector. You two may try for new tracks next year" Principal Bump said as he started walking away with his hands behind his back.
"But I'll be back in the human world by then" Luz replied.
"Maybe you'll do better in a human school" Principal Bump said before closing the door as he left.
The duo turned to the other detention students. One was a tall boy; one was a dog with a human face; and the last one was a girl with a spiky scrunchie in her hair which was tied in a bun, along with a fishhook for an earring in her right ear.
"Hello, fellow detentioners, room for two more?" Luz said as she and Zeo took a seat next to the girl, "I like the little spikes in your hair" she complimented the girl.
"So, do I. It really cute" Zeo added, making the girl blush a bit.
"Hey! You all better be quiet, unless you want to scrub the classroom again" the detention teacher warned.
"Hey, don't blame any of them. We're the ones that started talking" Luz said, sticking up for the others.
"Yeah, keep them out of this" Zeo chimed in.
"Oh, hurray. A couple of heroes" the detention teacher said sarcastically, drawing a spell circle which made cleaning supplies appear in Luz and Zeo's hands.
"Damn it…" Zeo grunted.
Another Classroom…
"Time to scrounge through the trash" King yelped as he hopped into the trashcan. He then proceeded to lick frosting from an empty donut box.
"That's it! I'm sick of someone eating all the donuts in the teacher's lounge. I quit!" a teacher's voice from outside the trashcan said, tossing away their tie which landed on King's head.
King grunted as he struggled to get the tie off. The trashcan tipped over, King rolling out of it into a classroom with the tie now around his neck. The class was full of students from different tracks.
"Are you our substitute?" one student asked.
"Substitute? I ain't no desk jockey" King said.
"Look at his professional looking tie! He must be!" another student said. King hopped onto his desk.
"Can it, Fangs! You don't know diddly dang about squiddly squat!" King scolded the student.
"Uh, yes, sir! Sorry, sir!" the second student bowed to him.
"Obedience? Well, what is a teacher if not an authority figure? A king of children if you will" King said to himself, "Yes! I am your teacher! You may call me Mr. King!" he told the students.
Detention Track…
Zeo and Luz were cleaning the bars of the detention room.
"You know, part of me wants to burn this place to the ground… or freeze it solid… or obliterate it into nothingness!" Zeo growled, clenching one of his fists, the other spraying cleaning fluid.
"You're so destructive" Luz said.
"I like destruction" Zeo narrowed his eyes.
"Just like Eda…" Luz muttered, with a small smirk.
"Luz! Zeo!" Willow called their names, she and Gus appearing on the outside.
"Oh, my gosh! I missed you so much. Let me squeeze your faces" Luz reached through the bars and play with Willow's face, much to Willow's annoyance.
"What're you guys doing here?" Zeo asked.
"We were looking for you guys!" Gus said.
"You weren't in any of the classes!" Willow said with concern.
"That's because Bump caught Luz messing with a crystal ball from the Oracle Track, accused us of "mixing magic" and threw us in the Detention Track" Zeo told them.
"The Detention Track?!" Gus and Willow said in horror.
"Yeah, blame little Miss. Indecisive over here" Zeo pointed his thumb at Luz.
"How was I supposed to know?!" Luz said.
"Guys, you don't understand" Gus said.
"Students placed in the Detention Track aren't allowed to study any type of magic!" Willow explained with horror.
"That only applies to Luz and the rest of you. I don't really learn magic per se" Zeo remarked, "Although, it explains why the so called "teacher" has done nothing but sit on his ass all day" he commented.
"It may not apply to you, Zeo, but it does me! I can't waste an entire semester doing nothing! I'm better than this!" Luz complained.
"Don't worry. We'll get you guys out of here, dead or alive" Gus said. Zeo and Willow cast glares at illusionist, Willow shaking her head, "Okay. Alive" he said.
Luz and Zeo then heard a chair scooting.
"It's the teacher, gotta go!" Luz said, she and Zeo turning around.
"Oh, it's you!" Zeo said, he and Luz seeing that it was the girl with the spikey scrunchie.
"Shh" the girl hushed them as she placed a finger on Zeo's lips, making him blush a bit.
The detention girl pointed at the teacher, who was sleeping as he leaned back in the chair. She motioned the duo to follow her to the chalkboard. She grabbed a piece of chalk, drew a square and a keyhole within the square before tapping the keyhole and turning the chalk like a key. The square then opened, revealing a secret passage.
"Whoa…" Zeo and Luz said with amazement before following the girl into the secret passage, the square closing behind them shortly afterwards.
"What is this place?" Luz asked.
"This is the last room you two will ever see alive" the girl said with a threatening tone. There was a brief pause. "Ah, I'm just messing with ya. I'm Viney" she introduced herself.
"I'm terrified! Um, I mean… I'm Luz" Luz introduced herself.
"Zeo" Zeo introduced himself.
"Thanks for standing up for us back there. Not many people would do that" Viney said.
"Yeah, well, we're the exceptions" Zeo said, winking at Viney, who giggled with a faint blush.
"Follow me! I wanna show you something" Viney gestured for them to follow her to the doorway at the end of the hall, "You're one of us troublemakers now, so you guys get special access to the Secret Room of Shortcuts!" she opened the door to reveal a tall room with a spiral ramp and several doors.
"Holy fuck, dude!" Zeo said at a loss for words, amazed.
"Hey Jerbo! Barcus! You can stop hiding now!" Viney called out to the fellow detention students.
"How do we know they're cool, man? How do we know they won't rat us out?" Jerbo asked, he and Barcus popping out of a door to another room, "What do you think?" he looked at the dog student. Barcus replied with a bark, "Barcus says the girl's aura is strong and silly, like a baby's laughter; while they guy's aura is strong and protective, like a wolf's howl" Jerbo translated.
"Sounds about right" Zeo shrugged a single shoulder.
"Aah! I love secret rooms!" Luz squealed with delight, "Where do the doors go?" she asked as she ran to a nearby door, opening it.
"This place connects the different parts of the school. We found it after being thrown in the Detention Track" Viney explained as Luz rejoined them, "There's one that leads to the Grudgby field; one that goes to the main hallway; one that leads to the teacher's lounge, along with another that leads to Principal Bump's office—we like to leave little pranks in those two, and they never know" she chuckled at that last one.
"What's that one lead to?" Zeo pointing to random door he was standing next to.
"That one leads to the girl's locker room. If I had a snail for every time I had to tear those two away from there, I'd be one rich little witch" Viney joked.
"You don't say…" Zeo said muttered, "Hey, who's this?" he pointed a thumb at a portrait on his opposing side.
"That's Lord Calamity, the witch that made this room" Viney informed him.
"They started this troublemaker wall and we added our names in their honor" Jerbo added.
"Hmm…" Zeo rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the portrait in curiosity.
"Something wrong, Zeo?" Luz asked, walking up beside him.
"I can't place my finger on it, but there's something familiar about this picture…" Zeo replied.
"I kind of see it, now that you mention it" Luz said, "This place is amazing. I bet you guys can get into so much trouble in here" she said to the others.
Viney chuckled, "Sure, we can, but we can also do so much more" she pointed to Barcus. Luz and Zeo walked up behind the dog and watched the teacher of the Oracle Track.
"Remember, seeing the end of a life is the beginning of reading a fortune. We have to work backwards from it to see the truth" the teacher said as she created a cootie catcher, Barcus doing the same.
"We're not allowed to study any kind of magic, so we study every kind of magic… in secret" Viney told them.
Luz and Zeo leapt from they were, landing next to Viney and Jerbo, both of which were sitting on the floor. Zeo had done the superhero landing before they sat down as well.
"You actually like school?" Luz asked.
"Yeah, we might have liked it too much" Viney said sheepishly.
"I tried mixing plant magic with abominations. Bump was not thrilled" Jerbo spoke, "Barcus makes potions with oracle magic" he told them the dog's story.
"Mixing healing and beast keeping was slightly unconventional, but Puddles was a great assistant, dang it!" Viney told her story, "We all want to be in more than one coven track! But Bump just says we need to focus" she said, looking off to the side.
"Sounds like Bump's priorities are out of whack" Luz commented.
"Got that right" Zeo said in agreement.
"I'm glad you're one of us. You've made great first impressions" Viney said while placing a hand upon Zeo's shoulder.
"Thanks. Hey, if you ever need some guards" Zeo pulled out some cards, "I've got a few good candidates" he tossed the cards behind himself, summoning Night Howler and the lizard brothers.
It was then that Zeo received a vision. It was a silhouette of a large bird with flames surrounding its body as it flew past a volcano.
"Ok, the wolf I understand, but how could these little guys be good candidates?" Viney asked, stroking the lizards' faces.
Rather than answer, Zeo threw a Fusion Vortex card, which the brothers entered, and soon Frostfire Dragon arose, scaring Jerbo and Barcus.
"That's how" Luz smiled.
"Is that good enough for you?" Zeo asked.
"Definitely. And how did you do that?" Viney asked upon realizing what he just did.
"It's just a special type of magic that I have" Zeo shrugged.
"That's pretty cool" Jerbo commented, he and Barcus holding each other, still in fear of the dragon.
"Would you guys like to add your names to the troublemaker wall?" Viney offered, holding up a marker.
Luz gasped in awe. Deciding to add his own touch, Zeo summoned Thunder Snake. Zeo then received another vision. This one was of a silhouette of a large bird with lightning surrounding it. When it was over, Zeo shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"Luz? Zeo? We're here to get you out of that horrible class" they heard Willow's voice.
"Aw, crap, Gus and Willow…" Zeo muttered.
"Eh, they're probably looking for some other Luz and Zeo" Luz said nervously.
Viney stood up and made her way to the secret door, opening it slightly ajar.
"Maybe they already booked it. Luz did say she was better than this place" Gus said, making Viney form an expression of shock.
"Oh. You think you're better than us?" Viney looked at the duo with a glare.
"Damn it, Gus! Why did you have to say that?!" Zeo facepalmed.
"No, no, it's not like that! I just didn't think I deserved- I mean, none of us deserve—"
"Don't bother" Jerbo interrupted Luz, pointing at her, "I should've known you'd look down on us. Everyone else does" he said while hanging his head.
Barcus sneezed. Translation: "You have an aura of lies"
"It's fine, I just… I thought someone finally understood us. But… maybe you should just leave" Viney glared at Luz, pointing to the exit.
Getting the message, Luz started heading towards the exit. Seeing Luz's demeanor, Zeo sent a telepathic message to Night Howler and soon she was blocking the way.
"Night Howler?" Luz looked at the wolf, and then at Zeo.
"Listen to me, Luz has every right to be here, just as much as you guys" Zeo said, "And if she's out…" he raised his arm, his beasts returning to their card state and into his hand, "Then so are we" he said, putting his cards back in his deck, before joining Luz, "Come on, Luz" he said, the two of them heading for the exit.
Meanwhile, Willow and Gus were still in the detention room, looking for Luz and Zeo.
"Man, this guy can sleep through anything" Gus said, watching the detention teacher sleep, "I'm gonna test that theory" he held up a wet mop.
"No. We have to find Luz and Zeo" Willow gave him a stern look, "If only these walls could talk" she placed a hand on the square that was drawn on the chalkboard. The square then opened to reveal a depressed Luz.
"Hey guys…" Luz said in a down tone as she fell out, followed by Zeo who careful climbed out.
"Thank you, walls!" Willow said, "We found a way to get you to talk to Principal Bump" she said as she helped Luz up.
"Hey Gus?" Zeo spoked to the Illusion student.
"Yeah?" Gus looked back at him. *thwack*, "OW! What was that for?!" Gus asked while rubbing his arm, Zeo having punched him.
"For being an idiot!" Zeo countered, before leaving with Luz and Willow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gus asked before following them.
The Auditorium…
In the auditorium an abomination held Amity up by her stomach like and ice skater. The abomination then gently placed its master back onto her feet.
"And that concludes the presentation from the Abomination Track" Amity said, she and her creature taking a bow.
"That was some real Hexside magic, huh?" Principal Bump nudged the inspector.
"Yes, this is… good! But let's see if your student can put up more of a fight!" the inspector smiled as she approached the stage.
"Yes, yes—wait, what?" Principal Bump asked, confused. The inspector hopped on stage where her face began to transform, "Is, uh, this part of the inspection?" Bump asked.
"Abomination, fight!" Amity commanded her creature, which then grabbed the inspector.
The inspector, however, transformed completely into a serpentine-like creature with huge teeth and jaws. The creature then tossed the abomination into the air before swallowing it whole.
"The magic at Glandus High was tasty. But I hope yours will be more filling" the inspector said as approached Amity.
"Amity, stay back. She's an impostor!" Principal Bump said, standing between the beast and his student.
The principal formed a spell circle, only for the creature to open its mouth and inhale deeply, draining the spell circle and Bump's magic along with it. Bump fell to the ground, pale. Amity tried to form a spell circle, only for the abomination student to meet the same fate as well.
"Excuse me!" King appeared, busting open the doors, "Could you keep it down? Mr. King's trying to mold young minds here!" he said, until he saw the creature drain more of Bump's magic.
"Ugh. Only 300 years until retirement" Bump shook his head. The creature then turned her attention to King.
"I can see that I'm interrupting, so I'm just gonna…" King backed away, before running of screaming.
The Hallways…
"All I'm asking is what did I do to deserve a punch in the arm and being called an idiot?" Gus asked as he and Willow followed Luz and Zeo, the card wielder having his arm around the human girl's shoulders.
"It's not what you did, it's what you said" Zeo said, pulling Luz, who was actually starting to shed some tears, closer. Zeo stopped to turn Luz to look at him, "Hey" he began, "It's ok, Luz. Don't let things get to you" he told her, using his thumbs to wipe her tears. Luz sniffled, "Come here" he pulled her in for a tight embrace, allowing Luz to cry on his chest as he rested his chin on her head.
"Thank you, Zeo" Luz said.
"Can you at least tell me what I said?" Gus asked, only to receive a death glare from Zeo.
"Uh, Gus? Considering the fact this guy has a literal army made up of terrifying creatures that could easily tear you to shreds, I think you should shut up" Willow told him.
"Right. Shutting up" Gus muttered with slight terror in his voice.
Luz gazed up at Zeo just as he gazed down at her. They smiled at each other, an unknown blush crossing Luz's face as they looked into each other's eyes.
"Awwww!" Willow gushed. However, the sweetness was soon cut off.
"Luz! Zeo! Thank goodness I found you!" King said, running up to the group.
"King… Thanks for ruining the moment" Zeo said sarcastically as he eyed him with annoyance, "What are you doing here anyway? And why are you wearing a tie?" Zeo asked.
"Long story. We've got bigger problems! There's a big monster wreaking havoc in the school! I don't know what it's doing, but it already got the principal and Amity!" King said.
"What?!" everyone said with shock.
"Uh, is that the monster?" Gus pointed to the giant serpent, who was draining the magic out of the Oracle teacher. Most of the group screamed as the teacher fell to the ground, pale, with King jumping into Luz's arms.
"More cute morsels!" the serpent said.
"Zeo…" Luz looked at the card wielder.
Zeo looked at his cards. He saw that Thunder Snake had completely recharged. At that moment, he had received the same vision of the giant bird that he had seen before, the one with the lightning.
"Here goes… something" Zeo muttered, "Knight Owl, Thunder Snake, arise!" Zeo tossed his cards, summoning his ace and the electric serpent, "Fusion Vortex!" he tossed the card between the two beasts.
Knight Owl turned into a dark purple wisp, while Thunder Snake transformed into an electric purple wisp before both entered the vortex. The vortex then exploded into a pillar made of shadows and lightning. The pillar then dissipated, revealing a giant blue bird with a black beak and glowing white eyes.
"Say hello to Storm Raptor!" Zeo introduced the new fusion beast.
It had Knight Owl's helmet and armor, except the symbol on the helmet's forehead had changed from a crescent moon to a lightning bolt. It also had Thunder Snake's tail, except it was covered in feathers and lacked the rattle tip. The bird shrieked, powering up with an electric aura.
"Cool!" Luz beamed.
"Zeo, be careful! Based on what I'm seeing, this thing is capable of draining mana" Willow warned.
"Don't worry, Willow, this'll be over with one attack" Zeo said, holding up a card, "Command Card: Electric Bombardment!" Zeo tossed the card into the bird's chest.
With a screech, Storm Raptor summoned a multitude of orbs of lightning. However, the inspector was able to avoid every one of the orbs.
"What?!" Zeo asked in disbelief. The inspector then opened her mouth and started draining Storm Raptor's mana, "Storm Raptor!" he cried as the thunderbird fell to the ground, looking like everyone else that had been drained. The inspector then faced Zeo and opened her mouth, obviously trying to drain his mana. However, nothing was happening.
"She isn't draining your mana?" Willow asked.
"I guess I'm immune?" Zeo shrugged.
"Uh, Zeo?" Luz pointed at his pants. Zeo looked down to see energy coming out of his pocket.
"Oh, crap, my beasts!" Zeo shouted with worry. He then pulled out his deck to see the mana draining out of all of them, "This is bad" he said as the last of the mana went into the inspector's mouth.
"What do we do now?" Luz asked.
"Only we can do. Run like hell!" Zeo said before tossing a potion bottle at the floor in front of the inspector, shattering it and creating a cloud of smoke which made the creature choke as he and Luz ran, "Willow, Gus, grab Storm Raptor and come with us!" Zeo told them.
"Right!" they said as they lifted the big thunderbird.
Detention Track…
The group entered the Detention Track room, the teacher still asleep in his chair.
"So, how are things?" Luz asked.
"It's just as I feared, not only did she drain Storm Raptor's mana, but she's drained the mana from all of my cards! Even the beast weapons!" Zeo said, flipping through the grey cards.
"Does that include…?" Luz asked.
"Unfortunately…" Zeo said, looking at a grey Luzura card, "I think there might be a few students that could help" he looked at the secret door on the chalkboard.
"You mean…?"
"I do" Zeo nodded.
"Do you think they'll help after what Gus said?" Luz asked.
"What does that mean?!" Gus asked.
"We'll have to try" Zeo shrugged, "And if they say no, I'll just beat the crap out of them until they agree to help us" he added, pounding his fist into his hand, "Follow us! And Gus, carry Storm Raptor" he said as he opened the secret door.
"Why do I have to be the one to carry him?!" Gus complained upon seeing the large bird. The four of them then entered the detention kids' hideout, "Dang it, Zeo! Why did you have to make this thing so heavy?!" Gus asked as he struggled to carry Storm Raptor.
"Don't blame me, blame the monster who is currently trying to drain the whole school!" Zeo said as they walked through the small hallway. They entered the main room where the three students still were, "Guys, we need your help!" Zeo told them.
The three students looked to see Luz, Zeo and their other friends, sans Gus who was currently trying to fit Storm Raptor through the passage.
"Zeo! Luz! I'm actually glad you're here. We were doing some thinking and we need to talk about something" Viney said with a tinge of regret in her voice.
"What is it?" Luz asked.
"After you left, what Zeo said really got us thinking. When we used Barcus' crystal ball and saw you crying, oh boy…" Viney said, Zeo placing a hand on Luz's shoulder, "We then realized we had no right to kick you out like that" Viny said, Jerbo and Barcus nodding in agreement.
"Well, I'm glad you realized that" Zeo smiled, "But we have bigger problems at the moment. There's a creature going around draining everyone's magical energy, even my beasts" he told them, "Now, you have three choices. 1: You can stay here and hide like cowards; 2: You can help us take that thing down; or 3: I can beat the crap out of all three of you and force you to help us" he said, emphasizing his point by popping his knuckles.
"What were the first choices again?" Jerbo asked nervously.
"What did this creature look like?" Viney asked.
"Like a snake fish thing" Zeo replied.
"It must be a Greater Basilisk. I heard about them in class. My cousin at St. Epiderm said she saw one, but those things should be extinct" Viney told them.
"Well, once we find a way to take it down and get our mana back, I'll be more than happy to make that true" Zeo said.
"I've heard rumors of a monster attacking the other magic schools, this must be the one responsible!" Jerbo said in fear.
"Do you have any ideas on how to defeat it?" Luz asked.
"Yeah, because Zeo was pretty much our only hope of destroying it" Willow said.
"And, well, look" Luz gestured to Gus who was currently dragging Storm Raptor in.
"Finally, I made it!" Gus said before passing out.
Viney gasped before running, "Oh, no! You poor thing!"
"Finally, some respect!" Gus said, only to see Viney approach Storm Raptor, "Seriously?!" Gus said.
Zeo chuckled as Storm Raptor weakly rested his head in Viney's lap, "That's Storm Raptor, the fusion of Knight Owl and Thunder Snake. He had his most of his energy drained by the basilisk. Anymore and he would've been absorbed completely" he told her, "So, what's the plan?" he asked.
"What makes you think we can do anything against that thing?" Jerbo asked.
"I don't know. Do that mixed magic crap!" Zeo said.
"But if Bump catches us mixing magic again—" Jerbo began.
"He'd kick us out of school" Viney finished.
"Hexoleos are out there getting hurt, and we're the only ones that can save them" Luz spoke, "We're troublemakers, right? So, let's get out there and make some trouble" she said.
"Unless you guys want me to remind me of the third option" Zeo said while popping his knuckles.
The three detention students looked between each other.
"Remind me why I'm the bait!" Gus said, standing outside of the detention room.
"Because you're the smallest and be the easiest for her to digest" Zeo told him, "Also, this is payback for what you said" he added.
"I still don't know what you're talking about!" Gus said.
"Just distract her, dweebus!" Zeo said, he and Luz hiding behind the door.
Gus watched as yet another student fell to the ground with their magic drained. The illusionist gulped in nervous fear. That's when the basilisk spotted Gus. With a hiss she charged at him, only for her to slither onto a glyph which created an ice pillar that sent her backward. The basilisk growled. That's when Luz and Zeo stepped out in front of the ice pillar.
"From the humblest of beginnings, a pair of heroes will rise…" Luz began.
"Ugh, again with the intro…" Zeo rolled his eyes.
"We have trained with a secret society, to discover the power of mixing magic. We are—"
"Dinner!" the basilisk interrupted as she lunged at them.
"Crap" Zeo took Luz's hand and ran down the nearest hallway, the basilisk smashing into the ice pillar before chasing them. "Viney" Zeo called the girl detention student.
"Do the thing! Do the thing!" Luz chimed in.
It was then that a griffin flew down from another hall and tackled the basilisk to the ground.
"Attagirl, Puddles!" Viney told the griffin as she formed a spell circle with a finger, "Jerbo, now!" she called to the tall boy.
Then the floor opened from underneath the basilisk, causing her to fall. Luz and Zeo then jumped in after it. The basilisk got itself stuck in another door that had been opened by Jerbo's abominatioin, before Luz and Zeo stomped on her, making her fall even further until she crashed onto the auditorium stage. The duo landed on the basilisk again and jumped off with a flip.
"It's all you, Barcus!" Luz told the dog student, who barked as he grabbed the basilisk's hand and poured a purple potion on it.
"Where am I?" the basilisk asked. Barcus' eyes then glowed purple as he did the palm reading, "What's he doing? What'd he say?" she asked.
"He's reading your palm, and your future looks bleak" Luz said, Viney and Jerbo having joined up with her and Zeo.
Puddles and the abomination cut a rope which dropped several sandbags onto the basilisk, causing her to release all the magic she had stolen. Soon everyone had their power back, including Storm Raptor, who woke up with a screech. The thunderbird flew up several feet above Zeo.
"Now to finish her" Zeo said, holding up a card, "Command Card: Thunder Sphere!" he tossed the card into Storm Raptor's back.
The thunderbird then generated a gigantic orb of electricity, surges of lightning orbiting around it. The basilisk tried to get up, only for Storm Raptor to launch his attack at her. The attack hit her head on, vaporizing her until she was nothing but a burnt skeleton.
"Is it weird that I find stuff like that satisfying?" Luz asked.
"You're not the only one, sister!" Zeo smiled at her.
"You did it! You were amazing! You guys—"
"Are in so much trouble" Principal Bump interrupted Luz.
"Oh, here comes the "You're in trouble" speech" Zeo rolled his eyes.
"Leaving your homeroom, mixing magic and—is that a secret hideout?" Principal Bump pointed to the ceiling where the secret door was.
"Yeah it is. But let's think about this, Principal Bump. Why would kids in the detention track need a secret hideout?" Luz placed a hand on her hip while pointing at the principal.
"I don't care to know the ins and outs of rascality. But if the Emperor's Coven can send an actual inspector this time—"
"Okay, you need coven money. But if you have to hurt your students to get it, what's the point? They saved Hexside, they should be allowed to study what they wish" Luz told him.
"B-But…" Principal Bump stuttered.
"Hey, you're lucky we were able to destroy that thing before it did any more damage" Zeo countered, "if it weren't for us, you'd be magically drained zombie!" He said. Storm Raptor screeched in Bump's face, "Trust me, you do not want to know what he just said" Zeo said, "Mixing magic saved this school, dipstick! These kids shouldn't be punished, they should be rewarded by being allowed to study however many tracks they want!" he told him, Storm Raptor screeching in agreement.
"Alright, I'm smart enough to know when I've made a mistake. Which tracks would you like to be in?" Principal Bump asked the three detention students, much to their delight.
Healing and Beast-Keeping!" Viney said excitedly.
"Plant and Abomination!" Jebro said with equal excitement.
Barcus just barked which Bump somehow understood as "Oracle and Potions".
"Then so be it. But if any of you cause more property damage, I'm feeding you to the choosy hat" Principal Bump said, using a spell circle to change the colors of their uniforms, the sleeves being their first choice while the leggings were that of their second choice. "And since you seem adamant about being in the potions track," He turned to Zeo, "Can I at least get you to agree to a compromise?"
"I guess" Zeo shrugged, "Potions for me and Beast Keeping for you?" He guessed. Smiling, Bump formed another spell circle, giving Zeo yellow sleeves for Potions, and orange leggings for Beast Keeping, "Just so you know I'm only agreeing to this so you can shut up about it"
"And you?" Principal Bump turned to Luz.
"Oh, I still can't choose. Maybe it's crazy, but I wish I can study a little bit of everything" Luz said. Bump formed a third spell circle, changing the sleeves and leggings of Luz's uniform to every track of magic, "Aw, yeah, I'm gonna study everything!" Luz said with glee.
"You know, only one other student wanted to study every track. Unfortunately, she was never given the opportunity" Principal Bump summoned the portrait of Lord Calamity.
"Lord Calamity" Viney said.
"You know her as Lord Calamity, but these two know her better as..." Principal Bump said, forming another circle, this one getting rid of the paint to reveal…
"Mom?" Zeo asked, surprised but at the same time not so surprised.
"I should've guessed" Luz said.
"Lord Calamity's a woman?" Jerbo asked.
"Wait, Lord Calamity is your mom?!" Viney asked with surprise and disbelief.
"Well, technically, I'm her clone. It's a long story." Zeo said.
King's Classroom…
"Alright, everybody, I want you all to read chapters three to five on the proper way to scratch herself in public" King said as his class left for the day. "Spoiler alert! There's no wrong way!" King said, "Days like these makes being a teacher all worth it"
"You're not a teacher" Bump said, King turning to look at him.
"Maybe not, but I care about these kids, and nothing can change that" King said, accidentally splashing his coffee in Bump's face.
Minutes later, King ran out of the building, Bump shooing him out with the broom.
The Owl House…
Zeo was sitting in his bed, looking at his cards which had completely recharged. He thought a back to the visions he had earlier. The first vision he had involved him seeing a dragon of fire and ice which later turned out to be Frostfire Dragon; and one of the ones he had today showed him a giant bird of electricity which later turned out to be Storm Raptor.
"Could these visions be showing me the outcomes of potential fusions? I suppose it would make sense. I'd probably have to test out one more fusion though, just to be safe" Zeo asked himself. That's when he heard a knock at his door, "It's open" he said. The door opened to reveal Luz in her sleepwear, "Oh, hey Luz" he smiled at her.
"Hey" she greeted back, sitting in front of him on his bead, "That was a pretty epic first day we had, wasn't it?" She asked.
"Yeah, it was" Zeo said.
"I wanted to thank you for standing up for me, and the other detention kids." Luz said.
"Eh, it was no biggie" Zeo shrugged.
Zeo was caught off guard when Luz threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a tight embrace, one so close she nuzzled her soft cheek against his. Zeo found himself wrapping his arms around her midsection.
"Oh, and thanks for comforting me the whole day" Luz told him.
"No problem, Lu—" Zeo was cut off by something soft, warm, and slightly moist pressing up against his cheek, something that made him blush hard. Luz's lips. Luz then pulled back a bit, smiling, "Heh. No problem, Luz" Zeo chuckled nervously.
"That Storm Raptor fusion was pretty awesome" Luz said, cuddling up to him.
"I'll say. That makes him the second fusion beast in my arsenal" Zeo said.
"I just regret that she had her card drained of magic. I would've loved to have merged with her again, we could have taken down that basilisk way faster if we did" Luz commented, picking up and looking at the card of her doppelganger, "And I still say a fusion involving her would super cool!" she added, Zeo chuckling at her optimism.
"Yeah, it would be, Luz. It would be" Zeo smiled.
And that's the end of this chapter. I think this adaptation is longer than any other adaptation that JTWAS1994 and I have ever written so far. Still, hope you all enjoyed it.
Looks like Zeo will be a part of both the Potions Track and the Beast Keeping Track. And now he has a new fusion beast in Storm Raptor, making it the second fusion beast that Zeo has summoned. Expect to see more fusion beasts in the future.
Still taking ideas for creature cards and fusion beasts.
Remember to Read, Review and Favorite/Follow.