Manta Abridged and the Decade After

By A.C. Lucius

I'll never be able to fully comprehend the change that occurred in me that evening on the beach. I only know that a part of me died. The part of me that I didn't like. I had taken it as blessing at first, but then I started turning into something I hated a lot worse than the old me…

Something horrible happened on the beach. Something that the Asakuras were reluctant to discuss in front of me. I only know that a lot of Shaman Fight participants had mysteriously died and that Hao was somehow involved. But it wasn't Hao that killed them, at least I don't think so…

My friend Yoh is a good guy. You'll never find another person quite like him. He's so laid back, and friendly, and can be very naïve often beyond reason. It came as such a shock to all of us when Yoh sat down to have coffee with his evil twin brother, Hao. I certainly thought Yoh was naïve beyond all reason then, but as usual, he had his reasons and his unconventional way of thinking never ceases to amaze me. While some people were under the misconception that Yoh was becoming attached to Hao, the truth of the matter is this was his opportunity to try to understand him better. Not to get in his head per say- though you try getting in the head of someone who can read minds- but to establish a bond other then hatred. The two were still enemies, but now they mutually respected each other enough to have a cup of coffee with out coming to blows. I suppose this is what you would call in the corporate world, "office politics".

For the record, this has absolutely nothing to do with politics. The Shaman Fight is something so much bigger than that, it even transcends religion even though many would agree that religion is a very big part of it. Whoever won the Shaman Fight would become the Shaman King, and the Shaman King would in turn become one with the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit is an omniscient and omnipotent creature that has been called by many names, and is most frequently referred to as a god. It even has powers comparable to that of a god. It is God. Whoever attains the power of the Great Spirit invariably rules the world and holds the destiny of humanity in his/her hands. It's literally like being Jesus…

And what do Yoh and Hao intend to do with the power of the Great Spirit? Well to put it bluntly, Yoh wants to create a world where everyone is comfortable and happy. He also wants to have an easygoing life. Hao on the other hand, wants to destroy humanity or at the very least destroy those who don't have the ability to see spirits. Those are people that many would discriminately call "spiritually stunted".

I use to be one those people, one of so-called norms. I never even believed in ghosts to begin with, but all of that change when I met Yoh. Suddenly ghosts appeared everywhere I went and it took some time to get used to. For the first time in my life I had a friend, a real friend. What's more, my life became about more than just studying and trying to get ahead in life. I even managed to forget my unwanted destiny which was to someday inherit my dad's multi-million dollar company, Oyamada Corp. This brings me now to the horrible thing that happened to me on the beach.

The first round of the Shaman Fight was to take place in Tokyo. Not the capital of Japan, but an uncharted island of the very same name. Except for when the Shaman Fight takes place, this island is completely uninhabited save for a few raccoon dogs and other wild life. The existence of this island was kept secret until recently; a very unfortunate incident leading to the discovery of this place brought fleets of ships from different parts of the world. All of them wanting to investigate rumors of a terrorist group on the island. Among those fleets were my father's ships…

My friends and I were all relaxing together in the hot spring. All of us were just trying to unwind a bit before the final round of the tournament took place. At lot of troubles were weighting on my mind, mainly concern for the safety of my friends. At this point in the tournament, things were getting especially dangerous and there was the chance that I might never be able to see any of my friends alive again. But I had to believe in them no matter what, so I tried my best to put this fear out of my mind. Watching Yoh and the others laugh and joke around with another was very comforting and familiar. It brought a smile to face to see them all so happy, I would always cherish these last moments with them. Until Hao showed up.

He approached casually, nonchalantly. It almost seemed as if he were one of our friends. Hao reminded me of Yoh in so many ways in fact, they are an awful lot alike and their similarities frighten me. They both straddled that delicate line between good and evil and while Hao was clearly the bad guy, he didn't fully appear to be inherently evil. Not at this moment in time at least. Things were very tense at first upon his arrival, it seemed that a fight would commence. Moments later however, everyone greeted him and invited him to come bathe with us just as casually as the way he intruded. Things didn't remain peaceful for very long though.

Hao got right down to business explaining where the final round of the Shaman Fight would take place. I never in a million years would've suspected that such a place truly existed. It is only spoken of in legends and if I hadn't already experienced the impossible, I was would've dismissed it as complete, total bull. The final round of the Shaman Fight would take place in the lost continent of Mu. It was also the place where the Shaman King would partake in a ceremony binding him to the Great Spirit.

In just seconds, what should've been my last cherished moments with my friends turned into a nightmare. For me, the worst news that Hao could've imparted regarded what happened on the beach. A fleet of ships were on their way under the pretense that they were going to be confronting terrorists. However, their true objective was to interfere in the tournament and seize control of the Great Spirit.

"By the way," he had said, "your father is the one leading them, Manta Oyamada… This of course, is all your fault, Yoh for bringing this outsider to the island. Time now for you to take responsibility and help me clean up the bodies on the beach…"

While I wasn't directly to blame, I still felt responsible. Worse even, I felt awful. Words just couldn't begin to describe the guilt that consumed me, or how torn I felt between my friends and my family. I hated my father, it wasn't a question, but I didn't want him getting hurt either. If I was going to put a stop to this, I had to confront my father. I know it's a loss cause, but I had to give it a try and it wouldn't be pretty…

A few hours before dusk, my father and I stood alone on the beach. We faced one another, my father looking stern and intimidating. I felt immensely frightened, but determinedly held my ground. One way or another, I was going to put a stop to this. I wasn't going to let him push me around anymore. This was my final stand.

"Are you about ready to stop with this nonsense and come home?" asked my father, Mansumi Oyamada, "I will not have my son running around with such riffraff!"

"What're you doing here, dad?" I asked him, "Why are doing this?"

"To attain the power of the Great Spirit and to take you home with me." he said it so nonchalantly, I felt myself starting to become angry, "It's all in the best interest of Oyamada Corp."

"Greed!" The word fell from my mouth, substantial disgust spewing of my tongue, "Anna was right, you are so predictable."

"I'd watch that tone if I were you…"

"I'll never understand how you can be so closed mined about the spiritual things, and yet still proclaim that you will attain the power of the Great Spirit. Or were those things you said to me at Funbari Hill a ruse? Were you setting me up this whole entire time?"

Even though he had put down Yoh and his family and claimed it was all in my best interest, I was still ready to defend Yoh at any cost. Even though Yoh rejected my friendship in order to protect me, I still made that long journey to Izumo. As it all came back to me in a blinding rush, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe he had intended for me to defy him. Was I just a pawn in my dad's elaborate corporate games? A wry smile crept across his face. He looked so sadistically terrifying, I had to fight the urge to recoil at his expression.

"Smart boy," he chuckled, "you are your father's son."

My anger flared suddenly, and any attempt at trying to get him to leave the island peacefully had been forgotten as words I hadn't intended to say came bursting from my mouth.

"Bastard! What kind of person jerks their own child around for their own personal gain? Is it all in my best interest now? You should be ashamed of yourself! It's sick! It's amoral! I'm never going to forgive you for this-"

Anything else I was about to say was lost as his hand shot out and stuck me across the face. It was just like that time in Funbari Hill. It was just like all the other times he hit me, except this time, I actually hit him back. The look on his face was that of pure astonishment. Hell, I surprised myself, but there was no time to reflect on my actions as he once again struck me across the face. We continued to angrily exchange blows with one another, at one point we had wrestled each other to the ground. As we rolled around fighting in the sand, he grabbed hold of my wrists in an attempt to restrain me. I pulled him towards me head butted him on the forehead, causing him relinquish his grip on me.

I don't fully remember what happened next. Only that somehow he had managed to knock me flat on my back and was now straddling my waist, his hands clenched firmly around my neck. I panicked and started to struggle. Fear began to consume me as he pressed his thumbs against my windpipe. My vision started to blur as I continued to struggle, tears were now streaming down my checks. Suddenly, an idea came to me and I stopped struggling. I laid still, pretending to have lost consciousness. As he let go of my neck, I was able to put some distance between us and promptly kicked him in the jaw knocking him out cold. He laid sprawled out in the sand a few feet away from me. I tried to get up, but the world around me started spinning. I allowed myself to collapse, unable to breathe. The world around me continued to spin as I stared listlessly out into the open sea….

I originally promised myself that I wouldn't write a fanfic about an anime. I obviously broke that promise. It just menefested itself after I read volume 30 of Shaman King. This was a story that just needed to be told. I hope you enjoy, and also be sure to check out The Elder Goth.

Yours Affectionately,

-A.C. Lucius