Me: Okay…once again, I don't own Shaman King, never have, never will.
Anna: Of course. If you owned it, who knows what would happen?
Me: (narrows eyes) Funny. Real funny.
BlackTerriermon: (blinks, eyes Manta) Are these two gonna try to outdo the other with staring contests?
Manta: If your friend is smart, he'll back out now before he gets seriously hurt-or worse.
Anna: You should be grateful I'm not having you train with Yoh-and, that's just because things-like this story-are looking up thanks to those reviews! So, if I were you, I'd back off right now!
Me: (clenches fists, sighs) …Fine.
BlackTerriermon, Manta: (sighs in relief)
Shaman King: The Rematch
Chapter I-The Confrontation
"Give a message to your friend with the headphones…Tell him that his samurai ghost will be mine…!" –Tao Ren, Shaman King: Another Shaman
Gasping for breath, Ren clenched his grip on his Kwan Dao spear as he reentered his home just moments after returning from a vigorous training regimen he had put himself through from morning until midday.
"This will be only a temporary break while I replenish my body with some food. Once that is done, it's back to training-I'll train until the stars are shining brightly in the sky-if you could call those things stars…! I will not allow that boy with the headphones to stand between me and my destiny!"
Ren smiled evilly to himself as he went to prepare himself some lunch, while speaking aloud what was on his mind.
"That samurai will be mine…I can feel it!"
Speaking of Yoh, his alarm had woken him up around 5:00 AM or so, yet he'd chosen to toss it to the ground and attempt to go back to sleep. Yet, Anna had already figured he would pull something like this, and had one of the ghosts-who lived in the house before Yoh and Anna-wake him with sleep paralysis, which got him up within seconds. Moments after that, she'd sent him on his way to start Triathlon day.
"How does she know what I'm planning before I do it?!" Yoh panted while swimming across a lake-with the weights around his wrists and ankles.
"She just knows you that well, Yoh. Besides, she is an itako."
Yoh rolled his eyes while facing Manta, who was safe on the other side of the lake. After clarifying Manta's breakfast good enough to eat, Anna had sent him along with Yoh to make sure he didn't try and skip out on the day. So far, Yoh had run over 30 miles and still had another 30 more to run, but on a different track. Now, the shaman-in-training was going through another course laid out for him-swimming.
"You should consider yourself lucky that she didn't have you swim in the Pacific Ocean. Compared to that one, this lake should be a piece of cake!"
"Not…helping! And, your rhyming wasn't needed, either." Yoh responded grimly while pulling himself onto dry land and staying down on his knees while regaining his breath.
"I just wanted to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble with her-you know as well as I do-or, as I'm starting to learn-how dangerous she is if you don't listen to her." Manta warned grimly. Yoh chuckled lightly at his warning.
"True, but things do usually turn out for the best, and this will, too. If I can survive the training, that is!"
Manta laughed lightly while double checking the list Anna had given him earlier.
"Let's see…you accomplished swimming across the lake in half the time it would've taken you 3 weeks ago. And, now you have to run another 30 miles on a different track. But, first, you need to get replenished, which means it's lunch time right now."
Yoh grinned at that comment while heading back to the house at a fast pace.
"You know what that means, Manta? It means you have to cook something edible once we get back!"
Manta facefaulted in shock as he realized that what Yoh had said was true!
"Why can't she just hire a personal chef?!"
"VORPAL DANCE!!! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!"
Ren laughed lightly to himself. The three biggest rocks he had seen were the perfect tests for his training-they had split into two and had shattered into pieces within seconds.
"Still…it's not enough. If I am to truly test my strength, I must face someone who would be willing to fight back, someone who would face me without hesitation! I want to face the boy with the headphones, but since I can't find him…"
The smile on Ren's face grew as he turned around to see what appeared to be evil spirits-spirits who hadn't crossed over and had allowed their anger and frustration to overrule their common thinking. Instantly, he clutched his staff tighter and rose it to battle position as Bason appeared behind him, his own staff in the same position.
"Since I can't find him…these poor souls will have to do for my test, Bason, and when I have finished here…I'll know if I'm ready!"
"Impressive lunch, Squirt. This one only took you 15 tries before it was acceptable." Anna noted calmly while Manta was stuck doing the dishes. Yoh had gone back out to do his 30 miles down the second track. This time, however, Amidamaru was able to go with him.
"Yeah…thanks, Anna." Manta gasped lightly while thinking about what he would have to do next after finishing the dishes-taking out the trash, mopping the kitchen and bathroom floors, vacuuming the living room floors, and after finishing all that, going with her to find Yoh and Amidamaru.
"How many more miles do I have to go, Amidamaru?" Yoh gasped while running down the path that had been laid out for him to go down for a very long time.
"Just 5 more miles to go, Lord Yoh." the spirit replied calmly.
Yoh nearly buckled under the number of the weights around his wrists and ankles at that comment, but was able to stay up on his feet.
"I hope I can get this done soon-the sun looks like it's about to set!"
"Not to worry, Lord Yoh-the sun won't set for at least another 50 minutes. You'll be able to complete the training well before then." Amidamaru reassured his friend as Yoh continued running as fast as possible.
"That's good." Yoh laughed lightly while remembering what he'd accomplished in such a short time and thought a moment about his future opponents.
"Amidamaru-do you think we'll be able to win the Shaman Fight?"
The samurai nodded immediately, a look of determination on his face. "Of course. You've gotten a lot stronger than you were before, and as long as you continue to train, no one will be able to stop us as long as we remember our strategy-to work as if we are one in order to achieve 100% integration. If we remain confident in our battles, we will be able to succeed, together."
Yoh smiled warmly at his friend's words and nodded, running harder than before despite the fact it felt like his legs were going to fall off.
"Thanks, Amidamaru. That really helped out a lot!"
"Of course, Lord Yoh. I am here to watch out for your well-being, as well as Lord Manta's and Lady Anna's."
Yoh couldn't help but laugh at that response.
"Maybe so, but from what I've seen, Anna can watch out for herself."
"Oh, really? Will she be able to "watch out for herself" once you've crossed over beyond this world?! VORPAL DANCE!!! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!"
Yoh yelled out as he was barely able to avoid the powerful attack-the attack he remembered-that would have split him in two! The shock wave was able to send him flying a good distance away, though. Getting back to his feet, he got up and looked at the one person he thought he would never see again.
"You!"
Tao Ren nodded, a wicked smirk on his face as he pulled his staff back into position, Bason appearing behind him.
"Yes…me."
"At last…the time for my revenge against this soft shaman has arrived! And, once I succeed, I will truly be on my path to become the Shaman King!"
At that moment, having finished what he had to do somewhat early than expected, Manta and Anna showed up at the top of a lone hill, and had spotted Yoh being blasted to the ground by Ren and his Chinese warlord.
"Yoh's in trouble! We have to help him!"
Shaking her head, Anna crossed her arms and just stood there, watching her fiancé get back to his feet.
"This wasn't something I had expected would happen, Yoh, but it looks like things may get a lot worse before they get better."
