(Er...I tried the story thing here too... You can read it of you want, or just miss it out entirely. Personally I don't mind reading the story again bcoz its such a gd story!)

Chapter 23

The next day there was crowd outside the café. There was another team, 'The Niles', talking about how good they were and how they're gonna destroy the evil one cause the Egyptian gods are one they're side and stuff. I spotted Marco from the X-Laws in the crowd. Apparently, Iron Maiden Jeanne wanted to meet Yoh today. The leader wore a mask that was like what the mummies wore. He explained that he lived in the time of the Egyptians and was mummified until this day when he could use the great Egyptian spirits when he was needed once more. In the shaman tournament.

"Hang on a second!" Trey said, "So you were mummified!"

"Yes." he said, "And let me tell you it was horrible. You know they take your brains out through your nose!"

A few people winced.

"As I was saying-!" He continued.

"Dude that's disgusting!" Trey said out loud.

"Yes! Yes!' The Egyptian guy said, "As a I was saying-!"

"You're not going to take out Hao. We are." Marco interrupted. The Egyptian guy sighed heavily.

"We are the Niles!" The Egyptian guy said, "We are destined to destroy the evil one. But as I was saying-!"

"You're wrong. We have the Iron Maiden on our side. She cannot be beaten." Marco persisted.

"What's Marco doing here?" I whispered to Lenny.

He shrugged, "To cause more trouble."

"Well if you think you're so tough why don't we meet this Iron person you have and we can find out." The Egyptian guy suggested.

Marco pushed his glasses up, "You have an evil heart. If you really want to fight the Iron Maiden will teach you a lesson."

"Now just hang on a second who said anything about-!" But the Egyptian guy broke off because Marco had already started walking. We followed him to an open field where they could fight properly.

"You should watch Asakura," Marco said smugly to Yoh, "This is what could happen to you if you continue in your ways."

"Who does he think he is." I whispered to Yoh under my breath.

"And who is this Iron Maiden they keep talking about?" Yoh whispered back.

Among the X-Laws we caught sight of Lyserg and next to them what looked like a big iron case.

"Do you want to do the honors Lyserg? Show them the error of their ways." a voice said from the iron case.

"It would be my pleasure. My only worry is that I don't let you down my lady." Lyserg said.

"Are you insulting us!" the Egyptian guy said, "Sending one boy to fight us all?" But Lyserg ignored that and the fight started. The other two members of 'The Niles' attained spirit control. Lyserg sent Chloe out and wrapped the wire around their mediums.

"Let me tell you something about the X-Laws. We don't want to hurt anyone and we don't want to fight. Our only goal is to turn people from their evil ways and destroy the wicked one. But if you carry on to fight us then you will be destroyed."

"Wow," Ryo said, "Lyserg sounds even worse that the last time we saw him."

I glanced at Yoh, "Hey Yoh. You ok?"

"I think I was wrong about Lyserg," he said, his head bowed and covered in shadow, "I thought that maybe if he were around friends and others that were like him that….I dunno. But I never thought he'd turn out like this."

That's a good point. What had happened to Lyserg? Doesn't he realize that he's on the wrong side. These people…these X-Laws…they think they're so good. But they're just so annoying. Every time I see Marco I just wanna punch him in the face!

"We're not evil!" the Egyptian guy said, "And we are the ones that are destined to destroy the evil one! Not you and that sorry excuse for a tin can!"

"Do it Lyserg," a voice said from the iron case.

Lyserg sighed, "I'm going to destroy your mediums now. I'm sorry." And then Lyserg pulled the wire and they're mediums shattered.

How could he do that! One look at Yoh's face told me he was thinking the same thing.

Pretty soon the fight intensified…and so did the insults to the Iron Maiden Jeanne.

"I've heard enough Lyserg," the voice from the iron case said again, " Do what must be done."

Lyserg then turned to the Egyptian guy and sent Chloe out to get him. Lyserg was going to really destroy him! Yoh had had enough and started running towards him, "No Lyserg! Forget about all that happened! Forget for one second that Hao hurt you! If you destroy him you'll destroy your own spirit! Lyserg NO!" Then Pino appeared and held out his stand to stop Yoh.

"Hold on there just a second. If you rush in, everybody rushes in and pretty soon we've got a riot on our hands."

"I wondered where you went," Anna said.

Then Trey came too. "What did we miss?"

At that time Chloe had stopped just in front of the Egyptian guys face.

"Wow. It stopped." he breathed, "the gods are with us after all."

Lyserg was on the floor. "I'm sorry I don't know what happened it just stopped." Lyserg stood up, " Chloe you did this. Why? This was our chance to show the Iron Maiden that we were worthy?"

"You dare defy me?" a voice said then the case rolled over and knocked Lyserg off his feet.

"No! My lady" Lyserg begged, "I would never defy you."

Marco then walked up top him, "We'll talk later."

Lyserg bowed his head, "Yes."

"Look at you fighting amongst ourselves?" the Egyptian guy said, "And just what is that tub of junk!"

"I have had enough." The voice said yet again.

"Prepare your eyes," Marco said, "the Iron Maiden is about to emerge.

Then the Iron Case opened to reveal a young girl wrapped in thorns and weeds.

"I didn't know she'd be so young." Jun remarked.

Then the vines came out with the Iron Maiden wrapped inside then unraveled so she stood on her own on the floor.

Then she told us about what the X-Laws did, how she got her guardian ghost and how they want to bring peace to the world blah blah blah…

A whole lot of rubbish to me… but not to everyone.

"Wow," Morty said," I'm starting to think everyone should just pack their bags and go home and let her be Shaman King."

"Yeh…" Tamera agreed.

"She should be writing this trash in her secret diary! Not telling it to us!" The Egyptian guy said and went in to attack her.

But then her guardian ghost appeared, Mosh, that she said she got from the Babylon Gates- wherever that is- and a metal cage formed around the Egyptian guy.

"What is this?" he cried out, "Its like electricity running through my body."

Iron maiden Jeanne then threatened to destroy him if he didn't turn from his evil ways. Of course, he still stuck to saying that he wasn't evil.

"You sadden me," Iron maiden Jeanne said when he heard his defense.

And of course the Niles weren't evil! Sure the guy was a bit weird…a bit conceited…but definitely not evil. Just what had Lyserg gotten himself into…

"No!" Yoh shouted, but it was too late. The Niles were destroyed.

"I hope you will reconsider our offer to you Asakura," Marco said and left with the Iron Case and the rest of the X-Laws.

"She's not the only one with a saddened heart," Ryo said, "What a day."

"That Iron Maiden is gonna be a lot of trouble," Anna said, watching the X-Laws leave.

Meanwhile, when the X-Laws got back to their base camp Marco hit Lyserg and he fell to the floor.

"I am not the fool which you take me to be Lyserg!" he shouted, "I saw what happened. It wasn't your spirit that stopped the attack! It was you."

"Next time Lyserg," Iron Maiden said, "Don't hesitate when you know what you are doing is the right thing."

"Yes my lady." Lyserg said.

Chapter 24 coming up!