By animeninjaNIPPON

"Who is this 'Jeanne' you're talking about?" I demanded.

"The one who leads us toward justice," Lyserg replied as if he had been brainwashed into saying so.

"Man, you really ARE an X-Law," HoroHoro commented.

"If you meet Jeanne-sama, you too will understand her greatness," Lyserg continued. "Her closeness to God…makes her truly worthy of bringing us to salvation."

"Sure sounds like a fraud to me," I remarked. Lyserg merely went on about how "Jeanne-sama" could save our souls if we assisted her and the X-Laws. But I'd be damned if I was going to be tricked into believing their "atonement" nonsense. Let Chocolove join the X-Laws, if anyone were to…

Chocolove. He made no attempt to side with the likes of them, and there I was thinking that was what he wanted. Maybe he was all talk. Or maybe he just didn't buy into their crap. Or maybe something held him back –

I suddenly caught him staring back at me, not even realizing that I'd been looking at him first. I felt my face get hot from slight embarrassment and turned away just as our eyes met.

Lyserg just continued his spiel. "The only thing that can destroy Hao is Jeanne-sama's Gate of Babylon."

"You're certainly confident," I replied, trying to keep my focus entirely on Lyserg and his speech. He told us, in no uncertain terms, that if we didn't help Jeanne we would be no better than Hao. And if we were like Hao, the X-Laws wouldn't be able to let us get away.

"I don't see you having the same personality as Hao," Lyserg said to Yoh, "but it can't be helped that you're his other half."

"Yeah, someone said something like that to me a little while ago," Yoh stated calmly. "Like you said, it's possible that I'm Hao. I don't get it, but I was born that way so there's nothing I can do." Yoh smiled slightly. "But, I am me."

"'I am me'?" Lyserg repeated, confused by Yoh's philosophy. "What kind of reasoning is that?"

"So it comes to this, Lyserg," Yoh sighed. "If we're gonna fight, let's have a nice battle."

"What do you mean, 'nice battle'…" HoroHoro said.

"You'll need more time, right Master?" Ryu asked, preparing for battle alongside Tokageroh.

"Are you sure?" Yoh noted Ryu's readiness to fight. "If you stay with me, you probably won't ever be able to relax."

"Hmph." Bason and I got ready to join the fray. "It beats being bored."

Lyserg and Marco chastised us for our "foolishness." All of a sudden, Chocolove started fighting – on our side. I don't know what made him change his mind, but I was relieved that he didn't follow Lyserg's example. Together, the four of us managed to buy enough time for Yoh to reach the Nidanbaukai – the second-level medium state. Merely seeing this was enough to make Marco and them temporarily back off, though.

Later on, Anna explained the Nidanbaukai. I was impressed by it, and secretly I knew if I wanted to become the Shaman King, I'd have to learn how to control power like that. But the issue at heart was Chocolove – he could have left, but he was inclined to stay… Did what Yoh said really have that big of an impact on him? I looked at him again, this time consciously. He smiled at me, as if to tell a joke, but then turned away at the last minute.

End of part six