Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar

Fanfic Chapter 105: Demigod Pt 3: Feeding Frenzy
Episode Basis: Awakening of Evil Pt 3

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Joey thought this was the end for a moment. Odion's three trap-monsters brought him down to only 200 life points. But drawing strength from his friends, he staged a comeback by summoning Jinzo! The hits just kept on coming as Joey summoned Insect Queen and Legendary Fisherman. Joey proudly displayed the three rare cards he got over the course of this tournament. But Odion just thumbed his nose at them and summoned the Mystical Beast of Selket. But something Odion placed in the Temple of the Kings frightened him. Why do you think that?


Joey tried to act brave as he stared down Odion's new monster. "I'm not scared of your Mystical Beast of whatever. I'll find a way to crush it!"

"As if you could, my Mystical Beast of Selket is more powerful than all three of your monsters and there's not a card in your deck that can stop it!"

"My brother can still win, can't he?" Serenity asked Yugi.

"Yes he can," Yami-Yugi confirmed. "Even though Marik has the upper hand, Joey can still beat him. He just has to find the Mystical Beast's weakness."

"I hope he can find a weakness," Harold said. "Because I certainly can't see any."

"What worries me is that card he placed in the deck," Mai said. "His Egyptian God Card. Joey better win this duel before Marik plays it."

"Master Marik, why did you put that God Card in my deck?"

"If we want everyone to believe you're me, you have to duel as I would. Of course the God Card in your deck is just a counterfeit. I couldn't just give up one of the most powerful cards in existence so I had my Rare Hunters make counterfeit versions of the card. I made sure that all its powers were the same as the real ones. However, not everyone is strong enough to wield the power of an Egyptian God Card. I lost many Rare Hunters discovering that. Only someone connected to the ancient scriptures can successfully use the God Card. I have no doubt that you will be able to do it."

"Thank you for your confidence, Master Marik, but I'm sure I can win this duel without taking that chance. It's time for you to take your final move, Mister Wheeler, before my Mystical Beast finishes you off for good. But while my Swords of Revealing Light are on the field, you can't attack me."

"Well you're still going down," Joey said as he drew a card. But the card he drew was Polymerization. Nuts, this won't help me now. "I'll keep my monsters in defense mode and end my turn!"

"What's Joey's strategy?" Tea asked.

"Right now, it's buying a little time," Mai replied.

"It's time, my Mystical Beast," Odion announced as Swords of Revealing Light vanished. "Devour his Jinzo!" The beast grabbed Jinzo by both arms and ate him whole.

Everyone stared disgustingly at the act.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Amara moaned.

"Me too," Tristan agreed.

Selket now took on a humanoid appearance, reminiscent of Jinzo. "Now not only is Jinzo destroyed, but half of his attack points are added to my Mystical Beast's."

(MBS: 2500-3700)

"Now my beast is stronger than anything you have ever faced before," Odion said as Joey drew a card. From the look on Joey's face, it also wasn't a card he could use. "Mystical Beast, take his Insect Queen!" Just like Jinzo, Insect Queen was swallowed whole. Selket sprouted six legs.

"After you with the bathroom, Amara," Harold said holding his stomach.

"Why did Kaiba have to make his holograms so realistic?" Duke complained.

(MBS: 3700-4900)

"I can't take this any more," Serenity cried and started to run off.

"Wait!" Joey called out. "Don't leave, Serenity!" Serenity turned and stared at her brother. "I need you! I can't win this duel without you. Just as I gave you strength, you give me strength too. Please, sis, if you're not here, I'll really lose the duel, but if you stay and cheer me on like you've been doing, then I know I can come through in this duel no matter what happens!"

"All right," Serenity agreed and returned to the side of the field.

Harold patted her shoulder, "You did the right thing, Serenity."

Mai patted her other shoulder, "Yeah, you're the one thing Joey needs the most."

Such unwavering love, Odion thought. How I envy you, Mister Wheeler, my experience with love was… not as joyous.


I don't know why I was dropped off by an empty well as a baby or even who did it, but I was raised from infancy by a foster family… the Ishtars. At first, I didn't question why they lived underground or why they spent all their time guarding what appeared to be simple trinkets. I thought that they truly loved me, until I found their secret.

"For generations, our family has guarded the Pharaoh's tomb but now our destiny is being threatened. For without an heir, we can not protect the tomb until the Pharaoh's return."

"But we still have Odion, why not give him the Tombkeepers' Initiation?"

"Have you gone mad, woman? Odion is not of our blood. I have tolerated you raising that riff raff because I know you want a child as much as I, but we shall raise him to adulthood and nothing else, we will not involve impure blood in our sacred duties!"

"But without a child, our bloodline which has existed for centuries will die out! Is it worth having a little impure blood if it means carrying on our sacred duty after our death? Please, husband, at least consider it."

It wasn't long after that conversation that they had their first child, a girl named Ishizu after a distant ancestor.

"Finally, husband, we have a child!"

"It's not good enough, we need a boy child to carry on the legacy and bare the ancient scriptures!"

That night, she found me and took me into her arms as she had often done when I was littler. "Odion, you know I've always thought of you as a son."

"Mother, why won't father let me inherit the right to guard the Pharaoh's tomb?"

"To rightfully inherit our legacy, a boy heir must take the Tombkeepers' Initiation on their twelfth birthday as will soon be the case for you. Once the ceremony is performed, the heir shall bare the ancient scriptures on his back, just like my husband is doing now. Once you pass the ceremony, you will be our son in every sense of the word."

Her husband… I dare not call him father because he did not treat me like a son, was almost ready to give in and make me perform the Initiation, but then mother finally gave him the heir he wanted.

"At last, a true heir to the Ishtar legacy! I shall name him Marik!"

But giving birth at her age had left mother in poor health. "Mother, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Odion, just tired." But she wasn't tired, she was dying, even I could see that. I would never forget her final words to me, "Protect Ishizu and Marik like they were your true brother and sister." Even as she spoke those words, her husband was holding Marik up to the moonlight, the only natural light source to ever penetrate through the well to our underground sanctuary.

"Oh Great Pharaoh, you whom we have waited thousands of years to take your rightful place, bless this child, Marik, for he shall become a Tombkeeper and guard your tomb unto your return!"

Ever since then, I have done my best to honor the wish of my foster mother. But as the American expression goes, easier said than done. One time we were playing in the corridor near the well entrance. A cobra appeared and bit Marik on the ankle. I killed it but the damage had already been done. Marik fell ill and his father made sure I didn't forget that.

"You have disappointed me again, Odion! From now on, your fate shall be tied with Marik. If he dies, you shall suffer the same fate!"

I was angry, more at myself than the man, his beatings, or Marik. I was ready to kill one or both of us that night, but…

"Brother…"

"Marik, please forgive me."

"For what, you did not bite me and you killed the snake. I should be the one saying sorry, for allowing my father to beat you."

"I promise I will always protect you."

From then on, Marik devoted his self to the ancient scriptures, and I devoted my self to Marik. I should've recognized the early signs of what was about to take place. But I, in my innocence… or naiveté… or perhaps both, failed to see what was happening before my very eyes.

"Marik, here is your dinner."

"I'm not hungry."

"Brother, you haven't eaten for over three days, can't you at least eat…"

"I said I'm not hungry!" He swatted the plate out of my hand and it shattered against the wall.

"Marik, what is wrong?"

"It's this Initiation, once I receive it, I would be forced to remain down here for the rest of my life! Why, Odion, why did I have to be born the son of a Tombkeeper? Why should I give up so much for some stupid dead Pharaoh?"

"I'll do it."

For the first time in many a day, Marik looked at me, "Do it?"

"Yes, I'll take the Initiation. Marik, your mother saved me from the deadly desert and raised me like I was truly her child. For such devotion, I would gladly bare the pain for you."

"Oh thank you, Odion!"

But Marik's father would hear nothing of it. "ABSOLUTELY NOT! The sacred duty can only be passed to a rightful heir of the Ishtar clan."

"You said that a male heir has to take the Initiation ceremony. Well Marik's scared, scared of what he might become if he takes the Initiation and I swear that I'll uphold the traditions as he would!"

"DON'T YOU DARE RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME, YOU WORTHLESS PEASANT!" He threw a candle at me. My clothes caught on fire but I was able to smother the flames. "The only reason you're still down here and not out in the desert where you belong is because my dead wife asked for it. To deny the final wish of the dead is to invoke the wraith of the gods. But if you think that means I will treat you as a true member of the Ishtar clan, you are mistaken! Marik will receive the Tombkeeper's Initiation and we'll have no more of this discussion!"

Ishizu and I could only wait and pray as Marik was hauled away by his father, who took a heated knife and embedded the ancient stone tablet image onto Marik's back.

I knew Marik would never forgive me for abandoning him to his fate so I decided to take things into my own hands.

Later on, I was asked to change his bandages.

"Go away!"

"Marik…"

"Why should I have to devote my life to some Pharaoh?" His dark side had slowly begun manifesting itself.

I finally lowered the cowl of my cloak revealing my own bandages. "Marik, I asked your father to take the Initiation instead of you but he steadfastly refused. So I decided to perform my own ceremony." I removed my bandages revealing a crude copy of the ancient scripture on the side of my face. "I hope this proves my loyalty to you and your family."


Ever since that day, it was like the Initiation released a dark force into Marik, a dark force that has been growing stronger ever since.

"Hurry up and beat Joey Wheeler, Odion," Marik snapped. "We need to move on to our real opponents: Yugi and Kaiba must be beaten so I can get their God Cards and obtain the power of the Pharaoh!"

"Don't give up, Joey!" Tristan cheered.

"Not planning on it," Joey replied.

"You shouldn't listen to your friend, Mister Wheeler," Odion said.

"No way, baldie, I'm in this for the long haul!" Joey drew a card. Apparently, the haul isn't going to be very long, there's no way I can beat his beast with three useless magic cards. "I've got no choice, I have to pass again."

"It would've been smarter to forfeit, Mister Wheeler, at least then you would lose with a little dignity."

"Oh I won't lose," Joey assured him.

"Looks like Joey's lucky streak is about to end," Mai said glumly.

"Maybe not," Yami-Yugi rebutted. "Look at Joey's eyes."

Mai looked at Joey's eyes and gasped. Yugi was right; Joey did believe he's going to win. "But how…?"

"Seen yet unseen," Yami-Yugi quoted. Mai looked at him oddly. "What's on the field doesn't matter, what matters to Joey is what he feels in his heart. Joey's determination is strong, and he sees that he's going to win even though it can not be seen from here. If he trusts himself and the heart of the cards, he will win this duel."

Odion's Mystical Beast devoured Joey's final monster, the Legendary Fisherman. "I'll never eat sea food again without thinking of that," Tristan moaned.

"Same here," Duke agreed. Amara nodded.

(MBS: 4900-5325)

Sorry, Mako, Joey thought glumly. I didn't mean for your favorite card to become a fish stick dinner. It's my last turn and I still have nothing that can help me. "I have to pass again."

Odion smirked.

"Looks like this is the end," Harold said glumly.

"Hey, Joey put up one heck of a fight," Tristan said.

"Apparently, Marik put up a better fight," Mai commented.

Yami-Yugi stared at Odion's life point counter. I wonder…

Looks like I won't get to see Marik's God Card after all, Kaiba thought. Oh well, it was fun seeing Wheeler squirm like the worm he is.

After this attack, Yugi's little friend will be done for! The real Marik thought.

"You lost, Mister Wheeler!"

"No, I haven't," Joey denied. "I don't know exactly how, but I know I'm not going to lose, so take your best shot!"

"Poor guy's in denial," Tristan said.

"I will," Odion replied. "Mystical Beast Selket…"

"But before you do," Joey interrupted. "I got something to say." Odion glared daggers at him. "I'll never forget when 'Marik' took control of my mind and turned me against my best friend. Even though I couldn't act, I could hear everything including Yugi say how he was too scared to really face an opponent in a duel, instead of hiding behind others like a coward."

"I'm facing you now," Odion pointed out. "And I'm about to beat you!"

"Funny you should mention that, ever since this duel started I had a weird feeling about you. You don't feel like the same man who took control of my mind and forced me to duel my best friend. Marik was a slimeball, but you, for all your wacky cards, dueled a pretty fair game. And this same voice that's telling me I'm not going to lose also tells me that you're not the real Marik!"

"Wheeler's insane," Kaiba commented. "Of course that's Marik!"

I think Joey's right, Yami-Yugi thought. I don't feel the same evil from him as I did from Strings, Arkana, and Lumis.

"Okay, if that's that Marik, who is he?" Serenity wondered.

"And more importantly, where's the real Marik?" Mai also said.

Yami-Yugi cast a side glance at the real Marik.

If I'm exposed, my plan will be ruined! Marik thought. I can't reveal who I really am until I win Yugi's puzzle and God Card. And then there's Kaiba… Marik cast his own side glance at Kaiba. Only those who have ties to the ancient scriptures can control an Egyptian God Card. But Kaiba can control Obelisk the Tormentor like it's nothing. Why?

"ENOUGH!" Odion cried taking out his fake Millennium Rod and waving it at Joey. "Only the real Marik wields the Millennium Rod! Mystical Beast Selket, attack his life points!" The strange human-insect-fish-scorpion mutant plunged its pincers at Joey.

"Odion, call off your attack!" Marik commanded.

"Selket, halt!" The pincers were literally inches from Joey's neck before they stopped. "Master Marik, why did you make me stop?"

"Because I want you to play that Egyptian God Card!"

"No, not that!"

"It's the only way to convince everyone you're me! I can't afford to have my cover blown so early in the tournament!"

"But I can't control it!"

"Play that card or else I'll banish you to the Shadow Realm forever!"

To Be Continued