Tournament of Kings Chapter 4: Stealing His Thunder, a yu-gi-oh gx fanfic

"Yu-Gi-Oh/ Yu-Gi-Oh: GX"

"Tournament of Kings"

Four: "Stealing His Thunder"

"…Come on, Sho, we're all dying to see it!" cried out Judai's voice.

At the Marufuji house, everyone waited to see what Sho had received in the mail over the weekend. In the living room were his blue-haired parents, his brother Ryo, his best friends Judai and Kenzan, and the Tenjoins Asuka and Fubuki.

Sho was upstairs, preparing the special surprise. "Alright, guys. Here I come."

As he made his way down the stairs, all eyes gleamed with wonder and joy. Here he was, the smallest of Duel Academy's students, donned in a regal Obelisk Blue uniform which came in a package the other day, courtesy of the surviving staff of Duel Academy. The room filled with "Oohs" and "Ahhs." And one soft "Aww," coming from Mrs. Marufuji.

Sho blushed. "You think it fits me?"

"Like a glove!" smiled Big Bro Judai. "I just wish you'd have gotten that uniform sooner."

"Yeah," nodded Fubuki in a corner. "Obelisk Blue would've loved to have you."

Then Sho glanced toward the tall young man on the couch. "Oniisan? You like it?"

Ryo replied with his usual deep tone, "It looks nice." One could say he was happy for his little brother, but Ryo hardly ever made a true smile. Smiling just wasn't his thing, and Sho knew that.

Sho gave his brother a genuine smile. "Thanks, nii-san."

"I would've loved to see Chronos-saurus' face if he ever saw that uniform on you!" said Kenzan who curled up on the floor. "You remember how he always taunted us underclassmen?"

"Remember?" narrowed Sho's pale blue eyes. "It gave me nightmares!" Then Sho got into character with his own mock-up version of Professor Chronos: "Drop-out boys don't belong in this school, no! Only the Obelisks are worthy, are they not?"

Then Judai chimed in in. "Yuki Judai, report to the principal's office for no good reason, yes!"

"Detention for all of you-saurus! …I mean, yes."

Everyone started to laugh, even the oblivious parents.

Then came a sorrowful sigh from Asuka, who stood near her brother in the corner. Fubuki picked up on it quickly; "I know, sis… I miss that place too."

The mood was quickly changed with a sudden rap at the front door.

"Coming!" cheered Mrs. Marufuji. When she opened the door, she was met with a young man with dark combed back hair with white streaks on the sides. "Oh, hello! You must be-"

"Misawa Daichi, ma'am," he said with a courteous bow. "I came here to see… Sho!?" Misawa's eyes bulged with shock upon seeing his smallest friend donned in blue.

"Hi," waved the would-be Obelisk.

Judai approached the doorway. "Hey, Misawa! What brings you here?"

Still stunned by Sho's Obelisk blazer, Misawa stuttered, "I… uh… Well I… uh, may I come in?"

"Sure," welcomed Mrs. Marufuji. "Come on in."

Misawa paused to get himself settled in. "I didn't realize you were all here; I tried calling you at your houses. I just thought you should all know that the Manjyome Group is holding a press conference right now!"

"Manjyome?" gasped Asuka.

"Yes," nodded Misawa. "From what I've heard, they've been trying to buy out Duel Island!"

"What?" Judai's mouth gaped. "But why?"

Ryo added, "And what does Kaiba Seto have to say about that?"

Misawa replied, "Apparently, both groups are at war now. Here, turn on the TV and you'll see for yourselves!"

With that, the former Ra Yellow rushed over to the television in the room and turned it on, then shuffled the channels over to the right one. There, in front of everyone's eyes, appeared a large podium within the Manjyome residence, with dozens of cameras rolling, cameras flashing, and reporters gathered in mass.

"We're coming to you live from inside the Manjyome manor, where Minister of Justice Manjyome Chosaku is about to tell us all about his family's ultimate plans for Duel Island. For reasons unknown, the Manjyome Group has recently had many private meetings with Kaiba Seto himself, and now it looks like they may have settled their business deal…"

At that very press conference, Minister Manjyome Chosaku stepped forward to the microphones in the center of the podium.

"Thank you all for coming," said he. "As you all know or may have heard, my family and I have tried to buy out as much of Duel Island as we could from Kaiba Corp. I've just been informed that we have finally settled on the matter. As of this moment, we The Manjyome Group, now own fifty percent of the island."

He let the reporters catch their breath before we went on to say, "As soon as possible, we will begin the massive cleanup of Duel Academy itself. This also means recovering the lost and missing that were unfortunately left behind."

"Minister Manjyome-san!" blurted out the voice of a female reporter. "What is the meaning of this takeover of Duel Island? Are you going to try and rebuild the school?"

Chosaku took the question with stride. "There are no plans of rebuilding Duel Academy. In fact, once we've finished with cleaning up all the destruction left behind by the volcano, we will make it our goal to return the island back to its former state- a paradise, long before Kaiba decided to stamp his capitol on it."

"Minister-san, is there some kind of bitter rivalry going on with your family and Kaiba Corp.?" came a male voice in the audience.

"Kaiba had good intentions when he decided to make a training school for hopeful duelists. However, we- my family and I- were never quite comfortable with sending our youngest member on an island that came equipped with an active volcano."

"But there were hundreds of scientists that said the island was safe."

"Well, they were wrong, weren't they? Look what happened!"

There was a moment of silence before Chosaku went on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are forces in this world which should never be tampered with, and this is a prime example of such forces. Now, we were among the lucky ones- my little brother survived. But what about those families who are suffering the loss of their loved ones, all because of one man's lust for power? Why should they be paying for Kaiba's ignorance?"

Meanwhile, backstage, Shouji and Jun Manjyome looked on.

Jun, dressed up in a light grey suit and looking as conservative as his brothers, watched with a concerned look on his face. Then he whispered to Shouji, "What happened on that island wasn't really Kaiba-san's fault."

To which Shouji muttered back, "Can't stop him now; he's on a roll."

Then they heard their sibling ask the press, "Would anyone now like to speak to my brother Jun?"

Jun gulped upon hearing the loud response from the press.

"Now's your chance Jun," nodded Shouji. "Go on; your public awaits."

Jun loosened the grip his necktie had on his neck before walking out onto the podium.

"Manjyome-san! Manjyome-san!" The words overlapped each other as the littlest Manjyome made his way to the microphones.

"Look, there's Manjyome-kun!" cheered Judai from the Marufuji house. "…He looks so small!"

"Manjyome-san!" yelled out one reporter. "Tell us how you feel!"

Jun bit his lip. "…I just… wanna say how sorry I am for all those families out there who lost their children."

"Manjyome-san, do you blame Kaiba Corp. for what happened?"

"N-no. I do not."

"Are you going to pursue your dream of becoming a duelist, or are you considering quitting?"

"…I can see why some would want to quit, after what we've gone through on the island… But not me. No, I'm going to keep trying to make the Pro League, even if it means transferring to a new school."

"What about your friends and classmates? Have you heard anything from them since the incident?"

"…"

"Manjyome-san?"

"I… I miss my friends."

"Have you made contact with any of them?"

"…I wish… I mean… I want to…" His eyes started to glaze.

From the Marufuji residence, concerned glances were exchanged.

"One more question, Manjyome Jun," called out a different male reporter. "Could you confirm the rumors that the Manjyome Group plans to buy out Kaiba Corp?"

Jun's jaw may as well have dropped onto the floor. There was a brief moment of stunned silence before he finally uttered the words, "N-no comment."

Suddenly, Chosaku gently pushed his little brother to the side to take back the podium. "There is no plan to take over Kaiba Corp. I'll take a few more questions before we wrap this up."

Meanwhile, Jun and Shouji resettled behind the curtain.

Jun loosened up his tie all the more until it was halfway off. "How was I out there?"

"Good," nodded Shouji. "You did good."

Jun frowned skeptically. "Please don't tell me you guys are actually planning on buying out Kaiba-san's company. He's already up to his shoulders in lawsuits; why kick a man while he's down?"

"Don't worry about Kaiba, Ototo-chan; he's well taken care of. Trust me."

Jun wanted to believe him, but still had his doubts inside.

That's when Shouji heard these words from outside: "Minister-san," called out one reporter; "as a member of the Cabinet, is this venture a way for you to boost your popularity into becoming Prime Minister?"

"What!?" barked the grey-haired Manjyome. Before Chosaku could reply, Shouji came storming towards the podium. "That is an outrageous question! Only the Emperor himself can choose the Prime Minister! How dare-"

"Easy, brother, easy," soothed Chosaku. "It's a legitimate question."

"One you don't have to answer," muttered the visibly stressful Shouji.

But Chosaku kept his cool and responded to the press, "I'm sure His Excellency has been keeping his eye on us members of the Cabinet quite closely, but I can assure him and all of you that I have no intentions to raise my public status. I am just an average citizen concerned with the well-being of the surviving families of Duel Island. Trust me when I say this, ladies and gentlemen: my first priority is my family. Thank you, no more questions."

At that point, even Shouji looked impressed by Chosaku's mild manner.

"There is still speculation as to how Kaiba Corp. was so willing to sell half of Duel Island, after making well over millions from the school's student loans in the past few years it was active. Some sources say Kaiba's executives were just too eager to let go of the past and move on. From inside the Manjyome mansion, this is Kabayama Suki, signing off."

"Those DOGS!" roared Kaiba's voice, just before his remote control was launched at the huge television monitor in his office.

Mokuba, the younger Kaiba, watched from the doorway as his brother leaned back in the tall chair of his main office in Kaiba Corp. tower. He caught his breath when the remote control collided with the television screen.

Kaiba clenched his fists. "I never wanted to settle anything with those damn Manjyome brothers! If I knew my executives were that disloyal, I would have… Ergh!"

"Easy, Oniisan," approached the younger Kaiba. "I'm sure the Manjyomes mean well if all they want is to help clean up the island."

The older Kaiba, with striking blue eyes and light brown hair that didn't match his younger brother's wild jet-black mane, turned around in his revolving chair to face the younger sibling. "I don't trust them, Mokuba. They may know too much."

"About what?"

"The island. Duel Island has a history that very few people know of."

"Why is that?"

"Because those who've heard of it often pass it off as just an urban myth. You see, Mokuba, most of the islands off the Philippines were deserted for thousands of years, until the Second World War, when the Allied forces advanced towards Japan. The legend states that soldiers from both sides were scattered onto the island when they were marooned after a battle on the seas. While they were recuperating, they started seeing strange visions of monsters."

"Monsters…?"

"Yes. Some who came back home claimed they saw dragons, odd-looking demons and other supernatural beings. But nobody seemed to believe them; they thought perhaps the soldiers were hallucinating due to starvation or shell shock. But from those stories came my inspiration to build my school there."

"Wait," blinked Mokuba; "Are you saying that those soldiers were seeing actual Duel Monsters?"

"Either that," replied Kaiba, "or Duel Monster spirits."

Mokuba paused in awe, before he cracked a smile. "Eh, heh-heh. You don't really think Duel Monsters were around for that long, do you?"

Kaiba then stood up from his seat. "I've had my theories, Ototo-chan. After discussing it with my associates, we've decided to investigate the island for ourselves, to see if the ghosts were real. This exhibition started about the same time I've been hatching the idea of starting a dueling school. Somewhere down the line, both plans came together."

"But Niisan… Real Duel Monsters?"

"I've seen some crazy things in my lifetime, Ototo-chan. Yugi looked like he had a split personality, and then it turned out he was hosting the spirit of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. After what we've been through with him- or them- nothing would surprise me."

"I guess not," replied Mokuba in resounding awe. "But even if the spirits are real, how could the Manjyome Group gain control over them?"

Kaiba's attention turned to the window behind him, which overlooked most of Domino City. "For some reason, the spirits chose that island. I never found out why. And if the Manjyome Group finds out first, they could use it to their advantage."

He bright blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. "They could tell the press all they want, but I know what their real priority is: complete and absolute power."

"You have reached the Manjyome residence. Please hold for a representative."

…Beep!

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. Hi. My name is Yuki Judai, and I was just calling for Manjyome Jun."

"I'm sorry, Jun-san is not available at this time. May I take a message?"

"No… thank you. That's okay. Bye."

Click.

"Darn it."

Judai sighed with bitter disappointment; for over an hour now he had been trying to get in contact with Manjyome from Sho's house, only to fail time and time again. But he wasn't alone; Sho- still dressed in Obelisk Blue- and Kenzan were nearby.

"Still no answer from Manjyome-saurus?" frowned Kenzan in concern.

"No," shook Judai's head. "I'm getting worried; something's just not right about this."

"Well," replied Sho, "you can't just walk up to the mansion and knock on the door. You need, like, an appointment or something."

"Should I try the phone again?"

"That hasn't worked so far, has it?"

Ri-i-i-ing!

Judai gasped in realizing that the phone was now buzzing on its own. He picked it up frantically. "Manjyome-kun? …Oh, sorry. I… Yes, this is the Marufuji residence; I… Uh, yes. Yes he is. Hold on."

Judai covered up the phone's speaking end before giving a loud "KAISER-SA-A-A-AN! PHONE!"

He hadn't given his friends a fair warning, and upon hearing his scream they jumped out of their skin.

Ryo walked into the room with the usual irritated look on his face. "No need to yell, Judai-kun." He picked up the phone nonchalantly. "Moshi-moshi… Hai… Hai… You're kidding… You're not kidding? …Alright. I'll be there. Arigato, sempai. I won't let you down. Sayonara." He then hung up the phone and walked toward the living room.

"Who was that, Kaiser-san?" blinked a curious Judai.

"My agent," replied Ryo. "I'll be in my room, Sho. I'll need to fix my deck."

Judai and company exchanged curious faces.

The Manjyome residence, later.

Jun was halfway to Dream Land while one of his personal servants was tutoring him from inside one of his lounge rooms. His eyes were glued longingly to the window on a wall just a few feet away, while he tapped a pencil on his desk.

"In basic algebra, numbers in a problem are replaced by numbers as a method to teach the problem solver how this solution came to be. The same methods exist in geometry, when trying to find out the measurements of angles in… Master Jun?"

"The Ming Dynasty," Jun sputtered out in a hapless attempt to prove he was paying attention. It had failed.

"Master Jun," said the tutor, "I know this isn't your idea of a great school, but your brothers have insisted-"

"I know Shinji, I know," interrupted the young man. "I'm sorry. Do go on."

"Right then… So, if 'x' equals '3' and the solution is six, then 'y' equals-"

"What is that?" Jun's attention was snatched up by the sound of a car driving up to the building. He rushed over to the nearest window and peered out from it.

Sure enough, there was a long black limousine slowing down to a halt at the mansion's driveway. The tutor himself looked through the window curiously.

A chauffer was seen opening the backseat door of the limo; out stepped a woman's black leather boot, followed by a tall woman wearing a long red coat underneath an attractive black dress. Her head was covered by a black feathery hat and sunglasses; however, once could see that her skin was pale white. And her long hair was even whiter.

"Ah," purred the tutor. "It appears your new dueling instructor has arrived."

Jun was stunned; "That's my dueling instructor? Who is she?"

"They call her Madame Discordia," was the older man's response.

Jun's curiosity was tickled; he never heard of this woman, but he figured anyone hired by his brothers to tutor him was sure to be a pro. And he knew all the pros…

"Ah, Madam! You're here at last," cheered Chosaku with open arms as the mysterious woman in red and black entered the mansion.

She smiled with pale blue lips. "Manjyome Chosaku; it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Her black gloved hand took his before glancing over his shoulder. "And this must be your brother Shouji."

"Charmed, ma'am," bowed Shouji.

"And," grinned the pale-faced woman, "where is my new protégé?"

Chosaku pointed toward the ceiling; "Upstairs, in the middle of one of his 'classes.'"

Meanwhile, her chauffeur was lumbering across the room with suitcases too big for him to look straight forward. He nearly dropped them all within ten seconds.

Chosaku glanced over at him, then back at the woman. "Would you like us to go get him, ma'am?"

"No, no," she shook her head, revealing some of her snow white hair. "As soon as I settle in, I would like to talk to the two of you about your latest project."

"As you wish," replied Chosaku before snapping his fingers. "Jin! Kiyoshi! Help Ayame here with the lady's luggage!"

On cue, two more servants rushed into the scene to help the labored Ayame.

Meanwhile, a young man with wild black hair was eavesdropping from atop the staircase. He had overheard the whole conversation, and was most intrigued by what the strange lady had said just seconds earlier.

"'The next phase of the plan…' What plan?" Jun raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

As soon as his brothers left the room with the company of their new guest, Jun decided to make a bold move. He dashed up the stairs to the third floor, where he would hope to find his most loyal friend and servant.

"Sam? …Sam! Where are you!?"

The English-born butler was exiting one of many rooms in the hallway when he heard his young charge calling.

"Jun-kun?" he muttered curiously.

The youngest Manjyome skidded to a halt when he realized he ran right past Sam. "Oh, Sam!" he gasped. "There you are! I need you to do me a huge, huge favor."

"Yes, sir," raised Sam's eyebrows.

"It's gonna sound really crazy."

"Sir, you know I'd do anything for you."

"Right… Listen, this is what I need you to do…"

What Jun had planned really did sound crazy.

Within the half hour, Chosaku, Shouji and their mysterious guest were settling in a specially designed meeting room on the ground level of the mansion. As soon as one set foot in it, they could easily feel transported from a palace to a typical board room.

The woman, now coatless and revealing her black backless gown, sat quietly near the window side of the room, while the Manjyome brothers sat more closely to the doorway. On the table was nothing more than small servings of tea.

"I was very pleased with the press conference you gentlemen made this morning," said the white-haired madam as she sipped a cup of tea. "I'm also happy to know that you've secured a very significant part of the island."

"We wouldn't have gone through so much trouble if we hadn't known it was worth it," replied Chosaku, who sat opposite her.

"Well," shrugged Shouji. "We don't exactly know what we're digging up over there, all we know is that it's valuable."

The woman dropped her smile. "I must insist that you give me the name of your contact. Who was it that gave you the information?"

She might have gotten her answer, but there came a soft rapping at the door which distracted them all.

"Who is it?" called out Shouji.

On the other side of the door stood Sam, equipped with a wheeled table and a large tray of food covered by a lid. "Begging your Masters' pardon, but I thought you would all like a fresh snack to go along with your meeting."

Chosaku opened the door for him. "Alright, Sam. Just leave it by the door, we'll get to it soon."

"Yes, sir," bowed the butler before walking away with a knowing smirk.

The white-haired woman then resumed the conversation by saying, "Now then, gentlemen, allow me to tell you both a very long and fascinating story:

"Over ten years ago, Pegasus J. Crawford created three extremely unique and powerful Duel Monster cards known today as the Egyptian god cards."

"We know about the god cards," interrupted Chosaku rudely. "Everyone knows."

"Yes," nodded the woman, "but what no one knows is whatever became of them after Moto Yugi won them in the Dual City tournament five years ago. Some say that Yugi-san has kept them to himself, others say that he buried them somewhere, so that they would never be used again."

"Why would he do that?" asked a curious Shouji. "If I were him, I'd never leave those cards out of my sight."

The woman nodded. "Most people would agree with you, Shouji-san. But Yugi-san knows better than most, he knows that such power can come at a great price. Even when Pegasus, head of Industrial Illusions, made three copies of them in the form of the Demon Gods- Uria, Hamon, and Raviel- they too were beyond a normal person's control. This only proved that the God cards were not only a force to be reckoned with, but their powers were truly one of a kind."

Both the Manjyome brothers were intrigued, but Chosaku had to ask, "So, why are you telling us all of this, ma'am?"

Madame Discordia smiled. "Because, gentlemen, I have reason to believe that what you are about to unearth on Duel Island, are either the Demon Gods or the Egyptian Gods themselves."

It was too bad for Shouji to have been sipping a cup of tea at that moment, because once he heard the word "gods," he spat it right out.

The Madame went on to say, this time with a dark glare, "Which is why I must warn you, gentlemen. Whoever it is that told you to dig under the school, he is certainly aware that it is the hiding place of those cards. I would advise you not to continue on this mission of yours; however, if you insist on going through with it, then allow me to make you a new offer: Give me whatever you find there on that island, and I promise that whatever your contact is paying you, I can double it. Tenfold."

Chosaku and Shouji exchanged glances at each other.

"I can see you boys will need time to think this over. Very well then," smiled the pleasant young woman as she rose to her feet. "If you don't mind, I'll take this opportunity to go powder my nose. If you'll excuse me…"

The gentlemen then courteously rose from their seats to allow the lady to leave their presence. Once she was gone, they sat back down. Now they were free to show off the confusion and bewilderment they had been hiding from her.

"…Think of how much money those god cards will be worth," said Shouji without warning. "We'll finally have enough money to make our own deals come true!"

The darker-haired Manjyome gulped, "I thought we agreed to say in league with Lady Red. She wouldn't leave us empty-handed."

"True," nodded Shouji, "But if she wants those cards for the same reason we do, then there's no point in staying with her once we find them."

"I don't know…" Chosaku's attention then turned to the tray of covered food standing idly by the wall. "All this talk's been making me hungry. Let's see what Sam cooked up for us."

With that he rose from his seat and walked over to the tray. Curiously, he lifted the metal lid, only to find that something else was present with the plate of food.

"Wha-?" he gasped in surprise.

"It's mine, it's mine I saw it first!" growled a hungry Ojama Black spirit, floating over a tray of pâté.

"You said you were on a diet!" argued a transparent Ojama Green ghost.

"This IS my diet!"replied the dark specter.

"Guys," pleaded Ojama Yellow's spirit, "can't we just split 'em up and share? I'm hungry too!"

The Manjyome brothers couldn't see nor hear the Duel Spirits, but their Duel Monster cards were almost completely hidden under the plate. Chosaku caught sight of a card's thin corner.

"What's this?" he muttered; upon touching the card, the Ojama spirits phased out in a "Poof."

Shouji approached him, now seeing Chosaku holding up the Ojama Yellow card.

They glanced at each other sternly. "Jun-chan."

By the time the Ojamas were discovered, Sam had already made his way back to Jun's room on the third floor. The young man was already stuffing clothes into a dark blue duffle bag.

Sam was obviously concerned. "Jun-chan, you've tried escaping from the mansion before. What if they catch you again?"

Jun zipped up the bag swiftly. "Not this time, Sam. This time my plan is fool-proof. But I'm gonna need your help again."

"Sir?"

"I'm gonna make a diversion downstairs; one so big, they'll have to open up the front gates. That's when I'll make my move." The young man then proceeded to grab all the Duel Monster cards he could from atop his dresser drawer.

"…If this truly is goodbye Jun," said Sam solemnly before reaching in his suit jacket; "perhaps you'll need this…"

Jun turned around to see what Sam was referring to. The elder butler took out an envelope from his jacket.

"You told me to keep this safe before you went to the academy," explained Sam, "and that's just what I've done. I've made sure no one else ever knew where it was so they wouldn't steal it." He then handed the envelope over to his young charge.

Jun opened the envelope and pulled out… and Duel Monster card. Upon seeing this card for the first time in years, his eyes lit up with joy.

"It is still your favorite, is it not?" Sam cracked a smile.

Jun then looked the older man in the eyes. "…Sam, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done."

"No need, sir- I mean Jun."

"…You know… I never told you this before, but… You've been like a father to me."

"Sir…"

"No, I mean it… I…"

"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!" went the door.

"JUN!" screamed Chosaku's voice from the other side of the door. "Jun, come out! We need to talk, now!"

Jun gasped; his mind went black, he couldn't think of what to do.

"Quick sir," whispered Sam, "hide in here." He then opened up Jun's incredibly large closet, and as gently as he could he shoved him inside.

"Jun! Open up! I know you're in there!" screamed Chosaku through the door. But it was too late; Jun was now hidden among his many jackets.

Sam then opened the door calmly. "Master Chosaku?"

The older Manjyome stood over him with a look of fury in his eyes and three Ojama cards held tightly in his right hand. "Where is he, Sam?"

"Master Jun?" Sam's eyes wandered. "I'm not quite sure, actually."

"Then why are you in here all by yourself?"

"I was just tidying up sir," replied the quick-thinking Sam.

While in the closet, Jun overheard them with waited breath.

Chosaku then let himself in the room, pushing Sam aside. He got a good look around the room and didn't even think to look under all the nooks and crannies. "Seems pretty tidy to me," he replied coldly.

"I've just finished sir," Sam lied through his teeth.

Chosaku then impatiently turned to face the butler. "You were in our meeting room earlier, Sam. You hid Jun's Duel monsters in our lunch tray! Why?"

"Oh, there they are!" smiled the tricky Sam, reaching boldly for the cards. "Master Jun's been looking all over for those little rascals. He'll be so pleased when-"

"Don't you dare make a fool of me, you insolent servant!" snapped Sam's superior. "You're hiding him, aren't you?"

Sam stood his ground, looking as innocent as he could.

But then they both heard, "Leave him alone, nii-san." To their surprise, Jun opened up the closet doors from within and revealed himself.

"Jun-chan!" gasped Sam.

"It's alright Sam," replied Jun calmly.

"Aniki!" cheered the spirit of Ojama Yellow. "You're okay! …And, you came out of the closet?"

"Shuddup you," hissed the teen softly.

Chosaku held up the three Ojama cards. "These pipsqueaks are your spirit friends we've been warned about!? That is truly sad, Ototo-chan."

"No," narrowed Jun's eyes. "What's even sadder is that I have to sneak around like a secret agent to find out what my own family is plotting behind my back!"

"Here," Chosaku sneered as he tossed the Ojama cards to Jun's feet, "take back your stupid soka cards. And you!" He pointed at Sam. "You're fired! Pack up all your belongings and leave the premises immediately!"

"No!" barked Jun. "You can't fire him; he's MY servant!"

"I am your superior," Chosaku growled at his little brother, before turning back to Sam. "You. Get out, now."

Sam gulped softly before bowing submissively. "Yes, sir."

"Sam…" Jun's eyes widened like a puppy dog's.

The elderly gentlemen then scooped up the Ojamas and handed them back to their owner. "You'll be alright, Jun-chan. You've got everything you need now…"

Jun was still reluctant to accept what's been done, but he did Sam a favor by giving him a nod. He knew Sam was right; all he needed was to get back the Ojamas, and now he had another very special card back in his possession. All this, thanks to his surrogate father.

"Well then, I must be off. Good luck, young lad." Sam extended his hand, which Jun was all too eager to shake. Then as he walked past him, Sam managed to give Jun a much more intimate gesture: a pat on the head.

Jun couldn't bear to watch him leave; his head bowed down to the floor instead. Then he heard the door close behind him.

Chosaku looked on, almost showing concern. "…I know that was hard for you, but-"

POW!

The older Manjyome honestly didn't see it coming; one minute he was standing over his little brother, and in the next he wound up on the floor with a sore jaw. Now it was the younger Manjyome looking over the older; his fist curled so tightly, it was shaking.

"You…" muttered Sanda, "…you have no idea…"

Chosaku rubbed his sore jaw as he struggled to right himself up. "…I am truly sorry, Ototo-chan, but I've warned you before not to be sneaky around us. You gave us your word you'd obey."

"No more, Chosaku. No more games, no more lies. You're going to tell me everything you know, and you're going to do it now."

Chosaku glared as sternly at his younger sibling as he could, before finally giving in. "Alright… Someone is helping us take over the Duel Monsters Industry."

"Why do you want that industry? Aren't you content with owning half of the Japanese government?"

"I'm doing it for you, you fool." Finally, Chosaku was back on his feet. "We're going to overthrow Kaiba so that you can move in and take his place. You'll be the head of the entire Duel Monster franchise."

His teeth gritted. "So the rumors are true then, you really are trying to buy out Kaiba… except I don't want the franchise."

"You're a Manjyome. To be a Manjyome is to be at the very top! You're getting Kaiba Corp. whether you want it or not, Jun. Because you deserve it! You deserve the world!"

"I DON'T WANT THE WORLD!" Not out of his violent fit yet, Manjyome gave his older brother a harsh shove before making a mad dash out of his room.

The youngest Manjyome only made it halfway across the hall, when he skidded to a halt. There standing in the hall with her back to him, striking a pose with her gloved arm against a wall, was Madame Discordia. Her long white hair was pulled up in a stylish bun, revealing the backless gap in her black gown. Never before had Manjyome seen someone look so ghostly pale. He gasped and took a step back in fear as she turned to face him, with eyes and lips as blue as ice.

"Manjyome Jun, I presume?" she cooed.

"Uhh…" was all he could get out.

The woman approached him slowly. "Come closer, child. Don't be afraid."

"…Wh-who are you?" he stuttered, taking another step back.

The woman replied with a grin. "I am a friend. I knew you were special, but… Heh. I doubt even they know your full potential."

"Manjyome no Aniki," muttered the faint voice of Ojama Yellow from within Sanda's subconscious. "Something's not right here; I sense danger."

The woman's eyes widened. "Is that your soul mate talking?"

Manjyome gasped. "How did you… You can see Duel Spirits, can't you?"

"I can do many things," confessed the woman.

"Aniki!" pleaded Ojama Yellow's spirit. "I don't like this lady, she scares me!"

Manjyome gulped, "What do you want from me, lady?"

"I can sense much power within you, boy. I've suspected it for quite a while now." She took a few more steps toward him, making him back up into the wall.

Manjyome's spine chilled. "Don't come any closer."

"I won't hurt you; I just want to see your soul mate. Just one look, if you please…"

"Aniki, run! …RUN!"

The teen heard Ojama Yellow's cry and responded quickly; he made a run for it right past the mysterious woman.

She looked on as if expecting his actions. Her lips curled into a sinister smile, which revealed a pair of sharp fangs. "That boy has more power than evenheknows," she thought to herself. "He will be of great use to me, indeed."

III

"I win again," said Ryo with his typical emotionless voice.

The Kaiser and his opponent were sitting at the dining room table for over three hours now, and this was their umpteenth duel. Judai moaned as his Flame Wingman card stared down a Cyber End Dragon, whose summoning he couldn't prevent.

By this time, all of the other guests of the household went home. It was getting very late.

"Gosh," gasped Sho as he sat by witnessing; "That was the fastest one yet! Two minutes!"

Judai got to his feet and growled defiantly, "Best seventeen outta twenty!"

Ryo crossed his arms. "Are you sure you want to take that much abuse, Judai-kun?"

Judai clenched his fists. "I'm not leaving this house until I win just once!"

Sho's brows shifted in worry; "If you were planning on staying here this long, Aniki, you should've brought pajamas."

Ryo then gave a soft yawn. "…I'm taking five. Feel free to stick around for dinner, Judai." With that, he got up and left the room for a break.

Judai then looked over to Sho. "Whatever duel he's preparing for, it better be worth it."

Manjyome wasn't playing around when he told Sam he had a foolproof escape plan; he just had to wait till nightfall for his plan to set in motion.

But as the sun was beginning to sink in the sky that day, his focus was temporarily severed by the appearance of Madame Discordia. Frightened by her mysterious ways, he fled into the master bedroom of his oldest brother, hoping that would be the last place anyone would hope to find him. And in there he stayed, for well over two hours.

He was curled up next to the side of his grandmother's queen-sized bed, opposite the doorway, when he finally regained his composure. "Brr," he shivered; "…What the hell is that lady? What does she want with me and my Ojamas?"

"Us, Aniki?" peeped the pint-sized Ojama ghosts, who popped up out of nowhere.

"She said she wanted my soul mates," he told them.

The Ojamas looked puzzled. "We're not your soul mates, Aniki."

"You're not!?" gasped the surprised Manjyome. "But… then… Why are you always following me?"

"You've been so good to us," purred Ojama Black.

"You gave us a chance when everyone else thought we were trash," added Ojama Green.

Ojama Yellow had a more profound answer: "We've met way back when you were all alone and in need of a friend. But then we started to get to know each other, and now it's like…"

"I get it," Manjyome nodded gently. "You were drawn to me, and now it feels like we're family…"

"You're our Big Bro, Manjyome-kun!" cheered the three goofy-looking spirits.

For a moment, Manjyome smiled peacefully, but then he wondered aloud, "…But if you're not my soul mates, then who…?"

A small shiver came from the Duel Monster card that remained hidden in the white envelope of Manjome's jacket.

Nightfall.

As soon as the coast was clear, Manjyome made his move at last. He waited until Madame Discordia finally left the house, and his brothers were beginning to grow weary and ready to tuck in for the night.

None of the servants seem to notice the youngest Manjyome walking through the halls in his long black jacket, under which he was hiding canisters of flammable products- from spray paint to actual lighter fluid he had a blindly loyal servant sent for earlier.

Without giving it a second thought, he coated his entire room in odorizing products, and soaked his bed with the light gasoline. Then he made a trail of gasoline from his room to the end of the hallway, where he would readily light a match to ignite the flames.

But before he could make that move, he first had to dash downstairs to the main kitchen; in which he dumped all of his tin cans into the microwave, slammed it shut, and set it to thirty minutes. And explosion was inevitable.

He then made a quick dash to one other kitchen nearby, and stuffed as many tin cans into another microwave as he could. It wasn't a hard task to do, since there was a cupboard full of cleaning products nearby. He then set his second bomb to thirty minutes.

It would take less than thirty minutes for the microwaves to combust, but Manjyome's timing was precise; he waited very patiently for both bombs to go off before finally lighting the hallway with fire. And then of course, that fire would become a blazing inferno in the room he once slept in.

KABOOM!

From their respective bedrooms, Chosaku and Shouji jumped from their beds in reaction to a startling tremor. The rest of the household was up in arms in no time; servants went scattering in search of fire extinguishers. But they would never find those extinguishers; Manjyome had taken them all and hid them hours earlier.

The servants had no choice then but to call the fire department. And of course, the fire department couldn't possibly get to the fires without first going through the main gates. Which was exactly what Manjyome needed to have happen all along.

Within minutes, the older Manjyome brothers had redressed themselves in their suits and tried to calm down their panicked maids in the living room. That's when it hit Chosaku: "Jun! Where's Jun!?"

Manjyome was already outside, hopped onto his newly bought motorcycle.

He felt like an eternity came before the fire engines finally arrived; as soon as the main gate was forced open, Manjyome's motorbike roared. He burned rubber down the paved road that led to the gate. His timing was excellent; the gate was not but several feet wide open when he tore through it like a bat out of hell, and he had just missed the charging fire engines upon exiting the manor.

He howled in jubilation as he flew down the sloping hill atop which his castle-like home as built. Sure, the castle was now partially in flames, but it didn't matter… What mattered was that he was finally free.

By the time the sky had gone dark, Ryo was all set to leave. The rest of the Marufuji family watched as a limousine pulled up at their house. Ryo nodded, knowing the ride was for him.

He turned to the company stat stood by. "Well, this is it."

"Good luck son," said his father.

"I wish we could see it in person," frowned his mother. "I just know you'll win!"

Ryo cracked a smile; "This is an exclusive duel, mom… but I'm glad you have so much faith in me."

Sho, no longer dressed in his blue blazer, looked on worriedly. Ryo took notice; "Don't worry, Ototo-chan," he said. "Win or lose, I'll be fine."

"I hope so…" muttered Sho, before he finally cheered, "Good luck, Onii-san!"

For once, Ryo smiled back at him. Then he turned around to enter his escorting limousine.

Finally, Judai appeared from the doorway, fashionably late. "Hey, Kaiser!" he called out. Before he could say any more, Ryo waved from inside the long black vehicle, just before the door was shut in front of him.

As the limo's engine started up again, Judai looked to Sho. "Sho, where's he going? Did he finally say?"

"He sure did," replied the littlest Marufuji. He kept his worried eyes on the limo, as if he had a premonition of bad things to come.

"…He's off to duel the King of Games."

Judai froze in stunned silence as the limo pulled away.

TO BE CONTINUED

Next Chapter: Neutral Ground

Featured Duel: Marufuji "Kaiser" Ryo vs. Moto Yugi- Title Match