Yu-Gi-Oh GX: The American Duelists
Chapter 7 - Personal Hell
A wave of black mist rolls over the cliff side, engulfing everyone and everything in its path. Ramirez and Manjyome shout at one another across the mist, but their voices don't carry. Every sound is distant and distorted. "What's going on?" Michael asks, but his voice, too, is distant. The rolling mist begins to crawl across the lawn; inch by inch, marching like countless fingers sharing a vast formless hand. "What is this?" He asks again, as the fingers of mist climb his legs and wrap around his waist, leaving him wading waist deep in the chilly black sea of mist.
Michael's gaze is drawn from the mist by the distant voices. Everything is hazy and blurs in and out of focus, but Michael is able to identify Manjyome, right before he plummets through the dark blanket. Judai rushes past Michael, in what appears to him as a lingering streak of colors. He also falls from view. Michael reaches his hand out to the after image of the boys, but his body feels tremendously sluggish. By the time he has raised his hand to the blur of colors where Judai vanished, Judai's head appears through the mist, and farther out, he sees Manjyome kneeling in the mist as well. Michael squeezes his eyes together and shakes his head. "This can't be. It's not real?" With his hand before his face, he opens and closes it. Each finger opens and closes just as he expected them to. While he feels sluggish, his hand appears to react normally, leaving only the question of everything else.
Again, his gaze drifts to the others. "But why? Why is everything else moving so slow?" Everything, besides him, seems to move in slow motion, and yet, the events that transpire before his eyes are rapid and rushed, like a movie that has been abridged with several minutes condensed into seconds, and then slowed down to prolong the newly shortened film reel.
Ramirez waves his hand at Michael and the others, sending a wave of upturned earth rolling towards him. "It's not real." Michael thinks, as he watches the rock and dirt pillars rise inches before him. The wave comes to an abrupt halt just before colliding with Michael. He blinks, and the upturned earth collapse beneath the mist. "What the hell..." Michael asks; running his hand over his face.
As he tries to make sense of all that is going on around him, the sky grows darker and darker. Slowly, Michael brings his hand away from his face, and from the mist to the dark night sky, his gaze rises until finally meeting with the massive bound figure of a man in chains who is hanging from the moon. The huge yellow moon pulsates and throbs, like a beating heart. From where the chains have pierced it, blood flows freely down the chain links. Michael cautiously watches the surreal sight. The beast struggles to free four of its six bound arms from its chain straight jacket, but it lacks the power to break free. It groans in a low muffled cry into the night. Michael is helpless but to watch, while the beast writhes in agony. "What?" He utters into the night air. "What do you want?"
The chained beast bellows once more. It's lone eye glimmers slightly behind its mask. Michael and the beast; their two eyes meet, and the mask splinters and cracks. Michael squints hard to see the eye through the cracking mask. Then, the realization dawns on him. "I know you?" He asks, only half certain. The monster's mask implodes into its eye. The shattered portion of mask exposes a massive red bulging eye filled with mask fragments. It drips blood over the field. When Michael tries to move, the beast falls in slow motion. Dragged down by its immense anchor, it passes only feet before him, and vanishes through the mist. From the hole in the mist, Michael watches it plummet into the black ocean below. It's shattered chains jangle and clank behind it; all, except one. Michael's eyes trace the slack unbroken chain, as the chained beast plunges into the darkness in slow motion. Michael waves the mist away from his legs, eventually kneeling into the mist and feeling for the chain. His hand eventually brushes across the slack chain, which slinks under his fingers one chain link at a time. He traces it through the mist until he has found the other end: The final chain link is embedded in his chest. Michael stands, holding the heavy iron protrusion. "This can't be!" He cries. The chain jingles ever so slightly.
Michael backs away from the hole in the mist, where the chained beast fell into the abyss. Try as he might, he can't get away from it. The chilling damp mist is everywhere. As Michael falters in retreat, he is splattered by massive drops of freezing rain. He holds himself; crossing his arms over the chain in his chest. When he pulls his hands away, he finds that his arms are red. Looking down, his entire body is red and steaming. Red drops continue to splatter over him. Michael leers up into the sky, and the immense moon above him has turned red and is bleeding over him with each pulse. "What the hell is going on?" He asks fearfully, as the chain in his chest rattles harder.
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"Michael? Hey Michael?"
Michael blinks, and he is sitting to breakfast at the Osiris Red hostel. Both Judai and Sho are staring at him, while Kenzan stuffs his face.
"Are you okay?" Judai asks.
"Yeah. You don't look so good." Sho agrees.
"No... I'm fine." Michael lies. He rubs his eyes and adds, "I'm just tired... A lot's happened."
Judai and Sho exchange a cautious glance, before Judai tells him, "We're going to class now."
Michael nods. "I'm coming." He slides his uneaten plate aside, and joins them. As the four boys walk to class, Michael falls behind. He seems preoccupied with something.
"Hey, big brother." Sho whispers to Judai. "Doesn't it seem like he's not... well?" Sho asks.
Judai nods. "Yeah."
"After what happened last night, who could blame him?" Kenzan asks.
"Should we tell him?" Sho asks.
Judai shakes his head. "He didn't even ask about it yesterday. As soon as we got back to the dorm room, he went to sleep without saying a word."
"Sounds like he doesn't want to know." Kenzan points out. "And it's not like we know what happened either."
Sho shakes his head. "But, we've seen things like that before, here."
Judai agrees. He recalls the abandoned dorm, his duel with a spirit beneath the hot spring, which may or may not have taken place, and his duel with Kagemaru and the 3 legendary demons, after defeating his otherworldly subordinates, including professor Daitokoji. The island is full of magic, and Ramirez was dragged into it by his pain and hatred. "It's not fair." Judai comments. The others can only nod to this.
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The group attends classes as usual. Judai and the others explain what happened the previous night to Misawa. He is stunned by the news, but he quickly overcomes the initial surprise to analyze it cooly. "These kinds of things have happened here before." He states to the group, while still debating it with himself. While there is nothing any of them can do, the group decides to go see Ramirez after classes. At the very least, they can offer him their support. Misawa decides to join them, as well.
"What about Asuka-san?" Sho asks. The group looks uncertain of what to do. She hasn't been hanging out with them lately, and ever since yesterday, she has given them the cold shoulder.
"Maybe we should leave her be?" Kenzan thinks aloud.
Despite Kenzan's suggestion, Judai tries to talk to her at their first class together. She gives him the cold shoulder until Chronos reprimands him. After the class, Judai doubles his efforts, and he chases Asuka down in the hall. "Asuka, wait!" Judai pleads to her, as she walks away from him and the others who have fallen behind him.
She reluctantly pauses to hear the urgent news Judai has been trying to relay to her all day. "Talk." She demands coldly. With the time she is willing to spare him, Judai tells Asuka about everything he can remember from the night before. At first, she seems concerned, but her expression quickly turns cold and uninterested. When Judai invites her to come with them to see Ramirez, she refuses. Once again, she solemnly asks, "Please, let me be alone for awhile." The group can't do anything more beyond watch her walk off. As Michael watches her leaving, a strange feeling washes over him.
"She wants you to chase after her." A voice declares from the back of Michael's mind. "Why else would the girl let herself be stopped and then ask for distance, if not for a desire to be close to others?" Michael can't answer the voice. The voice continues. "Foolish boy. Why doesn't he pursue?" Michael watches Judai turn his back on Asuka, and he returns to his group. Michael can't keep silent, and he echos the voice.
"Why don't you go after her?" He asks. "She seems to want you to go after her." Judai looks baffled by Michael's abrupt outburst. He considers it for only a moment. Then, he gives Michael a slight smile, accompanied by his shaking head.
"It's better to give Asuka her space." Judai states definitively.
Again the voice speaks. "Fool! He's still... Such, a child..." The voice fades away, leaving only a low steady ringing, like a dull jingle, in Michael's ear.
The group heads to their next class. Kenzan finally states the obvious which they haven't acknowledged all day. "Manjyome hasn't come to classes."
The group falls silent again, until Judai reassures them with a smile, "He'll be alright. It's Manjyome, after all." He laughs, but the others aren't so easily convinced.
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Manjyome stands alone at the bottom of the well, where weak cards are discarded carded. This is where he found Ojama Green and Ojama Black, as well as where he gathered the weak monsters he needed to defeat his brother to prevent him from seizing Duel Academia. Basked in the midday light from above, he scans over the small cavern. Manjyome sets to work searching. Checking every corner of the cave, under loose rocks, and even battling a hyperactive crab for a piece of paper that turns out to not be a Duel Monsters card at all, Manjyome's search comes up empty handed. Apparently, people have stopped dumping their weak cards here, and Ojamama's has not found its way to this place either. Removing his three Ojama cards from his deck, he holds them in the stream of light from above and apologizes silently, before ascending the rope ladder from the well. As he climbs the rope ladder, he promises, "I'll keep looking."
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Amidst a small clearing at the edge of the woods, Asuka sits alone on a stone bench. She hangs her head, allowing her long sandy blonde hair to fall over her face. Her mind races, and her heart constricts in her chest. With a labored breath, she clenches her right hand over her heart, pressing her fingers into her breast. It hurts, but it isn't her fingers causing her pain, or she could and would remove them. Something else is causing her heart to hurt and making it hard for her to breath.
A sudden shaking from a nearby bush causes Asuka to jump to her feet. She quickly pulls her hand away from her chest and brushes her hair from her face and eyes. "Who's there?" She asks harshly.
The bushes shake again; this time, more violently. With an abrupt explosion of leaves, a tall figure leaps from the bushes; landing in front of the half standing and guarded Asuka. The figure of a tall broad shouldered young man slides to a stop with his back to her. His blue jacket beats at his heals in a vision of coolness torn straight out of a page of some bad ass bishonen manga. The figure turns dynamically on his heals, in a motion that causes Asuka to raise her arms in defense. Unexpectedly, the figure breaks into a little dance; wiggling his butt at Asuka with a not so intimidating battle cry of "TEN..." He spins and shoots Asuka a lame smile and thumbs up. "JOIN!"
Asuka exhales an exasperated sigh as she collapses on the stone seat once more. Fubuki chuckles lightly, still trying to act cool despite the whole image being shattered the instant he wiggled his butt in the air. His smile fades, as he notices Asuka run her hands over her face and through her hair. Fubuki drops his act to sit by her side. "You okay, lil sis?" He asks in genuine concern. Asuka shakes her head, but doesn't articulate her feelings. To this, Fubuki crosses his arms over his chest and shakes his head. "So, am I to guess what's wrong with my kid sister, as if she was a pouty child, or is she going to be adult enough to tell her older cooler big brother why her lovely vibrant light has become so dim?"
Asuka leers at him gravely through her hair. Fubuki falters backwards, and he laughs lamely to hide his momentary fright. Asuka sniffs and turns her head down from him. "Forget it." She replies.
Unexpectedly, Fubuki stands up and agrees. "Okay."
Asuka looks shocked as she watches her older brother walk away. His instant abandonment simmers her blood. "Big brother, you're the worst!" She shouts out.
To her words, Fubuki shoots her a delighted glance from over his shoulder. "That's more like you." He states happily. His face quickly turns down with guilt, as he adds, "But must you be so cruel to your older brother."
Asuka's face cycles through a dozen emotions before she finally lets her head fall into her lap. "Idiot." She states definitively. Fubuki only laughs guiltily at her comment. He takes a seat beside her once more.
"Now, are you ready to talk lil sis?"
Asuka rubs her face before saying anything. She lets her long hair obscure her eyes and face. "Big brother?" She asks cautiously. "I..." For such a confident, vibrant, and out spoken girl to hesitate and grapple for words, it is obvious to Fubuki how serious her worries are. She finally forces her words out. "I did something terrible!" They come out more forcefully than perhaps she intended, because she quickly tacks on, "I think..."
Fubuki nods. For once, he keeps all his comical silliness out of his actions, and he encourages her to go on, so he can grasp the situation. Asuka explains the situation between Ramirez and Manjyome, which she retells heatedly, showing no restraint in her personal feelings towards their early petty squabbling. "But..." Her demeanor quickly turns serious. "That's when things got out of control." She recounts the fight, followed by the harsh notes. She omits the illicit pictures taken out of context from her story. Then, she describes what Judai described to her; the tale of a dark shadow born of dark mist, that seized Ramirez's sanity by exploiting his hatred and suffering. At this point in her story, Asuka becomes choked up.
Fubuki rubs her back. "Go on." He encourages her.
Asuka finishes that he is now lying in the nurse's office, unconscious, and it is her fault to some degree. She admits her guilt in what has happened. "It's all because I snitched on them. I let my emotions get the best of me, and I couldn't keep quiet." She glances apologetically to Fubuki from through her hair, and she adds, "Had I not have told the Professor Chronos and the American Sponsor's Rep, maybe... Maybe it never would have happened!" She can imagine it in her head: If she hadn't of told on the two boys when she bumped into Chronos and James in the woods, maybe Ramirez and Manjyome would have found a way to resolve their differences. Maybe the two would have acknowledged each other's worth and suffering. If only it hadn't happened as it had, Ramirez wouldn't be hospitalized right now, and Manjyome wouldn't have been forced to deal Ramirez this harsh fate. She blames herself for him being injured now and Manjyome's guilt. She didn't know his tragedy would happen, and at the time it happened, even if she had known, she still doesn't know if she could have held back.
"My little sister, a snitch?" Fubuki laughs. This only makes Asuka feel worse, while simultaneously making her angry at herself for confiding in him. Fubuki states in a light hearted tone, "That's no sister I know. Who is this indecisive and guilt ridden girl?" He asks while searching the horizon with his hand to his brow. When he sees his comical routine not working, he lets himself be serious once more, and he puts his arm around his sister. He gives her a light shake to make sure he has her attention. "Hey! Remember when we were kids?" He asks vaguely. "There was this girl I knew then; a wonderful bright little girl." He adds. "Every time someone gave this wonderful little girl grief, or tried to make her feel inadequate, or anytime they tried to hurt others, this wonderful little girl would stand her ground, and she'd fight back. She'd fight to defend herself, to defend others... She didn't care, so long as people who hurt others for the sake of hurting others were put in their place. And the best thing about this little girl, was how clever she was. She always found a way to fight these kids, in a way where no one ever got hurt. She ended fights and agreements without turning the same malicious treatment back on those who were dishing it out." Fubuki laughs fondly. "She was the last person I knew who would ever take crap from a bully, or put up with two kids' non-sense, or tattle when she could handle the problem on her own."
Fubuki lifts Asuka's chin, and he wipes his kid sister's dry but wavering eyes. With a soft non-threatening smile, he tells her, "If you had to tell an adult about this, then it must have been so serious that nothing else would have been good enough. You know how I know this?" He asks rhetorically. To which, Asuka shakes her head only slightly. "I know, because that wonderful bright little girl I knew when I was a kid, has grown into a wonderful young woman, and her cleverness, her sense of justice, and her fairness, have all only become stronger over the years. Such a wonderful and strong willed young lady would never have tattled out of feelings of bitterness. She'd rather swallow her own hurt feelings and see justice done with her hands, than seize the instant gratitude of having someone else solve a problem she could handle on her own."
Asuka isn't certain if he is right, but his words are all the right ones. She feels the heavy burden and weight lift from her. Her heart no longer constricts in her chest. It feels like she can breath again, and the dark sky that has been hanging over her for the past few days, has cleared up to reveal a tranquil blue sky as vast and wondrous as the ocean. "Thank you... Big brother." She replies sincerely.
Fubuki nods and insists he is right and knows better. "I am Fubuki Tenjoin, and I tell no lies... to the ladies." He laughs. She can't help but smile and agree. The brother and sister Tenjoins share a laugh in the small peaceful clearing at the edge of the forest.
Once she is smiling again, Fubuki says, "Now, I'd like to discuss an urgent matter that has been burdening my heart." Asuka looks to him curiously. "It's about..." He hesitates and glances around them for spies, before continuing. "Our brother sister idol duo variety hour!" He remarks passionately. "It'll be splendid, spectacular, brilliant, wonderful!"
Asuka exhales a sigh, and she exclaims, "Really big brother, you had to kill the mood by being you."
He cries out into the forest. His voice echos across the campus. "Aw, lil sis, don't be like that!"
Asuka's voice rings across the forest and campus as well. "Don't lil sis me!" She retorts firmly.
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Judai leads his usual group, plus Michael and Misawa, to the nurse's office. Everyone is a bit surprised to find the little American girl, Lilica sitting outside the nurse's office. At the site of their questioning faces, she quickly explains, "James called us all together earlier, and he told us that Ramirez had an accident." She quickly adds, "We were told we can't see him, because of his injuries, but... I thought I'd try and see him anyways. You know, to encourage him to recover?" She pumps her hands slightly, like a pom pom girl would.
"So we can't see him then?" Kenzan asks. Lilica shakes her head.
Unable to enter, the group talks with Lilica just outside the nurse's office. Lilica's lighthearted personality keeps the conversation rolling without any real focus or topic until Emi Ayukawa peeks out the door. "What's all the noise out here?" She inquires. After seeing the newly arrived group, she asks, "Oh, it's you. How are you four holding up?" She asks to Judai, Sho, Kenzan, and Michael, as she steps out of the office; letting the door shut behind her.
They all reply that they are fine in as few words as possible. None of them wants to talk about it, and even if they did, they don't want to go into details in front of Lilica. Miss Ayukawa seems to pick up on their feelings, and she updates them on Ramirez's status. "His physical injuries aren't too serious, but he has yet to gain consciousness." Her worry shows on her youthful and attractive face. "I can mend small injuries and injured spirits, but I don't have a cure, for anything like this."
"What's wrong with him, Miss nurse?" Lilica asks.
Emi shakes her head apologetically. "I'm afraid I don't know."
"You don't think it's brain damage, do you?" Lilica asks fearfully. The others share in her concern.
"Miss Ayukawa shakes her head again, but to dismiss the notion. "I don't believe it is. But, I don't have the facilities to be one hundred percent certain." After a momentary pause, she adds somberly, "He'll be sent back to the US to be admitted into a hospital."
Sho quickly asks, "What if, they can't help him?" Seeing her large soft eyes fall on him, he adds, "I mean... What if, his injuries aren't... the kind medicine can cure?" He asks lamely.
"Let's not worry about those kinds of things right now. In times like these, it's best to think positive thoughts. Even though he can't hear us, I'm certain he can feel our spirits." She glances towards the shut door, where the scarred boy lies motionless in a bed within. "If we are pessimistic, it won't do him any good. But, if we show him that we believe in him and want him to wake up, our feelings should reach him and give him strength."
"Do you really believe that?" Kenzan asks.
Emi Ayukawa nods. "I have to."
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Since Emi won't let anyone see Ramirez, the group sets off. She encourages them to wish Ramirez well to help, once more, to speed his recovery.
"What now?" Sho asks.
"This is a set back-asaurus." Kenzan agrees.
Judai, the unofficial leader of the pack, shakes his head. "I don't know."
Kenzan points out, "There really wasn't anything we could do, even if we could have seen him."
"Michael?" Lilica asks, as she comes to a halt at the tail of the group. "Could you spare me a minute?"
Michael looks to the short petite girl, and then to the other three guys, who are as baffled as him. Turning back to the little girl, Michael answers, "Yeah, that's fine." He shrugs his neck and shoulders, sending the other three off on their way.
When the others are well out of earshot, Lilica comments, "It was a total freak accident, wasn't it?" Michael's gaze becomes more attentive. "I mean, what are the odds a cliff would break apart and fall into the ocean? It's so unexpected... I don't think anyone would have been able to foresee such a thing to prevent it."
Michael agrees; nodding his head slightly. Lilica continues to chatter about the accident, and Michael listens. He knows that the cliff didn't just collapse into the ocean. There was more to it; much more to it. "I overheard James and the nice nurse lady talking earlier, when I came to visit. The goofy professor too." Lilica explains. "I didn't hear everything. Only pieces. It sounded really serious, though." She finishes with an air of urgency.
Michael watches her cautious mannerisms. It isn't like her; or not like the her he's seen up until now. Then again, he has not been very observant of the others to this point. He could have easily misjudged her. "It's not that surprising she's concerned." Michael thinks. "Of course she's more than a carefree ditz."
Lilica continues to talk with his limited concentration. He is consumed in analysis of the tiny part Japanese American girl. "They were talking about Ramirez's injuries..."
"Is that so?" Michael asks; perhaps to cover his inattentiveness.
Lilica nods. "Yes. They mostly said the same things the pretty miss nurse lady told us a bit ago; about Ramirez being physically okay, but not being able to wake up. They said, it might be something wrong... with his mind." She gestures to her head with her hand.
Lilica's eyes flick up to Michael's cautiously, before glancing away. "Not only that, but that silly teacher seemed really worried too. He thought it might be smart to talk to the others who were with you that night, but James flatly refused. You know, he doesn't like that weird guy very much: James doesn't?" After mentioning their conversation, she waits silently, most likely for a response from Michael. When he doesn't urge her to tell more, go into greater detail, or make any other comment, she adds, "I think, something strange happened that night." Again, she watches Michael for a response.
Michael knows what really happened that night, but at the same time, he isn't certain of any of it. While he was there, none of it felt real to him. It was a surreal dream. From the silence, Lilica asks urgently, "What really happened between Ramirez and that boy?" Before Michael can process her question, she quickly blurts out, "I've heard rumors, but no one really knows what the deal is between them. Did that boy do something to Ramirez? Or did Ramirez do something to him? I've heard..." She pauses a moment, to weigh the decision of saying more. "I've even heard, that boy pushed Ramirez over the cliff."
Michael shakes his head. "No, the edge of the cliff did break away from the rest of the hill. You can see it for yourself."
"What about them?" Lilica asks, in reference to Ramirez and Manjyome.
"I think he was jealous of Manjyome." Michael explains. "Ramirez has lived a harsh life, and he's suffered a lot. Manjyome, by comparison, has always been rich and had a pretty fortunate life. I think Ramirez probably saw Manjyome's behavior and attitude like a slap in the face." As Michael says this, he thinks back on his own life. The memories are distant and distorted. The only parts of the recollections that aren't vague are his feelings from the time; which remain as passionate and intense as they were in his youth, as well as a subtle rattling in his ears, like a soft clanking. He adds, "Yeah, I think the way Manjyome lived his life, it was an insult to everything Ramirez went through in his lifetime."
Lilica is uncharacteristically silent. After the uncomfortable silence, she cautiously asks, "You haven't heard all the rumors, have you?" She asks.
Michael shakes his head. He isn't sure what rumors she is referring to, but he isn't in a circle where he'd hear or spread rumors. "No." He breaths.
"I've been hearing stories ever since we got here. People say this island is haunted." It's a strange topic, in Michael's opinion, but at the same time, it seems strangely appropriate. His mind conjures the image of a rolling dark mist. She continues, "Not just haunted, though. There have been strange occurrences: People have disappeared even!" She exclaims in a fearful excitement.
Michael isn't the type to fear ghosts or other paranormal things, yet standing outside in the approaching twilight, the air feels unnaturally chilly, and the hairs on his arms stand on end. "It's just rumors and stories." Michael assures her.
But, Lilica is not convinced. "No, I don't think they are just stories. There's evidence that people really have disappeared, and a lot of people have told me that they've seen strange things before." Again, Michael is reminded of the dark mist, and the slight clanking in his ears returns. "Truthfully..." Lilica explains. "I've been sneaking out after hours, to explore. I wanted to look into it myself: You know, have some fun?" She laughs slightly, but her expression is solemn. "Last night, I really did see something unusual." Michael's chest tightens. He doesn't know what she saw, or thinks she saw, but he knows something did happen last night. Lilica continues, "When I was in the woods, I saw a fire. It was near the cliff where James said Ramirez fell. And, that's not all." She becomes more forceful. "I heard an animal roar; like a lion, or something, and the fire was strange. It didn't burn very long before going out." She watches Michael's face for signs of the truth. "That fire had to have been huge. The sky over the forest was orange because of it, and for it to have suddenly went out..." Lilica shakes her head.
"There was no fire." Michael states. Lilica shoots him an incredulous look, but he explains, "That was the light from a duel monster: It was just a special effect from Ramirez's duel disk."
Lilica doesn't look convinced. "How could a duel disk make that much light or a noise that loud?" Lilica asks defiantly. "I was nowhere near the cliff, and I saw and heard it! Duel disks can't project that much light or a noise that loud."
"I don't know." Michael answers in a low slow tone. "I don't know."
For the second time, Lilica grips Michael's jacket sleeve in her hand, and she peers up at him with a soft sad expression. "Please. Tell me the truth." She pleads.
Michael looks away to escape her gaze. Just as the first time she did it, his chest feels tighter than usual, and his heart beats faster. He can't tell her what really happened. "It's too unreal to believe." He tells himself. "But, it's the kind of thing she seems to believe in," He thinks, as he tries to rationalize telling her. His heart is squeezed tighter. "I just want to tell her." He finally admits. Michael weighs the decision briefly. When he has made a decision, he gives his right arm a slight tug, to free his sleeve from her slender finger tips. "I was there," He admits. "But I honestly don't know what happened." Michael starts to explain. "Ramirez was... It was like he was insane; like he was possessed."
"It was like magic?" Lilica asks solemnly.
Michael gives her a curious glance over, and nods. "Yeah. It was like magic. The duel disks were doing things; making illusions and effects they can't normally make." Michael recalls the duel more clearly. He sees the massive fire winged centurion chimera lumbering over him, like a living sky scraper. And there were the Ojama monsters, which seemed to genuinely suffer before Michael's eyes. And, there was another monster; a black beast partially bound in a straight jacket of chains. His heart throbs. "The monsters even looked real."
"It's just like the rumors: This island is full of dark magic." She explains. "People are possessed and cursed by the dark magic, and some have disappeared because of it." Her small innocent eyes become smaller. "And now, Ramirez has been cursed too. That's why he can't wake up!"
It sounds stupid to Michael, but at the same time, he can't help but want to believe it. Either for the sake of rationalizing it in his own head, or for the sake of wanting to agree with Lilica. Thinking over the evidence to support her claims, he recalls that Ramirez, himself, stated the same thing. He told them all that this is a dark game created from his hatred and suffering. And for losing, he should have died, but instead, he has become catatonic. "It's a punishment?" Michael asks silently.
Lilica's worried face meets with Michael's. "If that's true, that Ramirez has been cursed by some dark magic on this island, then sending him away to a hospital won't help him." Her breath cuts out. "They knew? Those other boys knew!" She explains. Michael doesn't follow, until she elaborates. "That little boy, he asked the nurse lady, remember?"
Michael recalls what Sho asked Miss Ayukawa. "I mean... What if, his injuries aren't... the kind medicine can cure?" It really does seem that Sho, Judai, and the others knew.
"Of course they knew." Michael rationalizes. "This is their home, after all. If weird things were happening here, they'd have experienced them before."
"We have to do something!" Lilica states. Michael doesn't know what she thinks they can accomplish, but she is determined to do something. "There has to be a way to wake Ramirez up from this curse."
Michael isn't the optimist Lilica is, and he can't see how they can do anything for Ramirez. He still isn't ready to fully believe that what he saw was a result of magic. Almost the instant he has that thought, he hears the distant clanking in his ears again. He shakes it away, but not before seeing the image of Manjyome standing in the mist. "Manjyome is the key." Michael declares definitively. "Ramirez hated Manjyome, and he wanted to prove his superiority, while also proving that Manjyome is unworthy."
Lilica is puzzled and speechless for a minute. When she recovers, she agrees, and she adds, "He tried to get even with him using a duel, so..." Through her exaggerated actions, Michael watches the wheels in Lilica's head working overtime. "What if we can get Manjyome to duel again... like, a play duel? And, we could stage it for Ramirez to see. Maybe that'll be enough?"
Lilica's idea almost makes sense. "But..." Michael states, "Manjyome would have to lose."
"Maybe not." Lilica replies. "Maybe just being there while Manjyome duels will be enough. Even if he wakes up still angry with Manjyome, it'll be enough to bring him back from the curse." She thinks it through. "It would be better if Manjyome was beaten, but if Manjyome wins, doesn't it prove that Manjyome is not unworthy?"
"Only if his opponent is good." Michael replies. He can't imagine Kyle or Ash dueling Manjyome to try and break a curse on a catatonic Ramirez.
"One of us will have to do it." Lilica states. She doesn't even have to think about it, and she declares, "I think you should do it. Ramirez... He seems the type to not see most women as his equal. That's the impression that I got from him."
Michael has seen Manjyome duel several times, and he is unpredictable. A lot of his decks would break the combos his decks use. "It'll never work." He thinks.
Lilica insists, "We have to try, even if it doesn't work. You saw it with your own eyes. It's exactly what the rumors have described." She doubles her efforts. "We can't go to James or the nurse lady. If we told them that we think Ramirez has been cursed, they wouldn't believe it. And once he's off the island, there's no telling what will become of him." Lilica fearfully adds, "What if doctors can't help him? What if only magic can undo the curse, or whatever it is?"
"Manjyome will never agree to it." Michael states.
"Leave that to me." Lilica states. "We'll do it tonight, out of sight of the school building. All you need to do is get Ramirez, and bring him to the location. I saw some wheel chairs in the nurse's office, when the door opened. And if we do it late after hours, the Miss nurse lady should be asleep already: She's a teacher and head of the girl's dorm, too, so she can't watch over Ramirez all night."
Michael partially wants to refuse. It all sounds so insane, but looking into Lilica's soft sad face, he can't manage to say no. "I'll bring Ramirez to the grassy embankment beside the pond, where Ramirez and Manjyome dueled before. Manjyome will know the place. We'll do it at midnight."
"Alright!" She agrees excitedly. Before setting off, Lilica clasps Michael's hand between hers. "Thank you, Michael." With a final soft smile, she runs off to see their plan realized.
Michael's stomach turns over as he watches the tiny girl go. He feels like he's about to commit a crime he knows he can't get away with. After taking a deep breath, he decides, "I have to work on my deck, while I still have time." The sun is still overhead, but in a few hours, it'll set. Michael draws his hand over his three deck boxes attached to his belt. Passing over the first box, he touches the last two. He has two decks left, but they are only a half deck each. He must switch them around and mix them up to use either in a duel. They are each their own strategy, but they share many of the same cards, and he doesn't have enough to have them separated. "I have my debit card." He thinks, but he already knows, there aren't any new cards that can really help his decks. "They're at their limits, with me. I'll have to play smart, to compensate, and hope..."
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Manjyome sits alone in his massive customized room. He stares vacantly at the large screen TV, even though it isn't on. The silence and stillness of the room is broken by a knock at his door. Manjyome turns an eye to the door, but he doesn't get up. A second knock comes, and a girl's voice follows, asking his name. Manjyome's heart races. "Tenjoin-kun?" He asks hopefully. Without a moment's hesitation, Manjyome hops to his feet and runs to answer his door.
To his disappointment, his female visitor isn't Asuka, but rather, the small part Japanese American girl. "My name is Lilica Ross. Sorry to intrude, but may I come in?" She asks politely. Manjyome steps aside to let her pass. Once inside, she turns on her heel in mid step, so that Manjyome is backed against his own door. She doesn't even give him a minute to process her arrival, and she immediately begins to explain the situation, Ramirez's state, and the plan Michael and she came up with. Despite her ambush tactic, Manjyome isn't swayed by her arguments. With some quick thinking, she states, "You've lived on this island longer than Michael or me. You should know all about the rumors and strange happenings here. There is a dark magic on this island, and surely, you've seen it!"
Manjyome knows what she is talking about. He's seen his fair share of strange occurrences on this island, and last night was no different. Again, she encourages him to do this duel for the sake of helping Ramirez. Manjyome doesn't want to help Ramirez, though. Despite feeling some guilt, he still can't forgive Ramirez for the dirty tactics he used on Asuka.
Lilica pleads, stating there is no one else who can do this, or she would have one of his friends do it. The situation changes at the mention of his friends. Manjyome imagines Judai looking down on him, as he fights to save Ramirez, while a disappointed Asuka stands on the sidelines and shakes her head. "I never thought you'd sink so low, Manjyome-kun. What happened to the pride of Manjyome Thunder?" She asks. Even though he hates Ramirez, and even though Ramirez tried to damage Asuka's reputation, Asuka would never turn her back on him or anyone, even if the chance they can help is only slim.
"Fine." Manjyome agrees without explanation. Lilica seems dumbstruck for a moment, and all of the arguments she was gathering up seem to flutter out of her head. Manjyome firmly declares, "I won't pull any punches."
Recovering from the unexpectedly swift success, Lilica replies gratefully, "You won't have to. Michael will do his best to win." She adds, "I believe in him." She tells Manjyome to come to the grassy embankment near the pond, at midnight. There is no need for her to explain the location in any more detail. Manjyome's eyes show that he knows the place Michael meant, despite her vague directions. "We'll start at Midnight, so we can sneak Ramirez out." Manjyome nods in agreement. Lilica thanks him sincerely, before letting herself out.
After she has left, Manjyome sinks on his couch once more. Staring through the still TV screen, he thinks about what he must do. Manjyome recalls the duels he had with Ramirez and how his Ojamas suffered for him. The recollections of torture and abuse remind Manjyome of his own mistreatment of the Ojamas. "But it was different?" He thinks uncertainly, as he catalogues his torment of the trio. It's a history of minor abuse and neglect that started long before Ramirez ever came into the picture. Manjyome worries his treatment is as bad as Ramirez's to them, even though he never meant for it to be. Again, he recalls the final duel he had with Ramirez. The heavy arrow head like anchors pierce the three Ojamas, and the chains hang from their small torsos, followed by Hell Chimera's assimilation of Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black, and before either of those events, the loss of Ojamama as an entrance fee to a forced duel to the death; each act of brutality was deliberate and unforgivable. Manjyome doesn't wish for them to suffer anymore for his sake.
Manjyome pulls the three cards from his jacket pocket. None of the Ojama spirits has appeared before him since the duel. The last he saw of them was the broken spirit of Ojama Black, as Ojama Yellow remained fused to the beastly abomination while Manjyome set it ablaze for his victory. "Am I unworthy of their support?" He asks to their absence. With a heavy heart, Manjyome stands, and he walks to his bed side desk where he gathers his three Ojama cards and all of their support from his Ojama-Hell deck. With a final look at the three, he cautiously sets them in his desk drawer. "I'm sorry." He apologizes with a deep bow. His eyes drift to a lone deck in the drawer, which he takes it out, before closing the drawer and locking it. He examines the deck before pocketing it. All that remains unresolved, is what to do with the remaining cards of his Ojama-Hell hybrid deck. He hesitates on the question, and with reluctance, he returns them to a jacket pocket.
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Lilica returns to the headmaster's office, where James sits comfortably in the headmaster's desk. "It was a B performance, at best." He states to her arrival; accompanied by a smirk. "And the story was riddled with plot holes."
Lilica smiles and giggles. "You could cut me a little slack. I've never acted before, and I'm not a very good liar."
"I took that into consideration," James replies sincerely, "Which are the only reasons why you didn't score Cs across the board."
"Thanks for the consideration." Lilica jokes.
James laughs slightly before stating, "Enough clowning around. Fill me in on the smaller details."
Lilica admits that Manjyome isn't exactly eaten up by guilt, but he is a little guilty. She thinks he is more concerned with other's opinions of him, than for Ramirez. She laughs a little and points out, "You almost ruined it by making him hate Ramirez so much."
James shrugs his shoulders. "I wash my hands of the pettiness of man."
"How do you get to dismiss your mistakes and shortcomings without taking responsibility?" Lilica asks with a wide smile.
He waves her claim out the window. "It's because I don't make mistakes, and my only shortcomings are the people who work under me." He reiterates, "It's the rats that are at fault, for being unpredictable. I can hardly be faulted that some rats don't desire the cheese at the end of the maze."
"You're so arrogant." She jokes.
"So I've been told." With another short smile, he asks about Michael.
Lilica returns his smile. "Michael is just a nice guy." She explains. "Plus, he's not the type who can say no to a pretty girl in distress."
"Now who's being arrogant?" He quips. To which, Lilica sticks her tongue out at him in response. Jokes aside, James tells Lilica to attend the game and give a good show. "Your performance isn't over yet."
Lilica nods. "And you?"
"I'll hang back and watch from here." She agrees and sets off. Before leaving the room, James gives her a serious warning. "Hey, be careful not to be sucked into the game. There's nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal."
Lilica's usually cheery smiling face falls still. It's a seriousness unlike what she showed Michael. "I know." She agrees.
As she leaves the main building, Lilica spies the three American girls in their yellow uniforms. She stops to watch Hannah joking with Jessica. Jessica is obviously uncomfortable, or so her beat red face and forced giggles would lead everyone to believe. Annette doesn't watch their antics though. Her lovely cold eyes are locked on Lilica, who should have been able to go by unnoticed at such a distance. Lilica shivers. "I just got a chill." She exclaims to herself, before quickly jogging off to the girl's dorm to rest.
After leaving, Hannah asks Annette what she was up to. Hannah scans the vacant place that holds her gaze. Annette doesn't reply. With a shrug, Hannah lets it go, and she escorts Annette along with her finger tips on the small of her tiny back.
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Midnight is close at hand, and Manjyome lies still on his bed; waiting for the time to arrive. After another glance at the clock face, he decides to take his departure. He dresses beside the desk where he locked the Ojama cards. He spares the desk a moment's glance, before taking his leave. Outside, Manjyome makes a slight diversion to a garbage can outside the Osiris Red dining hall. He reaches into his jacket pocket, and his hand emerges holding the remnants of his Ojama Hell deck. He fans the Hell cards out in his hand. This is the deck he started using long ago on his journey to greatness. He was an elite Obelisk Blue duelist when he last used this deck; that was, until Ramirez came along. Manjyome's eyes narrow at the thought that Ramirez backed him into falling back on this deck. He unceremoniously throws them in the trash can. As he walks away from the abandoned cards, he utters, "I will not be misguided by the darkness again."
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Michael awaits on the embankment where Ramirez stood only a day earlier. Ramirez's limp body sits in a wheelchair on the sidelines. Lilica arrives, and is horrified by the site of the boy. Despite a knit cap being placed over his head by Miss Ayukawa, Lilica can see the burn tissue all around the back of his head. His right arm has been bandaged, and the numerous wounds she has heard about from James are hidden away beneath the school gym suit he has been dressed in. She waits behind Ramirez. "It'll be alright. They're going to save you." Lilica remarks audibly to Ramirez, so that Michael can hear her.
"I really believe that this duel will be enough to bring him back." Lilica tells Michael. Despite not knowing if winning or losing is the best course of action, Michael is under tremendous pressure to perform with his inferior deck. What he didn't tell Lilica is that Ramirez didn't exactly respect him or acknowledge him as being worthy. If Lilica's plan is going to be realized, he must prove his worth here, and he must do it with a deck he knows is flawed.
Manjyome arrives; sliding down the hillside, and coming to a stop where he stood when he faced Ramirez twice before. They square off like a spaghetti western showdown at high noon, only they are basked in the brilliant light of the massive yellow full moon. They begin the duel without exchanging a single word. Their duel disks begin to cycle to choose who will take the initiative.
Standing behind Ramirez's wheelchair, Lilica tells him, "Look. It's starting. Can't you see it?" He shows no response, but it is enough of a show to keep the boys focused and motivated.
Michael draws; first to start the duel. He examines his hand in detail, before committing on a strategy. The Unhappy Girl silently takes the field in attack position. The emaciated girl with brilliant orange hair and a tattered blue dress is given no introduction by Michael, but Manjyome recognizes the monster, nonetheless. She glances through her lovely yet unkept hair with a sad despondent gaze. Then, Michael activates Graceful Charity. He examines the 3 newly drawn cards as carefully as his opening hand. As he comes to a conclusion, he sends 2 cards to the Graveyard. Unsatisfied by his new options, Michael activates the continuous spell, The Stage Performer's Prop Chest. Manjyome watches as Michael shuffles 2 cards from his hand into his deck, then draws 2 new cards.
After the change up, Michael seems satisfied with his hand. He slides a spell card into his duel disk's spell and trap card zone. "Summoning Circle LV2." He announces to Manjyome. "By its effect, I can cycle any level 2 or lower Magic User-type monster in my graveyard to my deck, from my deck to my hand, or from my hand to my field, at a cost of 800 life points per effect use."
Michael uses it's effect twice, to special summon White Magician Pikeru and Black Magician Curran from his hand. His life points drop to 3200, and then to 2400. The two adorable magical girls appear, and kneel beside The Unhappy Girl. They quickly exchange uncharacteristically vicious glances, before turning their heads away from each other with a soft "hmph." Setting his final card, Michael ends his turn. His life points appear behind him at 2400.
Manjyome draws. He immediately activates Reinforcement of the Army to retrieve Don Zaloog from his deck, and he summons Don Zaloog to the field in attack position. The one-eyed thief leader smiles as he gestures playfully with his dual flintlock pistols. Manjyome sets a s/t card, and he follows by playing Card Destruction to dump his hand and draw 3 new cards. Then, he activates the set card, Premature Burial, at the cost of 800 life points. Black Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn appears beside Don Zaloog. She smiles, as her whip comes cracking down mid field between them and the cute magical girls on Michael's side of the field. "Don Zaloog, attack White Magician Pikeru!" Manjyome declares.
Ramirez's body trembles at the sound of Manjyome's voice. Lilica smiles widely, and she cheers to the others, "He moved! He moved! It's working!"
Ramirez opens his eyes, only to find himself surrounded in dark mist. He can hear far off voices echoing in the mist. "You..." He breaths. His mind is groggy, but to the distant sound of Manjyome's voice, he begins to remember: He recalls the fall from the cliff. Above him, his ultimate beast rains burning embers over him, while beneath await the jagged rocks and ocean tide. "Lost..." He utters into the void, as his mind drifts back into focus. Again, he relives the memory of the freezing black ocean. The water churns violently, and his body is thrown about like a rag doll. While being shaken and tossed around in the inky darkness, Ramirez remembers, "His eyes..." He catches a glimpse of Manjyome standing at the edge of the cliff. Even as Ramirez's body is contorted unnaturally in the formless waves of the chilling black water, he can't peel his eyes from Manjyome's gaze. He gasps for breath, but there is no air to breath. "Damn you..." Ramirez tries to shout. "I'm dying..." Ramirez realizes. "And you mock me!"
From Ramirez's vantage point, Manjyome is unmoved by his impending doom. Watching Ramirez drown is mild entertainment for him. It's his victory right for having defeated Ramirez. With his last breath, Ramirez curses Manjyome. His voice becomes trapped in a breath of bubbles, as the darkness consumes him. He loses sight of Manjyome in the freezing void, and his body is thrown once more. His head breaks the surface of the nothingness just long enough to spot Manjyome against the back drop of the massive yellow moon, before his body smashes into an invisible wall of jagged rocks. Afterwards, He cannot move, and he cannot breath: His heart is on its final beats, and he can feel himself drifting from consciousness. He tries to plead, but his mind is a haze. He doesn't know what to beg for anymore: Is it salvation or damnation? The lingering light of the yellow moon fades away, as he sinks into the nothingness once more. Manjyome's voice echoes in his ears, and the image of him standing triumphantly over the cliff side burns inside his brain. As the last shreds of his consciousness fade away, he utters his final prayer.
Ramirez can still feel it. He feels like his lived through it several times before, and yet, he hasn't died. The memory of Manjyome's detached grin while he watched him drown burns through him. The fury awakens him from the thoughtless state the darkness put him under. A soft jingling rings in his ears. "A sound of salvation?" He wonders in a coherent thought. The dim yellow light grows brighter, as the clanking intensifies. Within what feels like a few seconds, the massive yellow moon becomes speckled in red, which spreads as it soaks the entire sphere in red. Under the newly reborn red moon, drops of blood fall to Earth; splashing at the surface of the abyss where Ramirez remains trapped. He utters a soft laugh that emerges as a bubble of air, the clanking becomes louder in his ears, just as Manjyome's voice becomes clearer.
"Trap card, open." Michael activates his set card, the continuous trap card, Defense Maiden. Michael points to The Unhappy Girl, and Don Zaloog's aim is forcibly drawn to The Unhappy Girl. He opens fire.
A bullet hits The Unhappy Girl in the shoulder. She winces but does not fall. A second bullet tears through her chest and strikes Michael in the chest. He staggers back a step and hunches over. Manjyome's serious grin breaks. He fearfully watches drops of blood fall to the grass.
Lilica can't tell what is going on through the darkness without commentary, but the silence is unsettling. Ramirez suddenly chuckles lightly under his breath. She watches him carefully. His eyes remain shut, but his lips move slightly. She must lean in to hear his muttering. "Die... Die..."
Lilica pulls away from him. "Ramirez?" She asks cautiously. Again he breaths a laugh softer than a whisper.
Michael shakes his head slightly, as he blinks. The pain in his chest is more intense than anything he's ever felt before. He holds his aching rib; oblivious to Manjyome's trembling. The wound feels strangely warm and wet. As he brings his hand away from the wound and raises it to the light of the moon, he finds that his hand is stained red. Again, he can hear the distant clanking of metal against metal in the back of his head. Beside the pain in his chest, there is a tugging at his heart, that pulls harder with each tug. A voice whispers in his ear, "Don't stop. Not yet."
"Why are you hesitating?" Michael asks so abruptly that both Manjyome and Lilica jump. "This isn't over yet!"
Manjyome hesitates to send Meanae on the offensive, but after a second demand that he continue from Michael, he gives the command. He orders Meanae to attack White Magician Pikeru. Again, Michael changes the target of her attack to the unfortunate pretty girl. Meanae whips her across the face; knocking her to her knees. A gash tears across the side of Michael's face as well. Michael's life points drop to 800. Manjyome adds 1 card to his hand from his deck, while The Unhappy Girl stands once more. She and Michael share a brilliant red streak across their cheeks. The red streaks glow magenta and Meanae and Don Zaloog are surrounded by an aura of light in the same color. "Turn end," he breaths. His life points show at 3200 against Michael's 800.
Michael draws. Pikeru uses her magic to increase his life points by 1200 points, bringing Michael's life points to 2000 points. The red streaks on Michael's and The Unhappy Girl's faces slowly mend. Curran tugs the slack in her whip with a loud crack, before launching her own special attack. She whips both Don Zaloog and Meanae to inflict 600 points of damage on Manjyome, bringing him to 2600 life points. To each small point of contact, Manjyome is dealt a small stinging welt. He rubs his arm and side cautiously. Michael sets his newly drawn s/t card, and he ends his turn.
"This can't be? A game of darkness?" He asks under his breath. Ramirez's small breath of laughter comes just loud enough to draw Manjyome's gaze to the motionless limp body in the wheel chair. He isn't certain what he heard or if he heard anything at all, but his gut is telling him that his battle with Ramirez has not yet ended. Manjyome turns his attention back to Michael. "What will the outcome of this duel be?" He asks himself. "If I win, will Michael...?" He doesn't want to think the thought, for fear it may come true.
Manjyome draws with a new intensity. He reveals the card he fetched with Meanae's effect, Black Scorpion - Gorg the Strong. He tributes his sealed Meanae the Thorn for the Gorg. Manjyome orders his attack against The Unhappy Girl.
At the sound of his voice, Ramirez is stirred from the creeping unconsciousness once more. The clanking grows louder and louder, and Manjyome's words are clear. Beyond that, Ramirez is beginning to regain sight of the field, albeit, tinted red. The sight of the field is overlapped by the site of the red moon. It splits down the center and peels back to reveal a massive red bulging eye. It pulsates like a beating heart. With each pulse, blood falls to Earth, and the clanking and rattling comes louder with each pulse. "Die..." Ramirez utters breathlessly from the darkness. "It's not over... This won't be over, until one of us, is dead!" He declares in a harsh rasp. "The contract, hasn't been fulfilled... I am beaten, but I still live!"
A strange sensation comes over Ramirez. Despite not being able to move his limbs, he feels like his body will move if he commands it to. He feels like all he must do is reach for the world beyond the freezing darkness, and he'll be freed. Out of compulsion, he reaches for the world beyond the abyss. He doesn't feel his arms moving, but too his amazement, he feels his hand clasp something. It is cold, but it is solid. He doesn't hesitate to grab it. With a victorious feeling of delight, he tugs on the firm object. He finds himself hoisted towards the surface of the darkness. The image of the massive pulsating red eye becomes larger. He reaches for the object with his other limp arm. Despite not feeling it respond, he suddenly feels the cold object in his other hand. He laughs a sigh of delight. Hoisting himself hand over hand, up a long cold metal chain, Manjyome becomes closer and closer, as do his chances of serving his revenge. "For watching me die... I'll watch, you die, Manjyome!" He croaks.
Gorg rushes The Unhappy Girl. His massive club comes crashing down on the unfortunate pretty girl's face. Michael's head snaps back, and a red mist sprays into the night air. When he leans forward once more, both his and the little girl's faces are died red. He spits blood into the grass, but he doesn't complain.
"Activate Gorg's special ability!" Manjyome declares. He points at The Unhappy Girl. Gorg brings his massive mace under the little girl's body, and he prepares to hurl The Unhappy Girl from the field to shatter Michael's lock.
"Tlap cart, opun..." Michael gurgles. He reveals his set card, Pure Pupil. Manjyome knows this card's effect very well, since his love uses it in her Cyber Sporty deck. Gorg's effect is negated, and he is destroyed in a surge of light. Manjyome sets a s/t card, and he ends his turn.
Michael draws. Pikeru chants her spell silently, and again Michael's life points rise. His life points show at 1800 against Manjyome's 2600. His face remains red, but the massive bruise where Gorg struck The Unhappy Girl has mostly vanished. Curran whips Manjyome once more. The whip strikes Don Zaloog in the butt. He cringes but can't move. Manjyome clenches his butt cheek painfully.
Ramirez watches the scene tinted in red. He ascends closer to the red pulsating eye and the place where Michael and Manjyome are dueling. The sight of Manjyome in pain revives him more. He mumbles semi-coherently. "Yes, suffer, Manjyome! Even if it must be, by a loser like Michael, and his fanciful trash..."
Michael can hear Ramirez's voice in his head, and he is deeply offended by Ramirez's words against him and his deck. He looks to the wheel chair where Lilica's attention shifts from the duel to Ramirez. His details are obscured by the night, but by the light of the moon, Michael can make out that his form is still limp and unresponsive. He still hasn't revived, yet the words in his head are definitely his.
"Don't stop!" Ramirez orders him from the darkness beyond his body. "Keep going... Make him suffer more!" Ramirez gasps as he hoists himself. "Those fanciful cute monsters, are trash, but they serve the purpose, of humiliating Manjyome, more than my cards... This is a fitting punishment!" He laughs through his efforts. His laughing once again turns depraved and desperate, as he curses Manjyome. "For laughing at me, as you watched me die... I didn't die... No, you'll die, Manjyome!" The insanity grips him still. "It's so fitting. To seize victory, on luck, losing to these... to these fan cards, it's just retribution!"
Michael looks to his field, where The Unhappy Girl stands weakly with Pikeru and Curran kneeling at her side. "You're wrong." He utters. "These cards are not trash, and this deck is not trash. I know I don't win all the time, but they are extremely well built with the tough restrictions I've placed upon them. The cards all support each other and my goal for them. They only lack the dominating power and tricks other decks have, because I stays true to the true spirit of these monsters, and my principles of using only my favorites." He states to the voice in his mind, "These cute monsters do not exist as tools for humiliation and torture." Despite his desire to convey his message, his voice does not reach the insane Ramirez who is hidden from view. Only Manjyome's voice reaches him. Michael feels his heart grow heavier and tighten in his chest. The clanking becomes even more intense.
Michael declares to himself, "I will win; not for Ramirez, but to prove the worth of my deck, my ability to design a deck, and my ability to succeed without sacrificing my principles! I will reveal the true strength of these cute monsters which are looked down on and seen as things they truly are not!" Michael's custom duel disk's silver orb glows faintly.
Manjyome's life points drop to 2300, and Michael activates the effect of The Stage Performer's Prop Chest to shuffle the card back into his deck and draw a new card. He sets the newly drawn card, then ends his turn.
Manjyome draws. His newly drawn card is just what he needed. He activates the Warrior Returning Alive. Black Scorpion - Gorg the Strong returns to Manjyome's hand. Manjyome activates a spell card, Mustering the Black Scorpions. He special summons Gorg and Cliff from his hand. "Black Scorpion - Trap Remover Cliff, attack The Unhappy Girl!" Cliff dashes for the unfortunate pretty girl. As he thrusts his knife into her jugular vein, he is blanketed by an intense light.
"Trap card, Emissary of Mercy." Michael declares. The trap depicts a single woman in white robes standing in a harsh desert. She kneels slightly as she hands a canteen of water to a man on his belly in the sand and cracked earth. "All damage received this turn will be nullified and added to my life points." Michael explains. Cliffs knife blade has become a blade of white healing light. He quickly pulls it out, but the damage is done. Michael's life points rise to 2600 against Manjyome's 2300. Again, Michael's wounds are healed. Manjyome ends his turn.
Michael draws. "Standby." He exclaims. White Magician Pikeru chants her spell and raises her staff to the air. Michael's life points climb to 3800. Curran, not wanting to be upstaged, strikes the ground repeatedly before lashing all 3 Black Scorpions with a flurry of stinging strikes. Manjyome clasps his arms around his body, and his life points fall to 1400. Michael activates his newly drawn card, depicting a semi-transparent clock over two separate images of two young WW1 era soldiers. The left most picture shows them boarding the back of a truck, while the right picture depicts them getting out of the now battle ravaged truck. "Then and Thereafter." Michael declares. "This turn, my Battle Phase will be skipped, to return to my Standby Phase." Again, Pikeru chants her spell, just as she had done before. His life points rise to 5000. Curran follows suit and lashes the 3 Black Scorpions in the exact same places. Manjyome shouts out as he clenches his body. His life points fall to 500. Michael ends his turn.
"Yes. Yes." Ramirez hisses. He is so close to the surface, where Manjyome is dueling and losing to Michael's fanciful cute deck, that he swears he can feel Manjyome's breaths of pain caused by the cute Curran's whip. The site of their duel is overlaid by the massive red pulsating eye. "Soon, you will die, Manjyome!"
Manjyome draws. He winces from the stinging welts beneath his jacket. Michael has no defensive cards set this time. The only thing standing in the way to victory is the undying little girl and Defense Maiden's effect forcing Manjyome's monster's to battle with her. Manjyome examines his monsters: Don Zaloog and Trap Remover Cliff have been sealed by The Unhappy Girl's magic, while Gorg remains able to attack. "It's not enough." Manjyome tells himself. He knows he must make this turn count or he'll be defeated in the next turn. Manjyome examines his newly drawn Black Scorpion Retreat and his other card in his hand, Black Scorpion Chick the Yellow. His set card is Black Scorpion Combination. All he needs is Meanae the Thorn on the field, and he can break through Michael's flimsy lock to end this. Frustrated by the situation, Manjyome summons Chick. Then, he declares his attack with Gorg. "Gorg, attack The Unhappy Girl!"
"Defense Maiden." Michael declares. He redirects the attack to Pikeru. Gorg crushes the defenseless girl. Curran is infuriated by the destruction of her rival, and she sets her angered sights on Gorg. Manjyome follows with an attack on Curran by Chick. Michael lets Curran be destroyed, to preserve his seal on the other 2 Black Scorpions. Manjyome sets his Black Scorpion Retreat and ends his turn.
Michael draws. He examines his newly drawn card. He spends a long time looking from the card to the continuos spell. The clanking in his ears becomes almost deafening, as he weighs the decision to keep it or recycle it. Ramirez's twisted voice has abandoned him. He is so consumed with Manjyome's prolonged suffering that he hasn't noticed that Michael's deck has become deadlocked. In his hand, he has Emissary of Harmony. The trap depicts another female emissary in a white robe. She stands on a barren desert battlefield with her arms out like a cross to halt advancing soldiers who charge a helpless family of peasants. "This card will end the battle, as will many of the cards in my deck, but then what? Unless I draw a draw card, I'll never be able to do anything more than hold the field as is..." His gaze rises to the Black Scorpions. "And Manjyome's deck is the worst deck to face with this deck. If any of the Scorpion's inflict damage, the entire lock can be shattered by their effects." He looks again at the trap in his hand. It has 2 additional effects that compile with the other Emissary cards when they are in his Graveyard. However, Emissary of Mercy's addition to Emissary of Harmony will only give him more life points. It wouldn't do much more for him than shifting The Unhappy Girl to defense position for a turn with Emissary of Harmony could have done.
Manjyome watches Michael's emotionless expression. He can't tell if Michael is plotting, if he is trying to bait him into attacking, or if he has run out of options. His long consideration is a momentary reprieve from the pain of being whipped by Curran though.
Ramirez watches the scene tinted red. Manjyome's uncomfortable musings fill him with joy. "Suffer, Manjyome." He breaths. From his other eye, he sees the ground nearing. "When you lose, your life will be over." Ramirez approaches steadily, like an unseen spider nearing to snatch a fly.
Michael finally makes his decision. "It's going to happen now, or not at all." He tells himself. Michael activates the effect of The Stage Performer's Prop Chest. He shuffles the Emissary trap into his deck, and after setting his deck back in his duel disk, he draws. His eyes open wider at the sight of the newly drawn card. He looks at the 2 Black Scorpion's not bound by his magic. "Meanae's attack is only 1000." He reminds himself. He activates the newly drawn card. "Summoning Circle LV2." Michael pays 800 life points to retrieve Curran from his deck. His life points fall to 4200. He pays an additional 800 like points to recover The Unhappy Maiden from his deck. His life points fall to 3400. With the two in his hand, he pays 800 life points to special summon The Unhappy Maiden from his hand. She takes the field in defense position. Michael finishes by summoning Curran in attack position. Michael confidently ends his turn at 2600 to 500.
Manjyome is overwhelmed by Michael's comeback. He draws cautiously. His prayer from a turn earlier has come true. He has drawn another Meanae the Thorn, but it is too late. Any attack he launches is going to be redirected to Curran to be destroyed or to The Unhappy Maiden to end his battle phase. Even if he uses Black Scorpion Retreat now, he'll be devastated by the little girls in the next turn. As Manjyome frets, he sees the answer. Defense Maiden can't stop his attack, if he doesn't attack a monster. His eyes fall to the first card he set. Without hesitation, Manjyome summons Meanae the Thorn and activates the set trap. "Black Scorpion Combination!" He declares. Meanae, Chick, and Gorg exchange nods before rushing forward.
Michael is shocked. "Defense Maiden can't stop direct attacks!" He breaths fearfully. The first strike, Gorg's massive mace, grazes him. Michael's life points drop 400 points, and The Unhappy Girl is forced off of the field by Gorg. The magenta aura around Don Zaloog and Cliff dissipates. They grin at each other and join the assault. Cliff dashes past Meanae and Chick, and he plants his dagger in Michael's neck. A soft spray of red mist fills the air, and Defense Maiden shatters. Chick scores an attack from behind, and Curran is forced from the field to Michael's hand. Don Zaloog opens fire around Meanae. A bullet tears through Michael's wrist, and The Unhappy Girl falls from his hand, where it is carried off by the wind. Meanae launches the final blow; lashing Michael across the chest with her whip, and Manjyome adds Black Scorpion Ambush to his hand from his deck. Michael's life points fall to 600. With his assault complete, Manjyome sets the newly retrieved trap. Then, he ends his turn.
Ramirez is displeased with Manjyome's lucky draw. "Damn you..." He curses. He reaches for Manjyome, but no matter how hard he tries, Manjyome's throat is always out of reach. "You won't survive... Not this time." Ramirez turns his focus to Michael. Blood drips from each of the wounds inflicted by the Black Scorpion gang. Ramirez sneers at the pathetic duelist. "Worthless." He breaths.
"No." Michael answers in a breath. This time, Ramirez hears his remark. Michael draws. He holds the newly drawn card wearily. When he can finally manage the will power to see it, he finds he has drawn Emissary of Harmony once more. He sets the trap and summons Curran. Then, he ends his turn. Ramirez is annoyed at first, but then is amused by his desire to fight.
"Have it your way." He breaths. He remains just beneath Michael, watching him with amusement, while watching Manjyome through the bulging red eye in the sky.
Manjyome draws. The outcome has been decided. This turn, he'll clear Michael's field, and in the next he'll end this duel. Even if that card is one that can save Michael and his monsters a turn, he has the two traps he needs to survive Curran's special attack and any attack Michael launches in the battle phase. Watching Michael bleed over the grassy embankment in the moonlight, Manjyome hisses under his breath, "I never should have agreed to this." Manjyome orders his attack on Curran, and Gorg attacks once more.
"Open." Michael breaths painfully. Emissary of Harmony is revealed, and Gorg's assault is halted by a blinding light. Gorg retreats, and Michael's life points rise to 1200. Manjyome ends his turn.
Michael draws. He gestures towards Curran who cracks her whip. Manjyome activates his trap, Black Scorpion Retreat. The 5 Black Scorpions retreat to Manjyome's hand. Even with Manjyome's field clear, Michael doesn't attack. He changes Curran to defense position, and he ends his turn.
Manjyome wonders if he expected the trap or if he was only being cautious. "It doesn't matter" he reminds himself. He summons Don Zaloog from his hand, and he special summons Meanae the Thorn from his Graveyard with Black Scorpion Ambush. He points to Curran and The Unhappy Maiden. Don Zaloog destroys Curran, while Meanae the Thorn destroys The Unhappy Maiden. Manjyome ends his turn. Michael draws. He examines the two cards in his hand. Michael summons his final Curran. The little girl wearing a rabbit hat and black goth loli dress takes her place on the field a final time. Michael holds his final card out, which Manjyome thinks he is going to shuffle back into his deck. "Then and Thereafter." Michael declares calmly. He reveals the spell before sliding it into his duel disk. Manjyome is shocked. Curran readies her whip, and she strikes Meanae in the head, and Don Zaloog across the waist. Manjyome winces as he is stricken as well. The final blow tears one of his jacket pockets open; spilling all of his extra cards across the grass.
"He did it?" Lilica announces in disbelief. At the sounds of her words, black mist builds across the surface of the pond. It creeps up the shore to where Michael is standing. Manjyome falls to his knees. Lilica's gaze shifts from the mist to Ramirez. "Ramirez, stop this!" She urges him. Her efforts are met by a cold silencing force. When she tries to plead once more, the ground shifts, and she falls backwards into the mist, where she can't see anything more.
Manjyome sees Lilica vanish in the mist, and he tries to call to her, but he too is bound by the silencing force. Michael's remains silent as the black mist gathers around him.
"It's done!" Ramirez declares. "Even if it was, by someone like him..." Ramirez rises from the mist, and extends his hand for Manjyome. Again, Manjyome throat is just out of reach. "No! Dammit! NO!" He curses. He turns his sights back on Michael. "You... You must do it. Kill him. Kill Manjyome!" To his demands, the mist rises around Michael, and his eyes fall still.
"Michael?" Manjyome mouths. Michael marches forward. The mist scatters under foot, with each step.
"Yes. Yes." Ramirez celebrates. "Show him real pain! Show him living hell! And then, KILL HIM!" Ramirez's erratic breaths expel water from his lungs as he follows Michael's approach. He waits anxiously for Manjyome's punishment.
Michael stands over the silent kneeling Manjyome, who peers up into Michael's empty black eyes. Manjyome is suddenly splashed with a large chilling drop of water against his back. He shivers, but can barely move. A second drop hits him, and then a third. As the drops explode against his body, he catches sight of their splash in the moon light. The water is red. Everything around him has turned red. Manjyome fights to see above him, and he glimpses the massive red pulsating eye overhead. "Ramirez?" He asks in horror. At those words, Michael opens his huge hand wide. His strength is visible even in his hands and fingers. He slowly extends his hand for Manjyome's neck. "Don't..." Manjyome pleads. He tries to tell him not to do this, but he can't say anything more.
Despite not being able to plead for him to stop, Michael's hand stops. Manjyome's eyes shift to the muscular extended hand that has come to a halt inches from his throat. Manjyome notices Michael's eyes on the cards scattered over the ground: Armed Dragons and V-Z Dragon Catapult. Amidst the themes, Michael finds something that flusters him. It's a cute card. He kneels beside Manjyome and gathers all of Manjyome's cards up. Manjyome watches from the corner of his eye as Michael sifts through the cards. Michael pauses as he finds a cute card that was once a part of Manjyome's weak deck. He cautiously removes the cute cards, until he has collected Spirit of the Breeze, Dreamsprite, and The Unhappy Maiden from the other cards. "I feel..." Michael exclaims in a distant tone. "Like I can hear the spirits, of these cards. And, I can see the duels these ones have been in."
Ramirez is baffled by this diversion, and he urges Michael to kill Manjyome and make him suffer for what he has done to him. With Manjyome so close, he reaches for him again, only to miss. He spins around while hanging from the chain by one hand. He is forced to wait angrily while Michael admires the cute cards.
Michael rises with the three cute cards in hand, while letting the other cards fall to the mist covered grass once more. "These cards, they are always used and discarded as trash." He states to no one in particular. His eyes shift to Manjyome, and Michael tells him, "You are unworthy of these tiny wonders." Manjyome is stunned. "These cute weak monsters need someone who will give them the proper environment they need to excel and feel needed. They need a deck where they can stand out and shine, even though they are weak. Isn't that right?" He asks the cards. "Come with me?"
To Manjyome's surprise, he can actually feel the cards' hearts waver. Manjyome sees the duel he used them in replay before him. Michael points out the weak monsters. "Look how they were chosen and used." Michael states. "Chosen out of desperation; a need so you could win, with them as sacrificial offerings." Manjyome recalls them being used as defensive walls and as fodder to feed Chaos Necromancer's powers.
"I'll find decks for you or create them myself." Looking at The Unhappy Maiden and Dreamsprite, he states, "I already have a place for you; a home where you are needed." Michael turns his back on Manjyome. "I'm taking these cards, Manjyome. While it is true, they were happy with you for that brief instant, it is not enough for them to only be used once and forgotten. They will never truly be happy like this."
Ramirez is infuriated by Michael leaving Manjyome alive and uninjured. He lashes out at Michael. This time, his hands break the surface of the mist and grasps something. Michael turns just as Ramirez's hand clamps shut before him. The massive three fingered clawed hand grasps the chain embedded in Michael's chest. Michael's breath is drained away, but he is not frightened by the scene that apparently, only he can see. A massive masked head emerges from the mist. It's lone red eye pulsates through the broken mask. The massive head, far larger than Michael, is only a few feet from him. Ramirez has been trapped in the body of The Masked Beast of The Asylum. Four of its six arms are bound by a straight jacket of chains, while its two free arms grip the chain hanging from Michael's chest. The second unrestrained arm reaches forward to grab Michael. "This victory is mine; not yours." Michael declares coldly to the bulging red eye. "This duel was meant to save you from the dark magic on this island, but you've only used it to become a malevolent monster; hellbent on revenge against someone who has done nothing to you."
"MICHAEL!" Ramirez bellows through the mask.
"No." Michael retorts. "You've forsaken salvation. There's no place in this world, for you." Michael grasps the end of the chain that is embedded in his chest. He squeezes it in his hand until it shatters. The chain holding Ramirez, the masked beast, falls away into the darkness. Ramirez swipes at Michael, but he is unable to reach him before plummeting into the abyss. "I'm sorry." Michael states as he watches the masked beast vanish in the darkness. "This was a game to save you. The punishment for losing this game, is your soul." From Michael's softly glowing eyes, a single tear falls down his cheek and into the mist. The mist retreats back to the lake.
Manjyome looks overhead. The red pulsating moon turns black before returning to its vibrant yellow once more. He is also freed from the magic force that bound and silenced him. But despite being free, he can't move or speak. He is awed by the site. Michael stands before him, staring into the yellow moon, and while his face is emotionless and stern, his eyes are crying. With Ramirez's dark magic dispelled, Michael goes to Lilica to help her.
"I'm okay." She states as she rubs her head. "Did we help him?" She asks. Her question is answered before Michael can answer. His hollow expression tells no tale, but the wet trails running down the sides of his nose tell a tale of failure.
"He's gone." Michael confirms.
Lilica is silenced by the news, but not for long. She reaches out to reassure Michael, and pulls her hand away covered in blood. "Are you alright?" She asks.
"No." He replies before leaving her side. He takes the wheelchair with Ramirez. "Go back to your dorm. I'm going to return him to the nurse's office."
"But..."
"No, buts." Michael cuts her off. He walks away guiding the lifeless body of Ramirez back to the nurse's office.
James watches with interest from the headmaster's office. Both of his eyes glow black. He blinks to return them to normal. Rubbing his chin, he ponders. "Interesting. I had no idea it could be used like that. And the fact that it was him... To break my chain of fate, and to turn the darkness back on its own user... It's only more impressive, because it is him." He muses over the results with a wide smile. James lets out a loud chuckle. "I'm having second thoughts on my little lag behind. This should have been his last chapter, but he's gone and bought himself an extension." He laughs even louder. "What a great investment he's turning out to be. I look forward to the time, when he finally breaks, but for now..." James dials a number on his cell phone. As he listens to it ring, he finishes, "I have a body to dispose of."
Chapter End
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Author Notes
Firstly, I know it's been a long time, but I've been super busy and distracted.
Beyond that little note, on to actual chapter notes. I've altered all of the Dark Scorpion card names back to their OCG names of Black Scorpion, just as Curran has been altered back to Black Magician Curran. I badly wanted to make her burn damage equal to Pikeru's heal power, but I opted not to. If people want me to, I gladly will, as she was left badly underpowered at only 300 damage a card.
Note: Defense Maiden, Black Scorpion Retreat, and Pure Pupil are all GX cards.
Note: The 3 Emissary traps Michael uses are remakes of Waboku/Emissaries os something or another in the OCG. I gave the trio a Numinous Healer style effect. It gives the deck 9 solid protection cards from various threats, but the deck must run all to get all the effects. I thought it was fair enough.
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Author Cards
The Stage Performer's Prop Chest
Continuous Spell
Effect: You can only activate this effect once per turn, during your Main Phase, while you have a face-up Magic User-Type monster on your side of the field. Select a number of cards from your hand, and shuffle them into your deck. Afterwards, draw a number of cards from your Deck equal to the number of cards shuffled into your Deck.
Defense Maiden
Continuous Trap
Effect: When your opponent attacks a monster on your side of the field, you may change the target to another monster on your side of the field.
Pure Pupil
Counter Trap
Effect: You can activate this card when you have a face-up monster with an ATK of 1000 or less on your side of the field and a monster on your opponent's side of the field activates an effect. Negate that effect, and destroy the Monster Card.
Emissary of Mercy
Trap
Effect: During the turn this card is activated, all battle damage players would receive is decreased to 0, and increase a player's Life Points by an amount equal to amount of battle damage that player would have received. If you have at least 1 "Emissary of Harmony" in your Graveyard, it's effect is activated at this time as well. If you have at least 1 "Emissary of Tranqulity" in your Graveyard, it's effect is activated at this time as well.
Emissary of Harmony
Trap
Effect: During the turn this card is activated, monsters are not destroyed as a result of battle or by card effects. If you have at least 1 "Emissary of Mercy" in your Graveyard, it's effect is activated at this time as well. If you have at least 1 "Emissary of Tranqulity" in your Graveyard, it's effect is activated at this time as well.
Emissary of Tranquility
Trap
Effect: During the turn this card is activated, all damage players would receive by a card effect is decreased to 0, and increase a player's Life Points by an amount equal to amount of damage that player would have received by a card effect. If you have at least 1 "Emissary of Harmony" in your Graveyard, it's effect is activated at this time as well. If you have at least 1 "Emissary of Mercy" in your Graveyard, it's effect is activated at this time as well.
Then and Thereafter
Spell
Effect: This card can only be activated during your Main Phase 1. Return to the start of your Standby Phase. Skip your Battle Phase for the turn this card is activated.
Black Scorpion Ambush
Trap
Effect: This card can only be activated while there are no monsters on your side of the field or the only monsters on your side of the field are face-up monsters named "Don Zaloog", "Black Scorpion - Gorg the Strong", "Black Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn", "Black Scorpion - Chick the Yellow", or "Black Scorpion - Trap Remover Cliff". Special Summon any monsters in your Graveyard named "Don Zaloog" or with "Black Scorpion" in their names. You cannot Special Summon 2 cards with the same name, and you cannot Special Summon a monster with the same name as a monster on your side of the field, by this effect. If this card was activated when your opponent's monster attacked, you may select 1 monster on your side of the field named "Don Zaloog" or with "Black Scorpion" in its name, and your opponent's monster must attack that monster.
(Art: An imperial solider attacks Chick the Yellow, and Don Zaloog, Meanae the Thorn, Gorg the Strong, and Trap Remover Cliff leap from graves surrounding the monster.)
