We're almost done with the teams! After that we'll focus back on the main players! Sorry the for the delay. I came down with a little cold and that slowed me down. But I'm not out! Onward!
Yugioh: The Power of Four
Chapter 26: ARC-V — PART 12
"They weren't so tough." Manjome said after he and Kenzen defeated a team of Obelisk Force soldiers.
"Hardly broke a sweat." Kenzan added as he chuckled.
On one side of the group, Tèa and Asuka gave their compliments to their teammates.
On the other side, Manjome sighed and walked a little away. "Hey, what's up with you?" Kenzan asked as he caught up with him. The black haired Duelist sighed again as he folded his arms over his chest, looking depressed.
"It's nothing." He muttered softly. Kenzan snorted.
"Oh come on. Tell me what's up? We just won a Tag Duel against soldiers representing an upside down version of our school! How come you stopped being so smug all of a sudden?" Kenzen demanded.
"I said it was nothing, now drop it." He snapped back.
"Fine, whatever." Kenzan said as he held up his hands in surrender.
Manjome groaned inwardly. There was no way he would ever tell anyone, let alone Kenzan, what was bothering him. The truth was, he was still upset that the Asuka he knew chose to be with Judai instead of him. He tried his best to hide it in front of everyone. He actually wasn't happy when Reiji assigned this world's Asuka to be on the same team as him. Every time he saw her, it reminded him of the pain he was feeling… the pain of rejection. He knew things would never work with this other Asuka, especially after how he acted toward her.
True, he thought he was talking to his world's Asuka at the time, but it didn't change the fact that this Asuka didn't have strong feelings for him either. He was told that there were other girls and that the one for him was still out there. Despite that encouragement, Manjome himself didn't believe there would be any woman that would see him the way he saw Asuka…
Before he could brood further, a golden dome had sprung up around him and Kenzan. "What the hell?!" He shouted as he and the Dino Duelist were cut off from their female teammates.
"Tèa! Asuka! You girls alright?" Kenzan yelled, but got no reply.
"What's this?! Where are the girls?!" Manjome shouted in alarm. Kenzan banged and shoved against the edge of the barrier, but it did no good. Nothing worked.
"No good! Looks like we're stuck in whatever this is!" A second later, a strange, dark doorway materialized before the trapped Duelists. Confused, they stared as someone came walking through toward them.
The person they saw shocked them, especially Manjome. "You?! How could you of all people be here?!" The person who stepped through just laughed.
"Actually Manjome, I was hoping you could tell me." The figure before them was a muscular young man with spiked up dark brown hair and wearing glasses. He had a Duel Disk on his left arm, but it was not activated yet.
"From what we learned, of all the people that went to that messed up world, only three never came back. You, Amon Garam, were one of them. How did you get here?" Manjome pointed out before he asked again. Amon shrugged.
"I wish I knew. One minute I was trapped in darkness with no way out. The next, a voice calls out to me and tells me I can become King if I prove my worth. So he lets me out and now here we are again at opposite sides."
"A voice? Who? Also, what happened to that woman I heard was with you?" Kenzan asked, curious. Amon then showed some regret.
"You mean Echo? Yeah, I haven't seen her since I…" Amon stopped talking. He knew full well what had become of her. He really didn't expect her to come back after what he did to her. He forced that regret out of his mind and changed the subject. "As for that voice… Honestly, I have no clue who or what spoke to me. Regardless, it made me an offer I just couldn't refuse. That demon Yubel took away my chance of becoming King of that world. As much as I would rather destroy her in a rematch, I have no choice but to beat you guys first. Sorry for the inconvenience." Amon apologized as he turned on his Duel Disk. Manjome grunted.
"Not as sorry as you're about to be! I've been wanting a rematch too, and I'm not going to pass this up!" He declared as he too turned on his Duel Disk.
"Hey, don't count this Dino out!" Kenzan shouted as he too turned on his Disk.
"DUEL!"
(Manjome: 4000) (Kenzan: 4000) (Amon: 4000)
"If it's alright with you guys, I'll go last." Amon said, sounding confident. Manjome and Kenzan looked at one another. Although they wondered why he would do that, the duo silently agreed not to to take him likely.
"Fine by me. I'll go first. My turn! Draw!" Manjome declared, taking the first turn. Right before he made his first move, a little blue transparent creature appeared next to him. It seemed rather excited.
"Oh! Oh! Please, Master! Play me! I know I can help you here!" The spirit said overeagerly. Manjome groaned inwardly.
"Shut up, will you. I know what I'm doing." He said softly with annoyance.
"Who are you talking too?" Amon asked, clearly seeing Manjome wasn't talking to Kenzan. The former seemed slightly embarrassed.
"Nobody! I'm talking to nobody! First, I Set a Monster in Defense Mode. Then I Set one card facedown and end my turn." The spirit seemed pleased as it vanished from his sight.
"Whatever you say, Manjome." Amon replied, still relaxed. Kenzan growled with excitement as he prepared for his move.
"Okay, I'm up next! My turn! Draw!" Kenzan's eyes became dino slits when he saw his drawn card. "Hey Amon, time for you to meet my newest friend from the world of dinos! I play Jurassic Fusion! This lets me Fuse two "Dinosaur" Monsters in my hand or Field for the Summon of a Dinosaur Fusion Monster! I Fuse Ultimate Tyranno and Super Conductor Tyranno in my hand! Fusion Summon! Roar to life, Supreme Conductor Tyranno!" (LIGHT; Level 11; ATK: 3700; DEF: 3300) Kenzan's Fusion Monster looked like a darkened T-Rex with electric conductors attached to it's back. When it roared, it became covered with currents of electricity.
"That's a pretty big, and monstrous, looking dinosaur." Amon commented, slightly intimidated by it's size. Fortunately, he had something bigger…
"My big pal has more than just sharp teeth and a "shocking" appearance! I now activate it's Monster Effect! Once per turn, for each "Dinosaur" in my Graveyard, you take 500 Points of damage! Since there's two of them in my Graveyard, you take a 1000 point hit out of your Life Points!" Supreme Conductor Tyranno unleashed an electrified tail attack that struck Amon hard. He groaned from the attack, but remained standing.
(Amon: 4000 – 1000 = 3000)
"Ouch." Amon muttered, rubbing his chest where he was struck.
"What can I say? Dinosaurs don't play nice! I Set one card facedown and end my turn." Kenzan said with a smirk.
"Nice work, Kenzan." Manjome complimented. The Dino Duelist gave his partner a thumbs up. Amon smiled at them.
"I have to admit, that was a good opening move. Too bad it won't mean much in the end." He said, still smiling.
"Don't mean much? What do ya mean by that?!" Kenzan questioned, sounding agitated. Amon chuckled.
"I'm about to show you. My turn! Draw!" He narrowed his eyes. He had what he needed in his hand. Now he was going to unleash the power he needed to become king. "Alright boys, this is where things are going to be not so nice for you two! First, I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards! Next I activate Card Destruction! This Magic card forces all of us to discard all cards in our hands to the Graveyard, then we draw the same number of cards from our Decks!"
Manjome and Kenzan cursed as they were forced to send all they had to their Graveyards. 'That was definitely a blow. I wonder if he's planning too…' Manjome wondered. Amon's next move confirmed his suspicions.
"Now comes my big play! From my Graveyard, I activate… Ultimate Ritual of the Forbidden Lord!"
"I knew it!" Manjome said in a panic.
"This powerful card can only be activated once it is sent to the Graveyard and when there are five different "Forbidden One" cards also in my Graveyard or my hand! In my Graveyard I have Right Leg of the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, and Rage of the Forbidden One! Now those five get shuffled back into my Deck! After that, I send two "Forbidden One" cards in my hand to the Graveyard to call forth the great and powerful servant from my hand or Deck! I discard Right Leg of the Forbidden One and Left Leg of the Forbidden One to the Graveyard to Special Summon from my Deck the ultimate symbol of power: Ultimate Sealed God Exodius!" (DARK; Level 10; ATK: ?; DEF: 0)
Before Manjome and Kenzan stood a gigantic, dark skinned brute of a man wearing a black head dress with parts of a cobra on it. It wore a big, unnerving smile that showed it's teeth. "Oh… my… brac." Kenzan stuttered, trembling at the size of the god like Monster before him.
"He is pretty scary looking, huh? But believe me, his appearance is not what makes him truly frightening! Exodius cannot be destroyed in battle, and it is unaffected by the Effects of all my opponent's Magic, Trap, and Monster cards! It also gains 1000 Attack Points for each "Forbidden One" Monster in my Graveyard! With the Right and Left Legs both in there, Exodius' Attack Power gains 2000 Points!" Manjome and Kenzan watched as Exodius' Attack Points rise to 2000.
"So that's the Monster I've heard about." Manjome said, staring up at the giant… while also clinching his fists.
"Oh? You've heard of it?" Amon asked, curious how his old opponent could know. He was also surprised to see him beginning to shake. At first he believed Manjome was shaking out of fear. However…
"Judai and Edo told me everything. Including the part… where how you got that power!" Manjome shouted suddenly, making Kenzan jump in response. The guy sounded seriously pissed.
"Did they?" Amon said, not sounding so confident at the moment. Manjome looked right into Amon's eyes with pure contempt.
"You sacrificed the woman who cared for you more than anyone else! She loved you… and you took her life to get your hands on that!" He yelled in anger as he pointed at Exodius. "How could you do something so… so cruel?! When a woman loves you, you're not supposed kill her to gain power! How can you be so uncaring and selfish?! Does the word "love" mean anything to a pathetic son of a…?!"
"SHUT UP!" Amon yelled back, now looking angry himself. "Echo chose to go through with the sacrifice of her own will! I didn't force her! She knew how important to was to me to become King! She made that choice herself!" Manjome wouldn't hear of it.
"That's not the point, dumbass! When someone loves you, you shouldn't toss away their life to achieve some personal goal! When love is offered to you, you shouldn't… reject it…" He then looked down and fell silent.
"Manjome?" Kenzan questioned. He started thinking about where this outburst was coming from all of a sudden. It wasn't like him to just blow his stack like that. But then, he remembered how snippy he had been before Amon appeared. And now listening to him talking about love and rejection, he started to guess the reason. 'Could this have to do with Asuka's choice to be with Judai instead of him?' Amon began to suspect it himself.
"I see. You had your heart on a certain someone and things didn't work out the way you hoped?" He asked. Manjome's silence seemed to have confirmed it. "That's sad. I truly feel sorry for you, but love isn't meant for everyone. Apparently, we fit into the category of people that weren't made to love or be loved. I really do regret what happened to Echo, but in the end we simply weren't meant to be. Probably the same with you and whoever broke your heart."
Manjome didn't respond to Amon's words. He just stood there, looking dejected. He had no comeback for what he heard. It was as Amon said; Manjome truly believed that he wasn't meant to be with anyone. He had no "special someone" that was waiting for him somewhere. Asuka was the only one in his eyes, and she rejected his feelings. She would never know how much she had hurt him, nor would anyone else.
"Manjome! Look man, I know this may seem harsh, but this isn't the time to think about stuff like that! We have a Duel to win here!" Kenzan said as he tried to snap his dueling partner out of it. Manjome didn't respond.
"As much as I sympathize, I can't ignore the fact that we are in the middle of a Duel… and it's still my turn! Ultimate Sealed God Exodius, attack Manjome's facedown Monster! Ultimate Smash!" As Exodius prepared to strike, Amon unveiled another surprise. "Now I activate another of Exodius's Effects! When it attacks, I can send a "Forbidden One" Monster from my hand or Deck to the Graveyard! From my Deck, I send to the Graveyard Right Arm of the Forbidden One! And since there is another "Forbidden One" Monster in my Graveyard, Exodius gains another 1000 Attack Points!"
(Exodius' ATK: 2000 + 1000 = 3000)
With it's massive fist, Exodius slammed the Monster Manjome had Set into pieces.
"Oh, I hate this part! AHHHHH!" The spirit that spoke to Manjome earlier complained as it's physical self was destroyed. The force of the blow, and the scream of the destroyed Monster, seemed to have brought him back to reality.
"I activate the Effect of my facedown Ojama Blue! When it is destroyed by battle and goes to the Graveyard, I can take two "Ojama" cards from my Deck and add them to my hand! I add "Ojamadala" and "Super Ojamuscle" to my hand!"
"Not too shabby. But if you've heard of Exodius, then you know what happens when my Graveyard contains five different "Forbidden One" Monsters, don't you?" Amon asked. Manjome snorted.
"If five "Forbidden One" Monsters with different names end up in your Graveyard while Exodius is on the Field… you automatically win the Duel." He said in a low tone.
"Just two more?! That ain't good!" Kenzan exclaimed in worry. 'So we gotta take Amon down before that happens!'
"That's right. Three pieces are in my Graveyard now, so I just need to add two more. But I can make that happen a bit sooner with this! I activate Forbidden Attack! I can a make an "Exodius" I control that already attacked this turn attack a second time! In exchange I can't play anymore Magic cards this turn! This time, I'll have Exodius take down another target! Exodius, attack Supreme Conductor Tyranno! Forbidden Punch! And at this time, I send my 4th "Forbidden One" Monster, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, from my Deck to the Graveyard per Exodius' Effect!
(Exodius' ATK: 3000 + 1000 = 4000)
"I'm not gonna make it that easy! I activate Supreme Conductor Tyranno's other Effect! When it is about to be destroyed in battle, I can negate it's destruction once per turn!" Kenzan countered.
"Nice move, but you still have to take the damage!" Amon reminded him.
(4000 - 3700 = 300)
(Kenzan: 4000 - 300 = 3700)
"I hardly even felt that." Kenzan taunted, though he did rub his chest a bit from the impact.
"Glad to know you are as tough as you look, Tyranno Kenzan. I Set my last 3 cards facedown and end my turn." Amon praised as he ended his turn.
Manjome and Kenzan stared one another, very concerned. They both knew that Amon was one "Forbidden One" card away from automatically winning the Duel. They had to figure out a way to either get rid of Exodius or defeat Amon altogether before that happened. Manjome hoped he and Kenzan could do it.
"Kenzan, we have finish this before Amon's next turn!" Manjome said urgently.
"I hear ya! You got a plan?" Kenzan asked.
"I've got something. If it doesn't work, you've got to take him out before he gets his last piece! You hear me?" Manjome said urgently. Kenzan nodded, satisfying his dueling partner.
"Don't worry. If it comes down to it, you leave saving the day to this Dino King!" Kenzan said with confidence while pointing to himself.
"Good. Alrighty then, here goes! My turn! Draw!" Manjome smiled, now feeling sure he can kick Amon's ass. "Time for Manjome Thunder to strike back! First I Summon Ojama Red in Defense Mode!" (LIGHT; Level 2; ATK: 0; DEF: 1000) A red blood shot eyed Monster appeared before it's master. It seemed to be related to the previous Ojama.
"Yes! My time to shine, baby! Bring it, boss!" The little red creature said enthusiastically. Manjome sweat dropped a little and pretended he didn't hear anything as he proceeded.
"Next I activate Ojama Red's Monster Effect! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon up to 4 "Ojama" Monsters from my hand to my Field in Attack Mode! I Special Summon Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black! (All 3 Ojamas – LIGHT; Level 2; ATK: 0; DEF: 1000) The black Ojama was bulky and had beady eyes with a grin of sharp teeth. The green one had only one eye an rather big tongue sticking out of it's mouth. The yellow Ojama had red lips and two eyes on antenna like appendages.
"Hey guys! Welcome to the party!" Red said to it's fellow Ojamas, who seemed excited to be present… until they saw the enormous Exodius before them.
"AHHHH! Are we going to fight that thing?!" Yellow yelled in panic, pointing at the beast.
"We ain't gonna last three seconds against that! We're soitenly toast!" Green agreed, sweating buckets.
"You chumps! The boss wouldn't have called us out if didn't need us! Show some backbone, you lunkheads!" Black berated while acting tough, though he did look slightly nervous. Their said "boss" groaned.
"Shut up guys! I know what I'm doing!" He called out to them. Again, Kenzan and Amon wondered who the heck Manjome was talking to. "Where was I? Oh yeah, I now play Polymerization to Fuse my Yellow, Green, and Black Ojamas! Fusion Summon! Show yourself, Ojama King!" (LIGHT; Level 6; ATK: 0; DEF: 3000) The three Ojamas swirled together to create a big white faced creature with a face that covers its whole body and sported small crown and a cape on it's back.
"That's your big play? It's got no Attack Points. Plus, it's just plain ugly." Amon said. Manjome smirked.
"First off, you haven't seen my big play yet! Also, Ojama King may not be much to look at, but don't take him lightly! I now activate Ojama King's Monster Effect! As long as he is on the Field, I can prevent you from using any 3 of your Monster Zones! As of now, you can't use the Zones on your far right, far left, and center left!" Manjome declared as he rendered those Monster Zones useless.
"I don't need other Monster Zones anyway, so it doesn't matter." Amon said while shrugging.
"Try talking smug after this next move! Now I play the Ojamadala I added to my hand earlier! By paying 1000 of my Life Points, I can Special Summon the Ojamas Yellow, Green, and Black in my Graveyards back to my Field! Return guys!" Manjome called out as his three Ojamas returned.
(Manjome: 4000 - 1000 = 3000)
"Oh, is this the part where we kick butt?!" Black asked eagerly.
"You bet your ass it is!" Red replied with a smirk, one that Manjome shared.
"Now for my big move! I activate Super Ojamuscle! At the cost of half my remaining Life Points, I can banish all "Ojama" Monsters on my Field and in my Graveyard! For each banished "Ojama", 1000 Attack Points are given to my Ojama King and the total amount will be it's new original Attack Power! With 5 "Ojama" Monsters banished, Ojama King now stands with 5000 Attack Points!"
"Yeah! With all our power together, we can't be beat! Let's do this guys!" Ojama Yellow called to his companions, who complied as they gave their power to Ojama King, making it stronger than Exodius.
(Manjome: 3000 / 2 = 1500)
"Okay, now that's definitely impressive, Manjome. But Exodius can't be destroyed in battle, remember? Plus, even if your attack does damage my Life Points, it won't be near enough to take me down." Amon told his opponent. To his surprise, Manjome chuckled.
"Who said anything about attacking Exodius? Super Ojamuscle has one more surprise for you! During this turn, the Ojama King affected by my Magic card can attack directly!"
"What?!" Amon exclaimed, clearly not expecting that.
"He doesn't look so smug now! Get him!" Kenzan cheered.
"Gladly. Ojama King, attack Amon directly! Super Ojamuscle Flying Body Attack!" A seriously bulked up Ojama King jumped high into the air and began to fall straight down toward Amon. "It's over for you!" Manjome declared.
However, Amon wasn't near ready to give up. "I'm not allowing it! Continuous Trap card open, Defense Seal Wall! I can activate this when I'm receiving an attack from my opponent's Monster while I control "Ultimate Sealed God Exodius"! Now I can negate your attack and end the Battle Phase!" Ojama King was bounced by the shield produced by Amon's Trap. Manjome sneered.
"Damn! I thought I had him! But I'm not out of tricks just yet! Trap card open, Ojama Rage! When an attack from an "Ojama" Monster has been negated, I can inflict damage to you equal the difference between the Attack Points of our Monsters! Which means you still lose 1000 Life Points!" Amon grunted in annoyance as he took the damage.
(5000 - 4000 = 1000)
(Amon: 3000 - 1000 = 2000)
"You just had to get a hit in, didn't you?" Amon commented, relieved that he hadn't lost this turn.
"I ain't planning on quitting. Besides, a little bit helps. I end my turn." Manjome then turned to Kenzan. "Looks like you've got to finish the job before he can finish us both. Don't screw up!" He insisted. The Dino Duelist nodded.
"Oh, I won't! My turn! Draw!" Kenzan's eyes became dino slits. 'Yes! Just what this dinosaur needs!' With what he had in his hand now, Kenzan knew the win was in the bag. I play Dino Roar! If I have a Level 8 or higher "Dinosaur" on my Field when I activate this Magic card, I can banish one of my opponent's Monsters from their Field! So now your Exodius has no choice but to run away!" As Supreme Conductor Tyranno gave off a loud thundering roar, Exodius vanished from sight.
"Not quite. Due to Exodius' last Effect, if it is banished it instead goes to my Graveyard!" Amon revealed, obviously not pleased. This didn't bother the Dino Duelist, still pleased that he got rid of Amon's troubling Monster.
"Great move Kenzan!" Manjome praised. Kenzan gave a toothy grin.
"No Exodius, no instant win on your next turn, even if you get your fifth Exodia card into your Graveyard! Supreme Conductor Tyranno, let's do it! Direct Attack!" Kenzan's Monster charged ahead, right toward's the Exodia Duelist.
"Two can play this game! Trap card open, Dimensional Prison! When my opponent's Monster tries to attack me, that Monster is instead banished!" Now it was Kenzan's turn to watch his Monster vanishing from the game.
"Son of a bitch! So close! Grr, fine then. I end my turn." He said very reluctantly.
"Don't beat yourself up. You still managed to get rid of Exodius. At the very least, you bought us more time to kick Amon's ass." Manjome said encouragingly. Kenzan nodded in thanks.
"Don't get too cocky. Exodius may be gone, but I'm not throwing in the towel! My turn! Draw!" Amon saw a way to tip the scales back into his favor. "A King must always have a back up plan incase his main strategy doesn't go as expected. Now here's mine! I activate Forbidden Draw! For each "Forbidden One" Monster in my Graveyard, I get to draw one card! Since there for four, I draw four cards! Next I play Graceful Charity, letting me draw three more cards before I discard two!" Amon smiled widely.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Manjome said to himself.
"I'm now set to take my rightful place as King! First off, I Summon Exodia the Forbidden One!" (DARK; Level 3; ATK: 1000; DEF: 1000) The head of the original Exodia appeared on the Field. It resembled Exodius, except there were lines of dark purple running along its face.
"Why would he Summon one of Exodia's pieces?" Kenzan asked, confused by this move. If Amon still planned to win with Exodia, he should keep all the pieces in his hand.
"Here's your answer! I Sacrifice my Exodia the Forbidden One to Special Summon it's true form: Summoned God Exodia!" (DARK; Level 10; ATK: ?; DEF: 0) Before the astounded Manjome and Kenzan, Exodia's head expanded until the rest of it's body emerged from underneath. The giant orange behemoth was even bigger than Exodius.
"What the hell?!" Manjome spluttered. Amon laughed in triumph.
"Feast your eyes on the one, true Exodia! He can only be Special Summoned from my hand by Sacrificing a "Forbidden One" Monster on my Field! But there's more! Not only is it unaffected by other card effects, but it gains 1000 Attack Points for each "Forbidden One" Monster in my Graveyard! Right now, there are six: Exodia the Forbidden One, four of it's pieces, and a second copy of Right Arm of the Forbidden One! Which means…"
"6000 Attack Points!" Manjome shouted in alarm.
(Summoned God Exodia's ATK: 6000)
"You nailed it!" Amon said, pleased with how his opponents are trembling once more.
"Don't count me out! Trap card open, Hunting Instinct! When my opponent Special Summons a Monster, I can Special Summon a "Dinosaur" Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Giant Rex in Defense Mode!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 2000; DEF: 1200) A brown dinosaur with a huge fine like spine on its back kneeled before it's controller to protect him.
"No matter. Summoned God Exodia, attack Giant Rex! Obliterate!" Amon's true Ace reared back it's enormous fist and swung it out, disintegrating Giant Rex instantly. Kenzan barley managed to hang on. "You were smart to have that Trap in place, otherwise you would've lost just now."
'No kidding. I would really hate to feel that punch.' Kenzan thought to himself.
"Next I activate my last Trap, Backup Soldier! I can use this when I have at five or more Monsters in my Graveyard! Now I can take three Normal Monsters with an Attack Power of 1500 or less from my Graveyard and add them to my hand! I'll take back my Right Arm, Left Arm, and Left Leg of the Forbidden One!" Amon said, recovering three of his Exodia pieces.
"But by doing that, your Summoned God Exodia loses half of it's Attack Points!" Manjome pointed out as Exodia became weaker.
(Summoned God Exodia's ATK: 6000 – 3000 = 3000)
"True, but I won't be defenseless. I Set 2 cards facedown and end my turn. Now for another of Exodia's Effects! Once per turn, during my End Phase, I can add a "Forbidden One" Monster from my Graveyard to my hand! I'll take back Exodia the Forbidden One and put it in my hand!" With that, Summoned God Exodia's Attack Power now dropped to 2000. Manjome and Kenzan grimaced as their previous predicament repeated itself.
'Crap, here we go again! He's got four Exodia pieces in his hand! If he manages to draw the final piece on his next turn, we're done for! I need to end this on my next turn!' Manjome thought as he sweated. Amon smiled for his upcoming victory.
'Those two won't be able to win before I will. If either of them tries to destroy Exodia in battle, I'll use Negate Attack to stop the attack altogether, and then I'll use my Draining Shield to stop that second attack and increase my own Life Points in the process. That should be enough until my next turn comes around.' Amon looked down at his Deck and felt a powerful pulse from it. 'I can feel it. The next card I draw will by the last piece of Exodia that I need. This Duel is mine! And I will FINALLY become King like I was meant to!'
Despite how bad the situation was, Manjome refused to call it quits. He just had to find a way! "I'm not losing to you again, Amon! Especially not at a time like this when we are in the middle of a war! I've got to take you down here and now! MY TURN! DRAW!" He hoped he would get something with this. "I activate my own Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards!" Manjome then gasped. With the cards he drew, he found his answer. 'This is it!'
"So, did you find something to help you last a little longer before I prove myself your superior once more?" Amon asked a little arrogantly. Manjome shook his head.
"No Amon… I didn't." He said softly. Kenzan groaned from hearing that, while Amon seemed to pity him. What Manjome said next turned their thoughts around. "I found the answer to beating you!" He said with a big smile. Amon raised an eyebrow.
"Have you? I doubt it, but let's see it." He insisted. Manjome snickered.
"You got it! I play a Magic card called Ojama Return! If I have at least three "Ojama" Monsters that were banished, I can Special Summon them back to my Field! Return, Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black!" His original three Ojamas came back. They all freaked out when they saw Summoned God Exodia.
"OH NO! NOT AGAIN!" The trio screamed at the same time while hugging each other.
"Relax, chumps! Manjome Thunder has got you all covered!" He reassured his Monster Spirits, who sighed big time in relief.
"Why did you bring back those little guys? None of them can hold a candle to Exodia." Amon said. Manjome smirked.
"True, none of them can do anything… on their own. But one thing you need to remember about Ojamas: They are strong when they work together! This next card will prove that! I activate Ojama Delta Thunder! When I play this while my three Ojamas are on my Field, you take 500 Points of damage for each card in your hand and on your Field!" Amon gasped in undisguised horror.
"Wait! You don't mean…?!" He started but couldn't continue.
"That's right! You have four cards in your hand and three on your Field! That's seven cards total, which means the damage you take is…"
"3500! He's got him now!" Kenzan shouted in praise. Amon now looked pissed.
"No! This can't be! I can't lose again! Not to someone like you!" He yelled angrily. Manjome glared at him.
"Someone like me? You mean someone you once described as "no one special"?" He taunted.
"Exactly! I am meant to be a King! You are nothing! Not like your far more successful older brothers!" Manjome stared back into Amon's eyes with his own, full of their own rage.
"At least I didn't need to give up the most important person in my life to gain the power I have! Sacrificing love for power is about as low as you can go!" He yelled back. Amon flinched a little from that.
"I told you! She chose to… !" Amon tried to reason.
"Shut it! Your excuses mean nothing to me! I'm ending this now! Take him down guys!" He ordered his Ojamas.
"Right boss!" They all said in unison. With the power of Manjome's last Magic card, the Ojama trio swirled above Amon and struck him down with a lightning bolt that literally brought him to his knees.
(Amon: 0)
As soon as the Duel ended, the barrier around the three Duelists started to disappear. The doorway in which Amon first walked through came up from behind him and took him away, out of sight. Shortly after, the barrier was complete gone. Manjome and Kenzan were now back in the streets of Maiami City.
"Alright, we're back! Nice going, partner! You're the King!" Kenzan said joyfully. To his confusion, Manjome didn't share that joy of victory. "Hey, we won." He told him. Manjome just looked down.
"Yeah, we won… against a jackass who didn't give a damn about the woman that pretty much devoted her life to him. Talk about pathetic." He said. Kenzan looked sympathetic to him.
"All that talk about rejected love. This is about Asuka, isn't it?" He asked. Manjome clinched his fists again.
"She chose her love… it just wasn't me. I really don't think anyone could get my attention like Asuka did." He said softly. Kenzan really didn't know what to say, so he kept silent. Little did he or Manjome know, the latter would find love sooner than he imagined...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The next thing Amon saw, after the doorway that led him out of the darkness vanished, he was back in a very familiar room. The room was very spacious and had many bookshelves filled with different volumes, mostly about latin philosophers. "Is this…?" He started to ask himself when…
"Welcome, Amon." He turned around and thought he was seeing things. Before him stood a tall, young dark haired woman with light blue eyes. She smiled at him.
"E-Echo?" He asked, not quite believing his eyes. She walked up to him and kissed him hard, an act that really caught him off guard. After a moment, Echo broke the kiss and looked at him with pure affection.
"It's me, Amon. Welcome home." Amon couldn't process what he was seeing.
"Home?" He asked.
"Yes, we are back in your family's estate." Echo said. He hesitated before he asked his next question.
"Echo, how… how did we get back here? In fact, how are you even alive? The last time I saw you I…" He stopped, remembering when he last saw her. It was when he took her life to claim Exodia. She shook her head.
"That doesn't matter. We are both home now, and you can take your rightful place as the heir of the Garam Group." Echo said, which surprised him further.
"What do you mean? My brother, Shido, is the heir. I was just a substitute until my parents had their own flesh and blood." Amon pointed out, though he sounded a little bitter. Echo then looked pained.
"Oh Amon. I'm so sorry to tell you this, but… your brother is..." She hesitated. This got Amon worried.
"What?! What happened to Shido?!" He demanded, grabbing his friend by the shoulder. Echo looked down as she answered.
"I found myself back here a couple of days before you returned. When I did, I learned that your brother became incredibly ill in your absence and has fallen into a coma. Your family's medical staff have been monitoring him day and night, but there has been no change so far. Your parents then decided that, until he recovers, that you should be found and be the family heir once more."
Amon was shocked by the news. He couldn't believe it. He had wanted to be the head of the family… but not like this. "Where is he?" He asked.
"Shido is in his room." Echo said.
"Thanks. I'm going to see him, then we can talk more." Amon said before he ran out to see his little brother.
Echo smiled after him. She was happy he was back, and that she would be by his side again. Most importantly, he would at last become the king she knew he was meant to be.
"Well done. He bought your tale." Echo's smile faltered when she heard the voice in her head.
"I'm not proud of what I did." She said quietly so that no one would hear her.
"You did it for him. As long as he does not find out what really happened to his little brother, you should be fine. Just remember, "he" brought your precious Amon back from that dimension of darkness because you insisted. Unless you want all this to be cruelly snatched away, you will remain loyal to me and do as I ask." The voice told her.
"I have no intention of breaking my word to you." Echo replied in a suddenly steeled voice.
"Good girl. Now, enjoy your new life. When the time comes for you to hold up your end of the bargain, I will let you know." Echo nodded.
"Understood." She said as she began walking out of the room, ready to do what she could to aid Amon in his new role.
'Amon will never know what I did to his brother… even at the cost of my life.'
To be continued.