So sorry for this delay. Had a family situation that needed to be resolved and job searching. As some of you have guessed, this arc is starting to get close to it's end. Probably 5 or 6 chapters left, including this one. After we learn whether or not Makoto dies, we will move on to the Duel of the Manjome brothers!
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 40: Kaiser Arc – Part 12
"Way to go Ryo!" Judai cheered.
"That was really awesome!" Johan added, sounding just as impressed.
"It certainly was." Edo said.
"Incredible." Serena said in total awe, having seen Ryo's dueling skills for the first time.
"Wow." Sho admitted. Now that he finally saw him in action, he could say this alternate Ryo was every bit as strong as his brother used to be. He was actually very happy to witness it. 'Ryo… thank you. You've given me a push in the right direction. I'm not there yet, but it's a start.'
"Alright!" Grace cheered.
"That's my man." Gloria said, smiling.
"Most impressive." Principal Samejima said. It reminded him so much of the times he witnessed the Duels of the Ryo he knew.
Makoto lay there, defeated by Ryo's most impressive OTK. He stared up at the vastness of empty space, awaiting his demise. "It happened again. Once more, I got my ass handed to me by a Cyber-Style Duelist. Why?" He then sounded angry with himself. "Why the hell can't I win against you Cyber-Style bastards? Having a chance to gain the power to fulfill my task getting my revenge was why I accepted Amon's invitation to join his so called "team" to begin with. But even with the Legendary Planet I was given, I still failed my mission. Why is my Jinzo-Style not strong enough? Am I… just not worthy to avenge my dojo? Am I… just weak?"
"No. You are not weak, Makoto." Ryo said as he stood above him. "And Your Jinzo-Style isn't weak either."
"Then why couldn't I beat you?" Makoto asked, refusing to look at the man that defeated him.
"I fought for my little brother. You fought for revenge. The answer should be clear from that." Makoto scoffed at him.
"I might as well face it: I'm a failure. The Jinzo-Style is finished. There's nothing left for me."
"None of that is true!" Sho shouted at him outside the arena. "There's no reason for you or your dojo's Dueling Style to call it quits!"
"Meaning what?" Makoto asked.
"Join my Pro League!" Sho answered. Makoto was surprised enough that he actually sat up. He stared at Sho with utter confusion and disbelief.
"Me? Join your Cyber Pro League? Why would you want me to do that?" Sho smiled.
"I don't want you to have to feel alone. My Pro League welcomes all Duelists that specialize "Machine" Decks! That would include Jinzo too! You can show the world just how formidable Jinzo-Style Dueling really is! I'm sure it would inspire others to follow your example! Perhaps one day, your dojo could be restored!"
"You… think so?" Makoto asked him, now sounding hopeful. Sho nodded eagerly.
"Absolutely! Just give it a chance!"
Makoto actually started to consider the idea. Maybe he could revitalize his Jinzo-Style through the Cyber Pro League. But there was one thing Sho clearly overlooked. And that one thing chose now to take the defeated Duelist's life.
Before Makoto could say another word, The Unbreakable Earth (glowing white now) returned and held him in a tight hold.
"Makoto!" Sho shouted in dismay.
As much as he struggled, the Jinzo Duelist was unable to get free. Then, right on cue, the tentacles reappeared to claim another victim. But like before, an energy shield surrounded Makoto, blocking the tentacles.
"Our mystery helper is doing his fine work once again." Dr. Zweinstein said to Misawa, who nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. Let us hope it works like before." Misawa replied.
One of the tentacles gripped around the barrier to try to break it. It's grip increased, putting a lot of strain on it. "Gah! It's using more energy than last time! The shield will collapse within seconds if this keeps up!" Flame said as he worked tirelessly to keep the barrier up long enough to get Makoto to safety.
Ryo observed the event, feeling helpless all the while. 'Dammit! I can't stand being unable to help! There must some way I can… Huh?!' As he watched the struggle before him, Ryo felt a strong pulse from his cards. After that, a golden glow surrounded him. Somehow, he knew what was happening and didn't waste time thinking about it. Immediately, Ryo snagged the tentacle trying to crush the barrier and pulled it away with all his might.
However, as he did, something most unexpected happened. The very instant he grabbed the tentacle and pulled, Ryo felt incredible pain and everything around him shifted rapidly. A new sight was now before him… a sight he was not prepared for. Instead of Makoto being in danger, Ryo saw something even more shocking: Himself. Ryo was face to face with a black suited figure that looked just like him… except for the eyes. The eyes of pure darkness. 'What the hell?! What's going on here?! Why am I seeing myself like this?!'
On his end, Devil Kaiser shared Ryo's shock as he stared back at his vessel's counterpart. "What?! How is he seeing me all of sudden?! This shouldn't be possible!" He exclaimed to him, stunned.
'Who the hell are you?!' Ryo demanded. Instead of answering, Devil Kaiser merely snarled and tossed a card out of his hand. As he did, Ryo's vision was blinded by dark white light and yelled in pain. Alone again in the cavern, Devil Kaiser stood breathed heavily from what just transpired. If he wasn't mistaken, he had just encountered the alternate Ryo from that other world. How? He stared down at his card on the floor, unable to comprehend how it occurred.
"What… just happened?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Ryo! Ryo, wake up! Wake up!" Ryo opened his eyes. He found himself looking up at the face of his fiancée, who looked extremely worried.
"Gloria?" He asked before sitting up. Gloria immediately hugged him.
"You idiot! I thought I was going to lose you!" Ryo hugged Gloria back.
"I'm fine. I'm okay." He reassured her, though he sounded pretty shaky. Ryo then looked around. He was back in the Domain of Destruction dueling arena. He also saw that he and Gloria were the only ones in the arena. The tentacles were gone… as was Makoto and his Legendary Planet. He assumed the worst. "Gloria, what happened? Where is Makoto?"
Gloria helped Ryo onto his feet and walked with him back to their group before giving her answer. "When you grabbed that tentacle, you screamed in pain but refused to let go. Seconds later you collapsed, out cold. After that, the thing stopped trying to get to Makoto and vanished. As for Makoto himself… he disappeared right afterward."
"Then he's…" Ryo started to say but was cut off.
"No, Makoto got back to our world. Flame confirmed that before I got your ass off the floor. You helped save Makoto's life. I don't know what the hell you did, but it worked." Ryo gave her a small smile.
"I'm glad to hear that." He said softly. He then frowned, looking down as they met up with everyone. Gloria noticed it but said nothing. Ryo could vaguely hear them praising him for his spectacular dueling performance and how he helped Makoto, but gave no response. His thoughts were still on that bizarre encounter. 'Just who or what was that? Why did it have the same face as me? And what was up with those pure black eyes?' Ryo couldn't think of any answers. The whole thing was too damned confusing. He did, however, feel that whatever it was, it was very dangerous. Should he tell everyone about it? No. He would keep it to himself… at least until he knew more.
"Ryo?" Ryo was brought back to reality when Sho got his attention. "Are you alright?" He asked, worried. Ryo nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine Sho." Looking at the innocent face of his counterpart's younger brother, Ryo definitely didn't want to bring that matter up in front of Sho most of all. Who knew what kind of reaction he would have if he heard this. "You?" Sho smiled back.
"I'm okay. Also, your Duel was incredible! It reminded me so much of all of the times I watched my brother duel! I'm glad I finally got to see you in action!" Ryo smiled from Sho's praise.
"Me too." He said as he walked over and leaned on the console next to Edo.
Gloria never took her eyes off her fiancée. She could tell something was deeply troubling him but he was refusing to share it. 'Something else must have happened when he was trying to help out Makoto. But what could it be?' Whatever it was, she would grill him about it later, when their lives were not at risk.
"I didn't expect much from that punk anyway." Chosaku said after Ryo and Gloria made their way back to their team.
"Makoto was a competent Duelist. Ryo was simply too strong for him to take down." Amon explained.
"If it had been anyone else, the outcome would have been different." Echo added. Chosaku snorted.
"I doubt that very much. However, what I DON'T doubt is that I will make my little brother pay for what he did." He then walked into the arena, preparing for his revenge.
"Manjome's in for a world of hurt from his big brother." Amon said amusingly to Echo, who nodded.
"Jun! Get your good for nothing ass up here now!" Chosaku demanded. Manjome groaned.
"Great. Quality family time just got my attention." He said as he put on his Duel Disk.
"Why does your brother hate you so much, Jun?" Grace asked.
"He said something about a "sin" you committed against your family. Any idea what it could be?" Gloria inquired. Manjome shook his head.
"Not a clue. I haven't heard from either him or Shoji for a while. Honestly, we've been out of touch for some time. Probably because they still see me as a disappointment."
"That's stupid! Siblings shouldn't treat each other that way!" Grace said angrily, being a sibling herself and all. Gloria couldn't agree more on that.
"You haven't hung out with my brothers." Manjome told her before sighing deeply. "Doesn't matter. I'm gonna go up there, kick Chosaku's ass and settle this "sin" matter."
Sho also wondered what Manjome's brother could be referring to. 'It must be something really bad if Chosaku actually wants to kill his younger brother.'
"Well, I hope you do." Judai said. He encountered both of Manjome's brothers twice in the past, and he knew they were unpleasant people to begin with. Still, they were family. Surely they can work out what's happened between them, right?
"So do I." Asuka added.
"Good luck up there." Gloria told him.
"Yeah, win and come back in one piece." Grace said before pecking her boyfriend on the cheek.
"You bet I will." Manjome said with a smile before entering the arena to face his eldest brother.
"Win man!" Kenzan shouted.
"We believe in you!" Sho added.
"Don't hold back!" Serena called after him.
Both Manjome brothers were now facing each other, one downright pissed off and the other annoyed and confused as hell. "Here we are little brother, dueling against one another once again. Only this time, I will eliminate you and remove the stain you spilled on our family name." Chosaku said.
"I still don't know what the hell you're talking about! Just tell me!" Manjome heatedly demanded. Chosaku snorted with a hateful sneer.
"Don't play dumb with me! How could you not know, since what happened was all your fault?"
"Would you just spit it out already?! I'm starting to get sick of being blamed for something I know nothing about!" Manjome yelled at him.
"Yeah! Stop being all pissy and just explain yourself!" Grace said in a childish manner. The older Manjome sibling scowled at the younger.
"Fine, I'll get that out of the way so that there would be no unnecessary distractions in our Duel." Chosaku took a moment to reveal his brother's supposed sin. "Shoji is facing a huge crisis, one that affects our entire family. And it is because of you."
"What crisis?" Manjome asked. Chosaku looked like he tasted some sour grapes, trying to get the words out.
"About a week ago, a nasty incident had occurred at Shoji's company. Turned out his female assistant actually worked for a rival company to secretly launder money away to drive his own company into bankruptcy. Even our family's financial status is in jeopardy; most of our fortune was dependent on Shoji's business of operations! And you… you were in on the scam, that you picked the assistant yourself as a favor to that rival!"
"What?!" Manjome and the others shouted in unison, not believing what he was hearing. Chosaku went on.
"Yes. She admitted everything to Shoji in private before he told me. She also admitted your involvement, you ungrateful little rat!"
"That's a lie!" Manjome said, outraged. "I never talked to any assistant, let alone one playing both sides! Why would I do something like that to Shoji or anyone in our family?! In fact, when did I even have the time or opportunity?! I was busy with my time in the Pro League and dating my girlfriend!"
"Obviously you found the time and opportunity to pull it off." Chosaku said with a growl.
"I'm telling you, I didn't do anything!" Manjome argued.
"I believe him!" Grace said in his defense. "Jun would never treat his own family that way, even though you guys weren't so nice to him in the first place!"
"Same here." Gloria said. "Sounds to me like someone wants your family to suffer and is using your brother as a scapegoat."
"That makes three of us!" Judai added enthusiastically. Chosaku wouldn't hear any of it.
"Shut up, all of you! Nothing any of you say will change what happened! Jun's little stunt may cost the Manjome Group out of all it's money and he will pay for it with his life! There is nothing more for me to say on this matter, except that I will bury my turncoat of a brother into the ground! Now let's do this!" Chosaku declared before activating his Duel Disk. Manjome grunted as he did the same.
"DUEL!"
(Manjome: 4000) (Chosaku: 4000)
"I'll go first. My turn! Draw!" Manjome saw he had a way to quickly get the upper hand. "By sending a WIND "Dragon" monster or one other Level 7 or higher "Dragon" monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a certain dragon from my hand! I discard a WIND "Dragon", Armored Dragon - Armed Dragon, to unleash this bad boy: Pile Armed Dragon!" (WIND; Level 7; ATK: 2800; DEF: 1000) A bulky, red humanoid dragon in silver armor revealed itself. It was holding a three drilled weapon in it's right hand. "Then I Set one card facedown and end my turn."
"That's a good start!" Rei said, smiling. Chosaku didn't seem impressed.
"Still playing with those cards, are you? The same ones you used instead of the ones Shoji and I offered you before?"
"Same kind of Deck, but with a special new touch to it." He told him with a smirk.
"Well, they didn't help you win before and they won't help you now! My turn! Draw!" He smirked himself. "I Set one Monster facedown in Defense Mode and end my turn."
"That's it? All he did was Set a Monster." Masumi said.
"Maybe that's all he needed to do." Serena responded.
"Now Jun, will you attack… or chicken out?" Chosaku challenged. Manjome grunted.
"We both know I ain't the type to take the coward's way out! My turn! Draw! I play my facedown Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards!" However, before he made his next move, he paused. He thought he misheard Chosaku a second ago. "What did you just say?" Manjome asked his brother for confirmation. Chosaku looked at him like he didn't understand.
"Are you deaf as well as dumb, Jun? I asked you if you would attack me or not!" Manjome narrowed his eyes. Something felt off… and it had nothing to do with the Duel.
"Not quite word for word, but I got the gist of it. So where was I? Oh yeah. Battle! Pile Armed Dragon, attack that facedown Monster! Dragon Piledrive!" With it's three spinning drills, Manjome's Monster tore through Chosaku's like it was nothing. The latter smiled.
"Idiot! You did what I wanted you too! By destroying my Sealed Beast Inun and sending it to the Graveyard, I can add "Sealed Mantra" from my Deck to my hand!"
'What does that do?' Manjome asked himself. He felt he would find out soon. "Whatever, I'm still not gonna let you beat me! I Set two cards facedown and end my turn. Oh, and other thing Chosaku…"
"Yes, traitor?" Chosaku asked rudely.
"I plan to roast you, kinda like the chicken we used to eat as kids. I'm gonna roast you good." Chosaku snorted.
"That won't happen. And besides, chicken makes me sick… like you." Manjome widened his eyes for an instant.
After hearing his brother's response, Manjome knew who he was really dealing with. What he didn't know was why he was putting on this act. 'I don't get it. What kind of stupid ass reason would he have to put me through Hell like this?' He intended to get to the bottom of it.
"His brother really hates his guts, doesn't he?" Yuri questioned.
"Sure seems that way." Masumi replied.
"Now if we're done talking about cooked birds, let's move on! It's my turn! Draw! I play the Sealed Mantra you helped me get last turn! While this is in play, all my "Sealed Beast" Monsters can have their Effects activated! But before I get into that, I play another Magic card, Card of Destruction! Now we both discard all the cards in our hands and draw the same number of cards from our Decks!"
"Tch." Manjome grunted annoyingly as he sent all the cards he held to the Graveyard.
Chosaku chuckled from the cards he just drew. 'Yes! Now I can crush him and make him suffer!' He then looked back at his brother. "Jun, I have what I need in order to avenge our family and destroy you!" Manjome snorted.
"Yeah well, before you try to make good on that, I got a couple of things I need to say. First, I have done absolutely NOTHING to harm our family! That whole assistant thing never happened! It's all a hoax!"
"Liar! Do you take me for a fool, Jun?" Chosaku said condescendingly with a sneer. "Stop trying to defend yourself! You are an embarrassment to the entire Manjome Group and deserve to be erased!"
"That's the other thing I want to bring up." Manjome paused for a moment before he proceeded. "You called me a liar. But what about yourself?"
"What about me?" Chosaku asked.
"What about your lie? Why are you pretending to be our older brother?" Chosaku stiffened, eyes wide as could be and teeth gritted. That question stunned everyone, including Amon and Echo.
"What's Manjome talking about?" Judai asked while scratching his head.
"Yeah. I thought Chosaku was his oldest brother?" Grace asked.
"He is." Asuka confirmed.
"Then could he have another sibling we didn't know about?" Johan wondered.
"Maybe that's not the case." Edo said, sounding suspicious himself.
"What's that mean?" Kenzan asked. Edo didn't answer.
"I… I don't know what you mean." Chosaku questioned, now actually sounding nervous.
"Cut the crap! Out of the three of us, only one hated chicken, and we both know it wasn't Chosaku! So stop screwing around and show us your real face… Shoji!" Manjome declared while pointing.
"What?!" Nearly everyone shouted in unison.
The man who claimed to be Chosaku Manjome stood with a look of complete shock on his face. There was complete silence now as Manjome's opponent seemed like he didn't know what to do.
"Well? I'm waiting!" Manjome insisted.
After a long moment, "Chosaku" growled as he lifted a hand over his head and grabbed his hair. He then he pulled his hair off… along with the rest of his face. A completely new face was now visible to everyone. He appeared younger than Chosaku, clean shaven and his hair was dark and neatly groomed. He also looked really pissed off.
"Welp, the cat's out of the bag now." Amon admitted. Echo nodded without comment.
"Wait a sec… is he Jun's other brother?" Grace asked.
"He must be." Gloria answered.
"But why was he pretending to be Manjome's oldest brother?" Sho asked. He would get that answer pretty shortly.
"Damn you, little brother. How did you know?" Shoji Manjome demanded, furious that his deception was ruined.
"Your taunt earlier, about whether I attack you or chicken out? That's when I noticed it. That "chicken out" line was something Chosaku never said to me. You, on the other hand, use that on me all the time growing up. Still, I needed confirmation. I decided to trick you with the eating chicken thing. When the three of us eat dinner in the past, Chosaku and I always eat chicken with our noodles, but you always despised chicken so you ate beef instead. When you said chicken made you sick, that clinched it for me. I knew then you weren't the brother you said you were."
"Wow… that's actually pretty clever." Judai said, impressed.
"I always thought Manjome was a lousy detective." Kenzan said, to his friend's irritation.
"Being a detective had nothing to do with it, Dino Brain! I just know my brothers, that's all!" Manjome angrily retorted before he turned back to his brother. "So what's the deal, Shoji? Was everything you told me a bunch of bullcrap just to make me look bad? Did the real Chosaku put you up to this?" Shoji snarled but didn't answer. "Tell me Shoji!"
"I have nothing to say to you!" Shoji shouted back spitefully. "Now get ready for your punishment, Jun! I banish Sealed Beasts Inun, Nunurao, and Watsum from the Graveyard to Special Summon one of my Legendary Planets! Ascend from Hell itself, The Blazing Mars!" (FIRE; Level 8, ATK: 2600; DEF: 2200) The newest Legendary Planet appeared to be a dark silver figure attached to a very large bronze dragon's head with four red rock like horns around it.
"I do not want to tangle with that thing." Rei said nervously.
"It still isn't strong enough to destroy Pile Armed Dragon." Misawa noted. Shoji's next move proved having it attack would be unnecessary.
"Next I play Monster Reborn to Special Summon my other Legendary Planet from my Graveyard! Descend from the Heavens, The Despair Uranus!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 2900; DEF: 2300) Floating next to The Blazing Mars was a huge, ornate gold and blue orb with a mouthless face in the center. "Now for The Despair Uranus' Effect! For each face-up Magic and Trap I control, my Monster gains 300 Attack Points! It gets stronger thanks to my Sealed Mantra!"
(The Despair Uranus' ATK: 2900 + 300 = 3200)
"That's a problem." Samejima said.
"I'm almost ready! I now Normal Summon Sealed Beast Jharmjul!" (DARK; Level 3; ATK: 1200; DEF: 1400) A pale yellow reptilian creature with two horns on either side of it's head materialized between the two Legendary Planets. "I activate Jharmjul's Monster Effect! Once per turn, while "Sealed Mantra" is active on my Field, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card you control!" Immediately, one of Manjome's facedown cards was blown to bits.
'Crap! My Grave of Resurrection Trap card!' Manjome thought miserably.
"Now you are in for the worst pain in your life!" Shoji said before continuing his turn. "I send Sealed Beast Jharmjul to the Graveyard to activate the Effect of The Blazing Mars… inflicting 500 points of damage to you!" Manjome watched as the weaker Monster got swallowed up by The Blazing Mars, before a geyser erupted from beneath his feet. He groaned in pain as he felt the impact.
(Manjome: 4000 - 500 = 3500)
"Battle! The Despair Uranus, attack Pile Armed Dragon! Weil of Despair!" The orb opened it's mouth widely and fired a huge light beam that vaporized Manjome's Monster.
(3200 - 2800 = 400)
(Manjome: 3500 - 400 = 3100)
"Now he's wide open!" Johan said. Manjome braced himself for what was coming next.
"Hope this hurts! The Blazing Mars, Direct Attack! Syrtis Major!" The dragon head's mouth also opened to unleash a giant dark fireball from right above Manjome. As it hit him, his loud painful scream could be heard by all.
"No! Manjome!" Judai yelled.
"JUN!" Grace screamed. Shoji chuckled with sick delight when he saw his younger brother lying on the arena floor on his stomach, badly burned.
(Manjome: 3100 - 2600 = 500)
"You know, I could use The Blazing Mars' Effect again by Sacrificing The Despair Uranus to finish you, but that would end things too quickly. I want you to suffer like I have, so I'll let you live a little longer. Until I'm done with you, I'll Set one card facedown and end my turn." Shoji said.
"How could that maniac take pleasure in harming his own brother like that?" Gloria questioned, sickened by Shoji's actions.
"Hatred can make someone do horrible things." Ryo said, disgusted as well.
Judai tightened his fists in anger. He hated seeing his friend and rival being pummeled like that and could do nothing to help. 'These life or death Duels… why do they have to happen? Why do people get hurt like this? It's just not right!'
"It is cruel. That is why there like you to fight back against such evil. Stay strong Judai, soon you will have a chance to put a stop it." Yubel advised. Judai reluctantly agreed.
"Jun! Get up! Please get back up!" Grace yelled, wishing to rush in there and help her man. "I don't want to lose you!"
Hearing her words, Manjome opened his eyes and grunted painfully as he slowly got back up. First on his hands, then he pushed himself up on his knees before shakily standing up once more. Shoji was stunned, as was Amon and Echo.
"Yes! I knew you weren't a quitter!" Grace said happily.
"I'm surprised you even survived that assault, let alone be able to stand up again. I was hoping you would stay done and skip your next turn." Shoji admitted. Manjome chuckled weakly.
"Sorry to… disappoint you." He said breathlessly. Shoji smirked.
"Doesn't matter. I don't think you can win on your next turn anyway. You look like you will drop any moment."
"Don't… count on it." Manjome said. "I plan to kick your ass. Plus, I still want… answers from you." His brother frowned.
"If you want to know so badly, then fine." Shoji glanced over at Amon, then back at his brother before he finally explained himself.
"I've never forgiven you for not using our rare cards in that inter-school Duel with Judai Yuki, and I despised you even more when you foiled me and Chosaku's plan to take control of Duel Academy. I wanted revenge, to make you pay for being such an impediment to our family. But Chosaku thought differently. Even though he lost against you in your Duel against him, he said he you've grown more than we expected. I think he was actually starting to respect you, in spite of everything."
"Chosaku... really said that?" Manjome said, shocked.
"He did. but that was not how I felt. I still wanted to get back at you. However, there was nothing I could do at the time. But then, my chance came a week ago when he got a surprise visit from Amon Garam himself." Shoji said as he glanced back at their "team leader".
"Amon?!" Manjome asked. Shoji went on.
"He informed me of his crazy plan to revive his comatose little brother after he talked to Chosaku. Amon told him he wanted him to take part in it, figuring he would sympathize with him when it came to little brothers. He promised to help him and me to take over Duel Academy afterward in return. However, to his surprise, Chosaku refused. He told Amon that while his offer was very tempting, there were some lines even the Manjome Group don't cross... such as taking lives. He ended their discussion there and then."
"Guess Manjome's oldest brother isn't as heartless as we thought." Judai said.
"So how did you get involved?" Manjome asked.
"Unbeknownst to both of them, I was eavesdropping just outside Chosaku's office. When their talk was over, I moved aside just before the door open and Amon walked out before closing the door behind him. I walked after him until we were outside the building, when he turned around to face me. Apparently he knew I was following him the whole time and figured I wanted to talk to him once we were safe outside. I told him I didn't care about the offer myself, but I was much more interested in getting rid of you. I told Amon I would help him with his mission if he agreed to help me get my revenge. He agreed, making sure you and I would both be here."
"But how did you even know I would be here today?" Manjome inquired.
"Amon has connections due to his current influence of being "temporary" head of the Garam Group." Shoji said, earning a scowl from Amon. "He had your phone line tapped and learned when you would arrive on the island for your date. He then informed me and... here I am."
"Tapping phones? Don't people get arrested for that if you're not F.B.I. or something?" Johan asked.
"Only if you get caught." Shoji remarked.
"That still doesn't explain you pretending to be Chosaku or that "scandal" of yours." Manjome pointed out. Shoji grunted.
"I'm getting there. I knew Chosaku would not be happy if he knew I took Amon's deal, so I kept it from him. Just before meeting up with Amon to confront you, I informed my brother I needed to take a vacation to unwind. He saw no problem with it. In reality, I rendezvoused with Amon in secret. I told him of how I will would get my revenge: By putting on the face of our eldest brother and coming up with a notorious scandal about my company in danger of bankruptcy and how it affected the rest of us... and putting all the blame on you."
"So you did make all that up!" Manjome yelled, outraged. Shoji stared back with just as much anger.
"I wanted you to suffer. I wanted to see you struggle to "try" to prove your innocence and failing before your life expired in this intergalactic hell hole. To make it more unbearable, I wanted all of it to come from the mouth of your oldest brother. I wanted you to see and feel the disappointment and betrayal you were accused of causing by the head of our family! But you weren't supposed to see through my deception! I had hoped you would be more stupid than that!"
"Guess that shows you how much you really know about me." Manjome taunted.
"But Shoji! This is wrong! You don't really want to kill your own brother do you?!" Sho questioned strongly, not believing the guy would go that far. Shoji still stared back at his brother with pure hatred.
"He's no brother to me... not anymore. The only thing I see is a failure and a disgrace to the Manjome name. He deserves to be erased from our family line. After I win this Duel, my desire will become reality."
'Shoji...' Manjome muttered, pitying his older sibling.
"That's so wrong." Fubuki said.
Sho hated what was happening. In a way, this was kind of parallel to his feelings about his own brother. There were times he felt he failed to earn his brother's respect as a Duelist. But he eventually earned it. Also, he never wanted to cause harm to Ryo. Sho's burning of the Cyber Dark cards, however, did just that... eventually leading up to Ryo's death. It was something he never, ever wanted.
Shoji's feelings were the exact opposite. He wanted nothing to do with his own brother anymore and planned to end him for good. Was there truly no way to make him believe otherwise?
Manjome stood up straighter now and prepared for what could be his last turn. "Shoji, you dumbass. I ain't planning on dying today. All I'm planning on doing… is winning this Duel! MY TURN! DRAW!" He smiled. He got what he needed to start his big play. "First off, I play Armed Dragon Flash! With this, I can Special Summon a Level 3 "Armed Dragon" Monster from my Deck in Defense Mode! I'm bringing out Armed Dragon Thunder LV 3!" (WIND; Level 3; ATK: 1200; DEF: 900) A small orange and light purple dragon appeared, and it was covered by an electrical field.
"Armed Dragon… Thunder?" Judai asked, stunned by the name change.
"Seems like Manjome has a new version of his Armed Dragon." Misawa said, thinking it wasn't the only one.
"I activate my Monster's Effect! Once per turn, by discarding a Monster to the Graveyard, I can send my Armed Dragon Thunder LV 3 to the Graveyard and Special Summon a stronger version from my hand or Deck! I discard a second Armed Dragon Thunder LV 3 to bring out it's evolved form from my Deck! Evolve! Armed Dragon Thunder LV 5!" (WIND; Level 5; ATK: 2400; DEF: 1700) An older, bulkier version of Armed Dragon Thunder appeared in the smaller one's place. It looked similar, but it had two rows of spikes on either side of it's chest along with three lightning bolt symbols in the center and both it's fists crackled with electricity. "That's not all! Since my second Armed Dragon LV 3 went to the Graveyard to activate a "Dragon" Monster's Effect, I can draw another card!"
Shoji became weary of his brother's plans and needed to be prepared. "I'm not giving you the chance to get to me! Trap card open, Gravity Bind! As long as this is active, all Level 4 and higher Monsters cannot attack!"
"That includes your Monsters too!" Manjome pointed out.
"Did you forget? I won't need to attack!" Shoji retorted, reminding him of The Blazing Mars' Effect. "And remember the Effect of The Despair Uranus? With a Trap card active on my Field, it gets 300 points stronger!" The huge orb glowed blue as it's power grew again.
(The Despair Uranus' ATK: 3200 + 300 = 3500)
"Yeah, I haven't forgotten anything! Still, your Trap doesn't change a damn thing! I now activate the Effect of Armed Dragon Thunder LV 5! By sending a Monster in my hand to the Graveyard, like another copy of LV 5, I can evolve my dragon to it's next stage! From my Deck, Evolve! Armed Dragon Thunder LV 7!" (WIND; Level 7; ATK: 2800; DEF: 1000) Manjome's dragon became older and bigger once again. It now became red with dark silver armor, and also was sparked with electrical charge. "And since LV 5 was sent to the Graveyard by a "Dragon"'s Effect, I can add a Level 5 or higher WIND "Dragon" from my Deck to my hand once per turn! I'm choosing Armed Dragon Thunder LV 10!"
"What's he planning?" Serena asked.
"Something tells me it's gonna be good." Judai said, smiling.
"Next I activate a Continuous Magic card, Armed Dragon Lightning! Now I'll use it's Effect to add a "Armed Dragon" with a Level equal to or lower than one I have on my Field from the Graveyard to my hand once per turn! I'm taking back one of my copies of Armed Dragon Thunder LV 3! Now I discard it to activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV 7's Effect! It goes to the Graveyard so I can Special Summon it's strongest form from my hand! Evolve to your greatest level! ARMED DRAGON THUNDER LV 10!" (WIND; Level 10; ATK: 3000; DEF: 2000) The new dark red and silver armored dragon with six wings and a long armored tail stood taller than all the others. "Since it was Special Summoned by the Effect of a "Armed Dragon" Monster and it's Attack Points are over 1000, it gains the following Effects: It's name becomes "Armed Dragon LV 10", control of it can't be switched, it can't be destroyed in battle, and once per my opponent's turn I can discard a card to destroy one card on the Field and give my dragon 1000 Attack Points!"
"Cool!" Rei said, liking the new Monster.
"I'm not intimidated Jun! You still can't get to my Life Points!" Shoji said.
"I'm not done yet! I play my own Monster Reborn to bring back Pile Armed Dragon!" Manjome's first Monster returned and stood next to it's counterpart. "Next is Pile Armed Dragon's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can send an "Armed Dragon" from my hand or Deck to the Graveyard, except "Pile Armed Dragon", and give Attack Points of another Monster I control equal to that discarded Monster's Level times 300! From my Deck, I'm sending a second Armed Dragon Thunder LV 10 to the Graveyard! And since it's a Level 10 Monster, the one on my Field gains 300 times that many points… 3000!"
(300 x 10 = 3000)
(Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's ATK: 3000 + 3000 = 6000)
'6000 Attack Points. But with Gravity Bind still active, Manjome can't attack.' Edo noted to himself.
"There is one catch from using this Effect; now I can only attack with one Monster this turn. Lucky for me, that won't be a hassle! Just one more step to go! Trap card open, Armed Dragon Thunderbolt! This increases the Attack Points of an "Armed Dragon" Monster I control by 1000 for each "Armed Dragon" in my Graveyard with an equal or lower Level than itself and with different names from each other! The downside is that I can't inflict battle damage to you with my Ace this turn, but I can work around that! As for how many "Armed Dragon" Monsters my dragon gets a power boost from, I have four: Armed Dragon Thunder LV3, LV5, LV7, and Armored Dragon - Armed Dragon! Which means my new Ace's power goes up by another 4000!"
"But that means…!" Masumi started.
"10,000 Attack Points!" Yuri finished, just as shocked as she was.
(1000 x 4 = 4000)
(Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's ATK: 6000 + 4000 = 10,000)
"It doesn't matter how much your dragon evolves or how much stronger it gets! You cannot win if it can't attack!" Shoji said arrogantly. Manjome smiled big time.
"There's no need! Now that it's Attack Points have reached 10,000, my Monster can use it's strongest Effect!"
"Strongest Effect?" Shoji asked.
"Oh yeah! Once per turn, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 can destroy all other cards on the Field!" Manjome revealed to his brother's horror.
"IT CAN WHAT?!" Shoji practically screamed, now panicking for the first time.
"You heard me! But before that happens, I'm sending my Armed Dragon Lightning to the Graveyard to prevent the destruction of a "Armed Dragon" I control by a card effect, namely Pile Armed Dragon!" Manjome shot his fist in the air and did his personal chant, his hand making different signs as he did. "Here it comes! One! Ten! Hundred! Thousand! MANJOME THUNDER!" At the very same time, his Ace lifted up it's own fist, just like it's master, which became extremely charged up before crashing it down to the ground. When it did, a giant lightning bolt struck and obliterated all of Shoji's cards, leaving him with nothing.
"NO! MY LEGENDARY PLANETS! THEY'RE BOTH GONE!" Shoji cried.
"That was totally awesome, Manjome!" Judai cheered. His rival smirked, pleased that his comeback worked just as planned… along with throwing in some of his personal "flare".
"I love your chant Jun! It totally suits you!" Grace said adoringly, hearts in her eyes.
"She really is into him, isn't she?" Asuka said with a smile.
"Oh yeah." Gloria replied with a sigh.
Shoji now looked more pissed than ever. "Damn you Jun! I swear I will destroy you on my next turn!"
"Actually… you won't." Manjome told him.
"Meaning what? You yourself said that your LV 10 dragon can't damage me in battle this turn and your only other Monster isn't strong enough to deplete my Life Points!" Shoji summarized in outrage. Manjome smirked.
"All true, but that's where my finishing touch comes in! I Equip Pile Armed Dragon with Megamorph!"
"NOT THAT!" Shoji shrieked.
"Yes that! Since my Life Points are so much lower than yours, it's Attack Points are doubled!" Pile Armed Dragon gave a loud roar as it's power went way up.
(Pile Armed Dragon's ATK: 2800 x 2 = 5600)
"Finish it!" Fubuki shouted. Manjome did just that.
"I'm ending this now "Big Brother"! Battle! Pile Armed Dragon… DIRECT ATTACK! DRAGON PILEDRIVE!" With it's drills spinning again, the Monster lunged forward and struck his master's opponent hard, making him scream as he hit the floor, defeated.
(Shoji: 0)
"So much for his vengeance." Amon said.
"He was too blinded by his hatred to see what was coming. It was his own fault." Echo replied.
Manjome walked over to his defeated brother, who only frowned when looking up at him. "Dammit. You should be one down here, not the other way around. First Chosaku, now me. You humiliated us both now, Jun. Feeling high and mighty now, aren't you?" Shoji said weakly. Manjome glared down at him, frustrated.
"You think I wanted to see you like this? Hell no. I only took you down because you forced me to fight back. I took no pleasure in beating you. What happened here... was on you and only you."
"So then what happens when my life gets taken? Will you cry in agony over my passing, or will you say "good riddance" and be done with it?" Shoji asked, still angry and hurt. Manjome took on a pained expression as he knelt down, picked up Shoji by the collar, and slapped him across the face. This act shocked him. What shocked Shoji even more was the tears now starting to flow out of his younger brother's eyes.
"You numbskull! Don't you get it? Just because we don't see eye to eye doesn't change the fact that we are brothers! You may have wanted to kill me, but I didn't! All I have ever wanted from you and Chosaku was respect, encouragement, and acceptance! I have appreciated you guys for getting me into Duel Academy from the very beginning! I'm competing in the Pro League not just for my career, but also to pay you two back for getting my path started! Chosaku may start to see me that way, but what about you? Don't you feel the same at all?"
"Jun..." Shoji was left speechless from his brother's words. Whatever he expected for him to say, it wasn't that. "I..." He didn't get to finish when the familiar scene happened again.
Shoji's Legendary Planets came back for their master's soul. The Blazing Mars grabbed him by the arms while The Despair Uranus fired a light beam that went through his chest. He yelled from the pain.
"Shoji!" Manjome yelled. The two Monsters glowed and began sucking out Shoji's life force. Strangely, those bothersome tentacles didn't show up this time like those other times. Manjome found that very odd. 'Why haven't those tentacles appeared? Did something happen to the thing that sent them?' It didn't matter. He just hoped this lucky break would last long enough.
As before, a red barrier appeared around Shoji and he glowed a few seconds afterward. He was scared as Hell the whole time. Both Manjome brothers stared at one another for a long moment before the older one and his Monsters all vanished.
Misawa and Zweinstein immediately looked down at the console and saw the message they expected: "Shoji Manjome has been returned to Duel Academy. We got lucky with this one." Flame added. Now only two enemy Duelists remain before the gang could get out of here. Flame hoped both Judai and Asuka were up to the task in their upcoming matches. They would need all the luck they could get.
To be continued.