"Yu-Gi-Oh/ Yu-Gi-Oh: GX"
"Tournament of Kings"
Ten: "Dragged Down to the Grave"
I
Flashback: Three years earlier…
Jun could remember the first time he ever saw an angel.
It was during his first year in Duel Academy, back when he was wearing the regal Obelisk blue coat instead of his now-signature black one. That was the time before he threw himself out of school, back when he had nothing and no one to fear. …That's when he met Judai Yuki in a duel.
Their first real duel took place in front of everyone; it was a duel that would decide whether Judai was fit to stay there and move up in the ranks, or be thrown out due to insubordination. It was Jun's big chance to finally prove himself to everyone, especially his family.
Being in the top-ranked dorm, Jun was the favorite to win. But everyone underestimated Judai, and the new cards he was given prior to this event. By the time the stage was set- with Judai only having Winged Kuriboh in Defense mode and a face-down Spell/Trap card, Jun was dominating the field with his overpowering VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon.
He could have easily used his monster's card-removal effect to wipe out Judai's last chance for a comeback, but no. Jun was too cocky; he decided to just switch Winged Kuriboh into Attack mode instead, to ensure the pain that would have been inflicted on his opponent. Then, he attacked. …It was the biggest mistake of his life.
"Spell card, open: Transcendent Wings!"
The machine's attack triggered Judai's face-down card, which could only be activated if Winged Kuriboh was attacked. This allowed Judai to switch his small, weak monster with a new one- a bigger one: Winged Kuriboh Level 10. Not only was Jun's monster's attack nullified, it practically backfired. The larger Winged Kuriboh, latched onto a dragonic angel, forced the 3000-Attaack Point machine to explode, and it dealt as much Life Point damage to its master, knocking him down to a humble 1000 Life Points. After that, it was all over for Jun.
The audience, mostly Obelisk students, fell silent as the low-ranked student stood victorious, and their fellow dorm mate fell to his knees in defeat. They were all crushed, humiliated… and in their own dueling arena.
But Jun knew then and there that Judai had a very special bond with the angelic Winged Kuriboh. He might not have understood it, but he felt it. He saw it. And though he would not want to admit it at the time, he knew that he was in the presence of a true angel.
..
Present Night.
Jun's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he could feel was dust all over his face. He coughed as he righted himself from lying on his back. As he dusted his clothes and hair vigorously, he was beginning to remember where he was.
He, and an older man that he was dueling, fell down a pit just a few feet away from the old Osiris Red dorm, on Duel Island. It was the middle of the night, which made his surroundings pitch black. He was hurting too; his landing was nowhere near a soft one.
He paused to breathe and gain composure while curiously eying what looked like an ancient cavern. The truth was, he was surrounded by soft dirt, and though some light beamed down from the surface world, he had no idea just how far down this pit was.
..
Judai and Motegi had witnessed their friend's fall, and were panic-stricken. They both carefully peered down into the pit, yelling out Manjyome's name, but Jun wouldn't be able to hear them.
"Come on," muttered Judai, as he desperately started to get his footing on the cliff.
"What?" gasped Motegi. "Are you going down there!? That's crazy, Judai, you're gonna get yourself killed."
Judai glared back at him. "Manjyome-kun risked his own life to save us; the least we could do is return the favor!"
"But…" muttered Motegi in despair, "…he could already be… you know…"
"Fine. Don't follow me." Judai resumed his descent into the abyss.
"Wait! …Judai! …Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Motegi gathered up his courage, as did his Duel Spirit companions, and together they followed the boy in red, very slowly and cautiously.
..
As Jun gazed up at an opening of the cavern with a heavy heart, knowing how far an upward climb he would have to take, another voice started coughing nearby. It was Caleb, the rogue duelist that threatened to steal Judai and Motegi's cards. He too was riddled with dust and debris as he slowly came into consciousness.
"Aaauugh…" he winced in pain. "….What the hell just happened?"
"We're in a pit," replied the nearby teen in a soft voice. "We fell down here after a small earthquake."
"You!" pointed Caleb at him. "You're that little punk…"
"Yes. And you're the jerk that tried to kill us all." Jun then gathered up his legs. "…I think we're gonna be here for a while; it's gonna take us all night to climb out of this dump."
"It's so damn hot down here," Caleb complained as he wiped sweat from his dirty brow.
Jun's eyes narrowed, showing his irritation. "In case you didn't know, we're on an island with an active volcano that just recently exploded. I'm pretty sure the quakes and the extreme heat may have something to do with that."
"Oh! Well, look who's the freakin' genius all of a sudden! You graduated with top honors, didn't ya?"
"Look pal, I'm not all too crazy about you either, but we-"
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble…
The two characters stopped their argument for a moment to let another small quake pass through them; their legs alone kept them from making another hard fall.
"…That was… unexpected," whispered Jun; his instincts at that moment sent a cold seat and a chill down his spine."
"Manjyome-kun," whispered the frightened voice of Ojama Yellow. "I feel it. I feel a dark presence here."
Jun's eyes glazed. "…I feel it too…"
"…Hello? Weird kid!?" shouted Caleb nearby. "Are you gonna stare at the wall all night!?"
"Shuddup!" the teen snapped back. "There's something very wrong here."
"Well, duh! We're in a pit! Everything's wrong with this place."
"That's not what I meant; I feel something! …Don't you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"…The cold…" Jun's voice dropped as his ears picked up a faint hissing sound, almost like that of a geyser about to blow.
"Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate."
"…Huh? What?" the teen muttered weakly.
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here..."
At that moment, Jun was about to meet a demon. …A true one.
A deeply dark shadow appeared suddenly on a wall, but it was coming from one untouched by Jun's and Caleb's. The shadow's size towered over theirs. Then, a creature started to faze through the wall, fitting the shadow on it.
"…For thou art within the gates of Hell, and I- Hades- am its Dark Lord!"
Caleb and Manjyome froze in terror, as a green-skinned demon dressed in vibrant garments walked right through the wall and stared them down. He had a pair of devilish horns that seemed too big for his head to balance, and his yellow eyes bore no irises. His mouth was completely fanged, his hangs clawed. That all seemed typical for a demon, but this was obviously no ordinary one. In fact, the teen in black recognized the garbed creature almost automatically.
"It's you… It really is you! Dark Ruler Hades!"
The Duel Monster nodded with his shark-like grin. "'Tis, indeed."
"What!?" shouted the older man in disbelief. "A Duel Monster? In the flesh!? Come ON! I had fun up there with the Werewolves, but this is ridiculous!"
"T'would be wise of thee to hold thy tongue, thou foolish prey of mine." With that, the demon stretched his long green claw at Caleb, and it seemed to be just enough- topped off with a fierce stare- to send the fear-stricken man down onto his knees.
Jun watched, also in disbelief at what he was witnessing. And he too was beginning to tremble.
"Caleb Hunter. For years, ye have sought out the grandest of earth's prizes. Thou hath stolen, cheated and lied for thine desires… A life doused in greed is a life wasted… and all wasted souls… are mine."
Manjyome, still immobilized by fear, looked on as dozens of long bony hands and arms stretched out from the ground, just beneath Caleb. The man could only scream as the skeletons of men and woman long past dead seized him and dragged him into the soft earth, until there was nothing left. And Hades looked on, smiling.
"Huh…" Jun finally took a breath, but his tremors were still with him.
Then the green-skinned devil cocked his bull-horned head intently at the small mortal nearby. "Ah! …Ho there, Manjyome Jun."
The teen gulped. "You… know me?"
Hades turned himself around to formally speak with the boy. "We all know ye, dear boy. Thou hast been granted a powerful gift… Ye knoweth that of which I speak, yes?"
"…What'd he say?" chirped the spirit of Ojama Yellow as he suddenly materialized in midair beside Manjyome.
Manjyome muttered in reply, "He means you guys."
Hades heard him, and began to cackle out loud. "HA! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! …No, no, no! I speaketh of the spirit that lurks in thy heart- the one who hath chosen thou, Manjyome Jun."
"…I don't understand. What are you talking about?"
"Oh, but ye doth. I can feel it all around thee, and I know'st thou can feel it too. It is, perhaps, worthy of mine army. Yes…"
"A-army? …You want me to fight you?"
"No, dear boy. …I want thee tojoin me. Yes! Join me, and together we shall restoreth the Kingdom of Hell! Ha-ha! HA-hahahahahaha!"
"…Manjyome-kun!" cried out Ojama Yellow. "Are you going to Hell!?"
"Of course I'm not!" growled Manjyome, before turning his attention back to the eight-foot-tall demon. "Listen! I dunno what your game is here, but I'm NOT gonna be hitting the dirt anytime soon! You got that!?"
"Heh-heh-heh… Thine bravery is admirable. But mine game, ye know it very well… It is the game of Duel Monsters." With that, Hades extended his left arm, and by magic a dark pointy duel disk materialized onto it.
"…You want to duel me? Are you serious?" gasped Manjyome.
"Thou wisheth to return to the land of the living, yes?"
"Y-yes!"
"Then duel me, and prove thyself. Should ye win, I shall set thee free."
"And if I lose?"
"Then ye will have no choice but to do mine bidding. For an eternity. Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh."
The floating Ojama Yellow spirit grabbed onto its bottom jaw and started to sweat like crazy. "Don't do it, Aniki! He's not gonna let you win!"
"…What choice do I have, Yellow?"
"The choice is simple: thy life, or thy soul!"
"…Well… can't argue with that." Jun unsheathed his duel disk.
DUEL!
..
II
Judai and Motegi had slid as far as thirteen feet downward into the abyss in which Manjyome fell, only to find themselves at a dead end. The hole, it would seem, caved in halfway.
"Oh great," moaned Judai as he rested his hands on the dirt wall. "Looks like we're gonna have to dig."
The two teens then had no choice but to get their hands dirty as they shoveled away at the soil. Luckily for them, the soil was fairly soft.
"You think he may still be alive down there?" questioned Motegi.
"We can only hope," panted Judai in reply.
..
Manjyome stood bravely before the former lord of the underworld, and by now he thought he had seen it all. But his opponent knew something he didn't.
"Harken to me, thou young spirit-keeper!" grinned the green demon. "This duel shalt not be one played like that of mortal men. Since ye are dueling for thy soul, then we should raiseth the stakes… Behold!"
As Hades stretched out his clawed hand, the earth behind Manjyome trembled. The teen balanced himself quickly, but then suddenly, a gigantic rock formation punched its way out of the earth, right behind him. Puzzled, Manjyome turned around to see just what it was. The rock, as it turned out, was chiseled into the shape of a large tombstone, complete with a crucifix on top and a plaque in the middle that read:
MANJYOME JUN
1991 – 20?
"…What!? What is this?" he gasped with eyes bulging.
"'Tis thy gravestone," replied the Dark Ruler. "Thine body shall be encased here, should ye lose this duel."
Jun gulped when he heard this, but he knew it was too late to turn back. "…Alright, fine. Play your mind games all you want, but I'm still winning this."
.
Manjyome: 8000
Hades: 8000
.
.
"Draw!" started Manjyome. I'll set a card on the Spell and Trap Zone, and summon Don Zaloog to the field."
Don Zaloog: 1400 ATK
"Turn over."
"Draw," smiled the optimistic Hades. "I doth summon Wight to the field. Come forth, mine loyal servant!"
Wight: 200 DEF
"Next, I shall play the Spell Card called Dual Summon, which giveth me a second Normal Summoning. Henceforth, another Wight may now come to the field in mine defense!"
Wight: 200 DEF
"Mine turn doth endeth."
Manjyome eyeballed the skeletal Wights, otherwise known as Skull Servants. "That's strange," he thought to himself. "He talks a big game, but why would he summon such weak monsters?"
It was time then to make his move. "Draw! …I summon Surprising Matasa to the field."
Surprising Matasa: 1300 ATK
"My new warrior comes with an effect," said Manjyome. "He can't be controlled by an opponent, but he can attack twice in the Battle Phase. So I'll start the battle with him slicing through those two skeletons."
The ninja, otherwise known as Mazata the Zapper, flung his sword at the knee-bent skeletons in purple robes, turning both of them into ashes.
"Now, Don Zaloog, attack his Life Points directly!"
The one-eyed armed robber monster pointed his pistols at Hades and opened fire. The demon king barely even flinched in reaction.
Hades: 6600 LP
"There's more," said Manjyome with a balled fist. "Whenever Don Zaloog inflicts battle damage, I can either send the top two cards in your deck to the Graveyard, or I can pick a card in your hand and send that one to the Graveyard. I'm going to go ahead and take out the one that's in your hand."
"So be it," smiled Hades. "I remove my third Wight, and allow him to join his brothers in the grave." With that, the demon king discarded his middle card, leaving him with nothing left in his hand.
"Turn over," said Manjyome.
"Draw!" grinned Hades overconfidently. He now had only three cards in hand, but before he played any of them, he first began to gloat.
"Ho there, Manjyome Jun! Doth thou remember the day ye fought against he named Misawa Daichi?"
"Huh?" blinked Manjyome curiously.
"Ye will remember well," said Hades with his twisted smile, "on that day ye were challenged to a duel in hopes to remain in the prestigious Obelisk Blue dorm, after thy humiliating defeat against Yuki Judai!"
"How do you know about that!?"
"I see all, young spirit-keeper. I know ye all too well! I recall just how desperate ye were of winning, that ye hath stolen your opponent's deck the night before, hoping he would be forced to forfeit the duel to thee!"
.
Jun's mind went blank, as he was forced to look back at his duel against Misawa three years earlier. He could see himself staring down Misawa's Water Dragon, which easily wiped out Manjyome's Hell monsters. Then, the ugly truth came out… Misawa knew that his deck was stolen, and tossed into the sea! Jun had no choice then but to confess; at that moment, he not only lost the duel, he lost his pride.
.
"…Uh… I… But…" Manjyome's eyes glazed; the shame was written all over his face as he tried to justify his actions, to no avail.
"Heh," Hades gloated. "Thou art not so different than mine own kind, Manjyome Jun. Thou art of noble blood, and art ambitious. Thou art willing even to risk thine own sense of honor to please thine brethren."
"Oh, for God's sakes, SPEAK ENGLISH!" shouted the boy in frustration.
"Thine fury is like mine as well… Hee-hee… It remindeth me of the day I was robbed of mine throne. T'was not long ago; the earth itself trembled as mine own kind revolted against me. How often I dream of that glorious morn, when I shall return a champion to mine rightful place in the underworld. All I need is a strong enough army; it grows by the day, but it is not yet ready to take on He."
"He…?"
At last, Hades' grin dropped. "He… who hath stolen mine crown, my rightful nobilities! …I only hope that thee, Manjyome Jun, and the dragon that coils within thee, will make mine victory come that much sooner."
"Okay, okay, wait a minute… Let's see if I got this all straight. You're pissed 'caused somebody booted you off your throne in Hell, and now you want it back, and you want me to help you. Is that all right?"
"Yes, 'tis correct," the demon smiled with a nod.
"…What does all that have to do with me stealing Misawa's cards!?"
"Aah, dear boy, ye cannot yet see! The dragonfeeds on thine own feelings. With every strip of hate, of jealousy, of anger that looms within thee, the dragon grows stronger. Even now, I can feel it scratching to the surface. …Can ye not feel its claws, ripping at your insides, so desperate to get out?"
Jun worriedly felt his chest to see if the demon king was telling the truth, but he felt nothing.
"Let us continue the duel, shall we?"
"Yes, please! I'm getting tired of all this self-pity nonsense!" Jun blurted out.
"Very well then, I doth summon my newest servant: the great Wight King!"
Wight King? ATK
The teen's eyes blinked. "…That looks just like all the other skeletons you've played."
"Ah, but there is one difference. See here, the Wight King gains one thousand attack points for every Wight in mine graveyard, and since there are three there- two that hath been destroyed, and one I hath discarded- then mine Wight King is thrice as strong!"
Wight King: 3000 ATK
"A king after mine own heart," smiled Hades. "Now. Wight King, avenge your brethren and destroy Surprising Matasa!"
Despite its lack of flesh, the Wight King was able to trounce Manjyome's weaker Warrior without effort.
Manjyome: 6300 LP
"Ugh!" winced Manjyome as he took the damage. "…Touché."
"Hold," said Hades with his hand stretched out; "there is more! A penalty is to be taken for each Life Point thou loses."
Manjyome took a breath, ready to expect some kind of penalty or something, but nothing could prepare him for what was about to happen! The earth beneath his feet cracked open and became soft enough to be liquid. Then suddenly, three sets of skeletal arms popped out from the earth and seized his legs!
He screamed, but he was helpless as he began to be dragged down into the earth itself, until the arms suddenly stopped pulling him when the earth came down to his knees. The arms then sunk back into the earth, and there the teen stood, knee-deep in soft earth.
Jun whimpered, a total loss for words; the Ojama spirits were a bit more vocal: "Manjyome no Aniki!"
Hades pointed at the helpless teen with a laugh. "Hahahahahaha! I told ye there'd be a catch to this duel, did I not? As thy Life Points drift away, so shall thy body be dragged down to its final resting place!"
"Yeh… You're sick!" yelped Manjyome.
"I am done my turn," Hades replied.
Manjyome was still in shock; his arms were so badly shaking that it seemed as though he couldn't function them. Then all of a sudden he heard Ojama Yellow's voice: "Draw your card, Manjyome-kun!"
"Yeah!" cheered the Ojama Green's spirit. "It's not over 'till it's over! You can still win!"
Still shaking, Manjyome listened to them. "Ugh… I… draw." He paused to overlook his hand, then he made his move. "I sacrifice my Don Zaloog for Thunder Emperor- Zaborg."
Thunder Emperor- Zaborg: 2400
"Once he's tribute summoned, I can destroy a monster on your field, and guess who I'm targeting: Your Wight King!"
The dazzling thunder god thrust his arms at the skeleton king, and summoned a bolt of lightning that zapped it out of existence.
"Now, Zaborg, attack him directly!"
Zaborg then threw an electrical punch at Hades, who only winced slightly.
Hades: 4200 LP
"Hahahahaha! Impressive!" laughed the demon king.
Manjyome was starting to get annoyed at how his opponent remained happy. "Turn over."
.
"Draw," said Hades, giving himself three cards in hand. "I shall begin this turn with the Spell card called Dark World Dealings. This allows us two to draw a new card, and then discard one card to the graveyard. With this effect, I shall surrender mine Despair From the Dark monster."
After drawing his next card, Manjyome stated, "And as for me… I discard my Spell card Ojamagic! And once it's gone to the grave, I can automatically take one of each Ojama monster from my deck to my hand!"
The Ojama spirits cheered jubilantly as they were swallowed into their individual cards as their "aniki" brought them out from the deck.
"Those beats do not frighten me," hissed Hades, as he grabbed hold of one of his two remaining cards. "I now play the Spell called Book of Life, which allows me to bring an Undead monster back from mine grave. And since I had previously discarded him, I shall bring back Despair from the Dark. Arise, foul beast!"
Despair From The Dark: 2800 ATK
"Ye must now remove one of thy monsters in the grave from play," said Hades to Manjyome.
"Fine," huffed Jun; "I'll take out Matasa." So he did.
"And now, Despair, bring down his accursed thunder god!" commanded the demon lord.
The shadowy ghost was too much for Zaborg, as it swallowed him into darkness.
Manjyome: 5900 LP
.
Once again, the ground beneath him began to crumble. Manjyome whimpered as four sets of skeletal arms grabbed hold of his jeans and pulled him slightly further down into the ground. They stopped at his waist before reentering the earth.
"Ye are now halfway dead," snickered Hades. "And with that said, I doth end mine turn."
.
"Don't give up, Aniki!" chirped Ojama Yellow from within his card; he could sense the doubt in Manjyome's mind.
.
"I won't… Draw!" gulped Jun. With now seven cards in hand, his hope of winning began to come back. "Okay… I play the Spell card Ojama Get Ride! This makes me send my three Ojamas to the graveyard, but in return I get three Machine monsters."
"Aww, no fair!" whined the Ojama Black card.
"Sorry guys," frowned Manjyome, as he sent them on their way to the bottom slot of his duel disk. "…Now here come X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank!"
X-Head Cannon: 1800 ATK
Y-Dragon Head: 1500 ATK
Z-Metal Tank: 1500 ATK
Hades remained pleasant as Manjyome continued his move: "I'll now remove these three from the game so I can special summon their fused form: XYZ Dragon Cannon!"
XYZ Dragon Cannon: 2800 ATK
"Ah, so the forces of Light hath finally matched mine of Darkness," mused Hades.
"I'm not finished!" shouted Manjyome. "XYZ Dragon Cannon's effect lets me discard something from my hand so I can destroy one on your cards! I discard my Hell Dragon, so you kiss your Despair from the Dark goodbye!"
For only a second time since they've met, Hades dropped his grin as he watched his beloved servant disintegrate at the hands of the Fusion machine.
Manjyome then threw out his arm, "Dragon Cannon, attack Hades directly!"
The machine then launched missiles from top to bottom at the demon lord, and made a dust-cloud of explosions.
Hades: 1400 LP
For the first time since the duel began, Manjyome cracked a smile. "Turn over."
.
But then, to his astonishment, he heard the familiar laughter of his opponent. "Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee! Heh-heh-heh-hahaha! AAH-hahahahaha!" As the dust cleared, Hades emerged from the smoke in glory. "Ah, yes! How could I have forgotten?" he laughed. "Ye, Manjyome Jun, hath not always been shrouded in darkness. No… ye hath proven once before that Light is just as wicked!"
"What are you talking about now?" narrowed the teen's dark eyes.
"It maketh sense to me now, for I remember well the time ye hath sold thy soul to the Society of Light- the evil cult that hath once threatened to take over the world! Remember?"
"Oh no," moaned Jun; "You're not gonna pin that on me, are you? …I was tricked into that cult! It wasn't entirely my fault!"
"But ye were not so sure of thyself, methinks. Thou hath been picked first by the evil Light because thine spirit was so weak! Even now, I can still feel its weakness."
"Stop it!" screamed Jun as he covered his ears frantically. "Stop screwing with my head! I didn't do all that stuff on purpose; I was lied to! I was brainwashed! I didn't mean to be-"
"Thou hath not meant to be'th so cruel?" Hades asked with a squinted eye. "Ye would know better than anyone, that thou hast a weak mind and a drive to be stronger. Thine thirst for strength hast brought you down here, Manjyome Jun! It was thee who hath challenged Caleb, who now burns in Hell! And soon ye shall join him! Hahahahahahaha!"
"NO-o-o-o!" howled Manjyome, still trying desperately to drown out the demon king's words.
..
III
Meanwhile, not too far away, two teenagers were still shoveling through piles of dirt and rubble with their bare hands.
It hadn't taken long for Motegi's strength to falter, as he plopped to the ground. "Oh, let's stop for a minute. We've been at this for almost a half hour now," he moaned tiredly.
"We can't just give up!" replied Judai, whose scratches in the earth were now wearing the wall down. "Manjyome could be in danger; he could suffocate down there!"
"…Judai," frowned Motegi, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but… If Manjyome's been down there for this long, without any air, then… Well, maybe… I mean… Maybe he's-"
"Don't say it," snapped Judai, finally stopping his movement. "Don't you dare say it!"
"Can't we just call for help? I mean, we can't really do this on our own."
"We don't have much time. Manjyome-kun doesn't have much time!"
"Is he really that important to you? Is he, like, your best friend or something?"
"…No… Not really. …But you need to understand something: He saved my life."
Motegi was at a loss for words at that moment, but then he got back on his feet. "Well… in that case…" And with that, he cracked his knuckles and resumed digging through the wall alongside Judai.
..
Manjyome was waist-deep in earth as his opponent, Dark Ruler Hades, stood tall and confidently with an evil laugh.
"Hahahahaha! It will not be long now. Soon I will awaken thine true form, and ye shall be among the worthiest of mine servants. Even the great usurper will cower in fear at thine very presence! Hahahaha! …Soon, I shall reclaim mine former glory. And I will have thee to thank for-"
[Begin song "Through the Fire and the Flames" by Dragonforce]
"ENOUGH!" Manjyome's outburst caused him to throw his fist into the ground. "I'm nobody's servant. And I'm not the card-stealing, soul-selling, spoiled rotten brat I used to be. I've changed! I'm a different person now- a better person! You can't tell me otherwise!"
"Heh… If thou art so pure of heart, then why do I feel such guilt in thine heart? Hmm?"
Manjyome couldn't think of an answer.
"Hee-hee-hee. Thou hast never truly forgiven thyself for thine past deeds. Therefore, thou hath never truly been forgiven them! Ye are shrouded in thine own self-doubt."
"…No. …Stop it."
"Thou knowst I speak the truth…"
"…Alright… Alright, I'll admit it. I am really sorry about how I've treated people before. I'm sorry I was so mean, that I tried to cheat just to win- I'm sorry I stole Misawa's cards. I'm sorry for having such a weak mind that I let it get brainwashed! I'm sorry about ALL of that!... But I can't… I can't… forgive myself…" Jun, feeling vulnerable, felt his eyes begin to welt in tears.
His face faltered with pity, Hades shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… A shame the truth hath been poured out like this. …But time is short, young one, and 'tis my move now."
He drew his next card. "I doth play the Spell card Angel's Gift. 'Tis ironic, I know, but it shall be worth it. I doth draw three cards, and send two to mine grave…" With two cards remaining in his hand, Hades went on to say, "I now playeth the Spell card Monster Reborn! This shall bring back the monster I hath just discarded. Now, Manjyome, feast thy eyes on mine greatest and most loyal of all servants: Ultimate Obedient Fiend!"
Ultimate Obedient Fiend: 3500 ATK
Manjyome stared in awe at the enormous creature that stood towering over his XYZ Dragon Cannon.
"He is powerful, yet he cannot attack while I have cards in mine hand," explained Hades. "Therefore, I shall play my last remaining card, and lo, 'tis a second Wight King!"
Wight King: 4000 ATK
"This- my ever faithful zombie- even grows stronger when other Wight Kings are in mine grave, as well as the weaker Wights! Ha-ha! That maketh him even stronger than mine demon servant! But now the time hath come; Wight King, obliterate his machine monster!"
With his face-down card unable to stop it, Manjyome couldn't hold back the skeletal monster's attack; with his Fusion monster went a huge chunk of his Life Points.
"And now, mine Ultimate Obedient Fiend, relinquish the boy of his Life Points! Mwa-hahahahaha!"
Manjyome braced himself as the demon came for him…
WHOOSH!
..
From where they were, Judai and Motegi could faintly hear the sound of something crashing.
"Listen!" exclaimed Judai as he put an ear to the wall of soil. "…Did you hear that?"
"What was it?" asked Motegi.
"…It sounds like a duel!"
"No, it couldn't be!"
"…It is!" Judai's senses were right on the money; he began to scratch much faster at the pile of dirt that separated him from where Manjyome was dueling. "Come on, Motegi, double-time it! We're almost there!"
..
Even after the huge demon literally swiped at Manjyome, he was still in the game… barely.
Manjyome: 1200 LP
Once again, multiple sets of zombie arms popped out from the ground, grabbed hold of Manjyome's arms and shoulders, and pulled him downward until he was up to his shoulder line in earth.
"If ye be so bold to draw again, thy time is now!" said Hades as he ended his turn.
At this point, the only things Manjyome were able to move were his neck and arms, and that would be enough. As he touched his deck, he started to pray softly. "Please… I need a miracle right now. Please deck, give me something good… Please… Please…!" He drew.
He now had only three cards in his hand; the two he already had were no good together, but the third seemed perfect. So perfect, in fact, that for a moment his eyes flashed a bright blue light. This behavior puzzled Hades…
.
Flashback- Five weeks earlier…
"…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.
.
Present Day.
He was now holding that card in his hand, the one given back to him from his most trusted house servant. It was more than just his favorite card; it was now his salvation.
"This is it… I'm going to win," muttered Manjyome.
"What?" growled Hades on the other side of the field. "What did thou say!?"
"I said," smirked Manjyome, "I pay one thousand Life Points to play my card, Ojamandala! Now I can revive my Ojama monsters!"
Manjyome: 200 LP
As the Ojamas phased onto the field magically, the dark ruler remained puzzled. "Fool!" he hissed; "with only two-hundred Life Points left, thou shall be overtaken by the earth! Wight monsters, seize him!"
It was then revealed that the skeletons that had been dragging Manjyome down to his grave all along were the Wight monsters that were sent to the grave during the duel. Their arms clawed at his head wildly and pushed him all the way down to his chin; he could now just barely move his arms which were elbow-deep in earth.
"Manjyome-no-Aniki!" yelped the Ojamas in fear. They then jumped from the Monster Zone all the way to where the rest of Manjyome remained, and frantically began to pull at his hair. "We'll get you out! Don't worry! Heave!" they all chirped dramatically.
"Ow! …OW! Guys, you're not helping!" yelled their Aniki. "Oh, sorry!" gasped Ojama Yellow.
"Would thou waste mine time with such worthless beasts?" mocked Hades in the background.
"Actually, these 'worthless beasts' are gonna clean house in a matter of seconds! …But first, I activate my Trap card: Ojama Trio!"
Hades was surprised to see that Manjyome had waited all this time to summon monster tokens to the field- stranger yet, they were on the side of the dark lord.
Ojama Tokens: 1000/ 1000 / 1000 DEF
"Alright," huffed Manjyome, who was having slight trouble breathing. "Now that that's done, it's time to pull out the big guns. I play this: Ojama Delta Hurricane! With the Ojama brothers on my field, I can destroy every other card in play! Go for it, boys!"
"With pleasure!" cheered Ojama Black, as he led the pack to the center of the field. "Ally-oop!" he said, while boosting his smaller brothers into the air. He then himself took a flying leap after them, and the airborne Ojamas quickly spun into a colorful tornado.
Hades could only watch as his powerful monsters shattered into millions of pieces, along with the Ojama tokens. And as they disappeared from the field, the tokens took on the ghostly form of the Ojama brothers; they each took a comical swing at Hades' face before disappearing. Though his pride was now hurt, he was obviously more upset about losing his minions.
Hades: 500 LP
As the tornado blew away, the Ojamas reformed in a line before their nearly-buried companion. "N-now," said a struggling Manjyome, "I sacrifice Ojama Green and Ojama Black… to summon… this monster!" He made it an effort to move his last card onto his duel disk.
Ojama Yellow then stepped away, as his brothers once again took to the air. This time, they disappeared into a stream of bright light, indicating that they were gone for good. But in their place, something wonderful was about to emerge.
The light then split into two shades, one much darker than the other. From the white-hot side sprouted an angelic wing; from the deep blue side sprouted a pitch-black devilish one. Then, two matching beacons shone through from the creature's eyes, right before it took full form. And there it was, a dazzling dragon with two tails and two polar-opposite wings, whose right side was completely white, his left completely black. Right in the center of his face was a menacing saber-like horn, alone with a large crest atop his head.
Light and Darkness Dragon: 2800 ATK
Hades' jaw fell in surprise. "Bless mine soul! …Could this be…? Yes! 'tis the dragon I hath sensed all along! This is the boy's true soul!"
"Ooooh!" cooed Ojama Yellow in awe as he stood by the dragon's side.
"'Tis… 'Tis beautiful!" awed Hades as well, but then his attention turned toward what was left of Manjyome.
Amazingly, the dragon's presence had caused a mighty gust of wind that seemed to erase all of the evil effects of the duel; Manjyome stood on his feet as if he never was pulled into the earth. And what was even more surprising was that as the teen lifted his head and opened his eyes, they were glowing the same shade of light as the dragon's!
"I understand fully now," muttered Hades to himself. "The dragon is both a creature of Light, and Darkness. It matters not how the boy feels; his two sides are one and the same."
On the other side, a far less vulnerable Manjyome glared intently on Hades. "You want my dragon? Well, here it comes! Light and Darkness Dragon, attack! Wipe out the rest of his Life Points… 'Black Baptism!'"
Light and Darkness Dragon opened its jaws and released a beam of energy so powerful, it zig-zagged across the field before it finally poured right through Hades. The demon lord howled loudly before disappearing into the light.
Hades: 0
On the opposite side of the field, the stone that would have been Manjyome's grave crumbled to ash by a fierce gust of wind.
[End song]
.
Everything turned white for a brief moment before Manjyome snapped out of his trance. He fell to his knees and dropped some of his cards, feeling overwhelmed by the forced that took him over a moment ago.
As he paused to breathe, he heard the friendly voices of the Ojama brothers jumping at him in spirit form, cheering, "Yay! You did it! You did it, Aniki!" Manjyome was perhaps too weak to stop Yellow from kissing his cheek. "I knew you could do it, Aniki!"
"Thanks… You know, I… I couldn't have done it without you guys."
"N'aaaawwww," the trio cooed, blushing.
"We love you too, Aniki!" smiled Yellow.
The boy winced. "I didn't say that."
"Yes you did."
"No I didn't."
"Yes you did, you just said it."
"No I didn't, you're putting words into my mouth!"
"Oh, just say it already! You're not hiding anything from us!"
"I'm not gonna say it!"
"Say what?"
"'I love you.' Augh! SOKAS!" he swiped at them.
The Ojamas began to laugh, but their laughter was soon joined by a familiar voice: "Hee-hee-hee-heh-heh-heh. HahahahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"
Manjyome gasped, realized that it was Hades' voice he was hearing. Then he finally realized that in the spot where Hades once stood, a small gap of light was lingering. From behind the gap was Hades himself; his shadow, at least. And it was laughing at the teen, just as he had before.
"Manjyome Jun!" called Hades from beyond. "I hath foreseen thine future, and I knowst thy fate: Thou art going to die! Hahahahahaha! I'll see thee in Hell yet, Manjyome Jun! Hahahahaha-HAhahahahahaha!" With that, the gap of light closed completely.
Manjyome sat beside himself, as did the Ojamas who were silenced by their shock. Their moment was cut short by the sound of something collapsing; alarmed they all gasped and huddled together, expecting the end of their lives. But to their relief, the collapsing sound came only from a wall of dirt, and on the other side of it a small trickle of light from the outside poured into the pit.
.
Manjyome then heard a voice that he was unsure he'd ever hear again: Judai's. "Manjyome!? …Manjyome, are you down there!?"
"J-Judai?" he gasped in disbelief.
"Manjyome?"
"Jud- …It's SANDA!"
"Hey!" Judai cheered as his head popped out from behind the small hole in the wall. "Motegi, we did it! We found him!"
Motegi then peered out of nowhere; "Oh my God, you're alive!"
"Yeah… barely," replied the teen in black. He then pulled himself up and crept over to the slope that separated him from the outside world.
"Can you climb up the wall?" asked Judai.
"I think I can use a hand."
"Quick, Motegi…" Judai then grabbed hold of Motegi's legs and carefully pushed him down toward Manjyome. The Obelisk student then grabbed hold of Manjyome's hands, and together they pulled their way to the top of the slope.
The boys then took a minute to recollect themselves; Judai and Motegi were exhausted from all the digging, and Manjyome was in a world of his own.
"…Are you okay now?" Judai asked him.
Manjyome himself was panting a little. "I… I dunno… I guess so." But he was beginning to have his doubts.
"Hey guys, we should get out of here before the whole thing caves in again," suggested Motegi. The others nodded in agreement, and without uttering another word, they let Manjyome be the first to climb his way out of the abyss.
Though they were several feet downward, the boys could see that the sun was starting to peer in the sky, indicating the end of night.
..
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Chapter: Raising Hell, Part 1
Featured Duel: Manjyome Jun and Yuki Judai vs. The Long Family