Sorry for the long wait guys. I've had writer's block. I've been toying around with this chapter for over a month. I need to clean to up a bit, but I do that later. This chapter continues the duel between Manjoume and the first Holy Knight, Pegasus. Why is Pegasus a Knight? You have to keep reading to find that out. Manjoume was pushed up against the wall by Pegasus' Toons and now he has no idea how he is going to get out of it. Fubuki, Yusei, Kaiba, Yugi, Jack, Aki, and Crow are watching the duel, while the others are waiting for the Watcher to return from his quest to find clues about the Savior Group's location. I admit that this chapter focuses on the duel more than anything else and only Manjoume and the people who are with him will be featured in this chapter. Sorry, but if I tried to fit any more than I did this would be way longer than it already is.

When I created the Duelist Profile it was tie between Kaiba and Manjoume, so I choose to do Manjoume since he was dueling in this chapter. I forgot to close the poll, so the results are Kaiba with 3 votes to Manjoume's 2 votes. To be honest I didn't feel like changing character profile so I kept it as Manjoume. I do not want to people to think their votes didn't matter, so I'll do the profile for Kaiba next chapter. I apologize for neglecting to close the poll and creating this mess. In the future I will pay more attention to it in the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! DM, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds

Duelist Profile:

Name: Manjoume Jun

Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX

Age: 18

Occupation: Duelist

Ace Monster: Ojama Yellow

Other Featured Monsters: Ojama Green, Ojama Black, Ojama King, Armed Dragon LV 3, Armed Dragon LV 5, Armed Dragon LV 7, Armed Dragon LV 10, Masked Dragon, V-Tiger Jet, W-Wing Catapult, X-Head Cannon, Y-Head Dragon, Z-Metal Tank, VW-Tiger Catapult, XYZ Dragon Cannon, and VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon;

Titles: Manjoume Thunder, Manjoume White Thunder, & Manjoume Black Thunder

Notable Info: Manjoume Jun was born into the Manjoume Group. From a young age he was pressured by his elder brothers to become the top of the dueling world to secure the Manjoume Group's place in the world. It is because of this pressure that Jun pushed himself to become a powerful duelist. Upon entering Duel Academia he was inducted into the Obelisk blue house. His upbringing and talent in dueling made him arrogant and he began to look down on others. When he was defeated by Yuki Judai in practical duel exam he was humbled. This incident is also what sparked their rivalry. He briefly attended North Academia. Manjoume Jun was chosen to represent the school in their annual duel against Duel Academia where he battle Yuki Judai once more. He was defeated by Judai once more, but showed significant improvement. He returned to Duel Academia afterwards. He was one of the seven duelists chosen to hold and guard one of the seven keys to the Spirit Gate which held the three Phantom Demons. In his second year at Duel Academia he was infected by the Light of Destruction and joined the Society of Light. He was freed during a duel with Yuki Judai. He won the Genex World Tournament. In his third and final year at Duel Academia he was involved in Yubel's plot to transport Duel Academia to another dimension and battled Darkness' forces. He also defeated Pro League duelist Edo Phoenix and broke away from his brothers. After he graduated Duel Academia he became a professional duelist in the Pro League. Since he has entered the Pro League he has won numerous duels and has been on winning streak. His victories have allowed him to jump in the ranks.

Personal Notes: Manjoume Jun has grown considerably in the last four years. He still very prideful, but has gained respect for others, particular his opponents. His deck reflects his growth. He continues to use Ojama monsters despite their low attack power. He uses them in combos to bring out their true potential.

Final Evaluation: Manjoume Jun is a powerful duelist. He is loyal to his friends and allies. These qualities make him a valuable asset in the battle against the Savior Group.

Things were becoming blurry. He could hardly make out his opponent's outline let alone his face. Did he really lose this much strength? His breathing was labored. Even his legs betrayed him with their wobbling. Obviously his body had forgotten who was in charge. It would follow his command. He would accept nothing less. With much effort and will Manjoume was able to focus his sights on the enemy. No longer was he a blur. Now he could clearly make out the long white mane that was his hair. He could see the huge childlike yet sinister smirk. He could even see the strange black markings on his enemy's face. This was interesting because the last time Manjoume had seen this man he did not have any of those markings. There was more to this duel than he knew.

"Come on, Thunder-boy! It's your turn," Pegasus cried gleefully.

"S-Shut up! I know that!" Manjoume shouted back. The former Obelisk was still trying to quall his body's mutiny. Pegasus' overly cheery and frankly annoying voice was not helping him in the slightest.

Pegasus chuckled at the younger man's response. He could tell that the duel was taking its toll on Manjoume. This was a Game of Darkness, a game that he was quite familiar with. He knew how much stamina it took to participate in one. He was the former owner of the Sennen item, the Millennium Eye and although he no longer possessed it his body was still in condition to handle these games. His opponent on the other hand had suffered two direct attacks from two of his wonderful Toons. As a result he reduced his life points near extinction. His strength was all, but gone and he was at Pegasus' mercy. "Oh, could it be that you have thrown in the towel? Is that the case?" he mocked. He put his hands on his waist and closed his eyes, smiling with care free manner of a child. "I can't blame you though. In this situation victory is nil. I have an army of invincible Toons! They can't be attacked by non-Toon monsters and cannot be destroyed by monster effects thanks to Toon Stop Sign."

Pegasus: 2900

Hand: 4

Toon Masked Sorcerer ATK: 900 DEF: 1400 LVL 4

Toon Armed Dragon LV 10 ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LVL 10

Toon Summoned Skull ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200 LVL 6

Toon World

Toon Stop Sign

Facedown Card

Pegasus continued, "While you on the other hand have no monsters on your field to even guard your life points, not that it would help mind you. My Toons can attack you directly regardless of if you have a monster on your field and you only have 200 life points."

Manjoume: 200

Hand: 6

No Monsters.

Facedown Card: 1

The group made up of Yugi, Yusei, Aki, Kaiba, Fubuki, Jack, and Crow watched the unfortunately one sided duel. Fubuki wore an expression mixed with dread and regret. His old student was in a real pinch. He was not sure if he could get out of it. It seemed as though Manjoume's Thunder had died down and that he would be joining Asuka. Crow clenched his hands into fists to try and relieve the anger he was feeling. Manjoume's life was in danger and there was nothing they could do. He was signer, so why did he feel so powerless? He looked to his left to see Jack's face was straight with no apparent worry or anger on it. However, his eyes told a different story. When Crow looked into Jack's eyes he saw concern for their new black clothed friend. True he did not know him well, but all duelists were connected through love of the game. Nobody would want to watch this match, this horrifying match, which would lead to nothing, but pain and suffering. That was simply not what dueling was about. Aki wore her emotions on her sleeve. Her eyes leaked her emotions, making her easier to read than Jack. Terror radiated within her chocolate orbs, terror that Manjoume would lose his life. But there was also a sense of pity for the Ojama duelist who was battling for his friend. Guilt resided in there as well. She couldn't help, but think that if she hadn't put Asuka in such critical condition that Manjoume wouldn't be out there fighting the Knight. The original King of Duelists gritted his teeth, silently seething his frustration. He furrowed his eyebrows in disgust at the Game of Darkness being played. Kaiba was as steady as a rock. Unlike Jack his eyes did not betray any sign of concern or anger at Manjoume's plight. Yusei matched the Blue Eyes duelist neutrality.

"So these are Toon monsters," Fubuki said. "I've only heard about them, but have never seen them personally. I didn't know they were this powerful."

"Those disgraceful monsters that have no pride are bothersome," Kaiba stated.

Aki turned to the brunet haired man. "You know of these monsters?"

"Of course I do. Pegasus is using the same distasteful tactics as always."

Yugi elaborated, "Pegasus used Toon monsters against both Kaiba-kun and me when battled him in Duelist Kingdom."

Aki widened her eyes slightly to show her surprised. "I didn't know there were such monsters. Pegasus' deck has never been documented. The little information that we do have on his dueling record is that up until he lost to you that he was undefeated," she explained to Yugi.

This time it was Yugi who was caught by surprise. "Aki-chan, are you telling me that all you have on Pegasus' deck is his battle record?"

Aki nodded. "I am afraid that is all I know of from school, but maybe Security has more information," she suggested. She looked over to Yusei wondering if he understood her "subtle" suggestion.

Yusei shook his head. "All the times that I hacked into Public Security Maintenance Bureau's database I have never seen anything about Pegasus J Crawford's deck. I doubt that type of information would need to be kept a secret."

Kaiba chuckled, drawing attention to him. "I see. Pegasus kept any information on his deck from being published. Most likely as a way to keep his deck a secret to catch any of his opponents unaware. I never thought he would sink so low as to give himself such an advantage."

"That must be it," Crow agreed. "It's working. Manjoume has no idea on how to deal with these Toon monsters."

Jack snorted. "Such unfavorable tactics are unforgivable! Pegasus may have created the game, but he knows nothing of the heart of a true duelist!"

The other silently agreed with Jack. Yugi was plagued by doubt. He knew that Pegasus was not above using underhanded tactics in the past, such as using people to duel for him in order to create emotional havoc on them. He attempted to use a soulless Mokuba to duel in his stead against Kaiba at Duelist Kingdom. However, when Atemu and he had defeated the creator he had seemed to reform his ways. After reading his journal Yugi understood that the reason Pegasus went to such lengths to achieve victory was so he could see his deceased love again. The man was far from being a saint, but this seemed out of character for the new him. This was not the Pegasus who allied with them to stop Doma, or who hosted a charity event to give free cards to orphans, or the one that awarded Jounouchi and himself the Yu-Jo Friendship card and told them that their bond was to always be treasured. Something was off, something had changed him.

'Why would Pegasus keep his deck a secret? He rarely duels anymore and even when he does he never duels in big tournaments. He wouldn't benefit for keeping his Toon deck a secret. In fact in my time his Toon cards are known since our duel at Duelist Kingdom. The fact that Fubuki-kun knows about the Toon monsters is a testimony to that. Why is it in this time that Yusei-kun, Aki-chan, and others know nothing of his deck? Unless...'

"The timeline has been altered," Yugi muttered.

"What?" Aki questioned.

"The Savior Group went into business with Industrial Illusions, they made a deal with Pegasus. One of their objectives must have been to recruit Pegasus. That would explain why he is one of the Knights and why things have changed between my time and this time."

"What do you mean by things have changed?" Yusei questioned.

"Pegasus' deck, there was an article on it," he revealed. The signers and Fubuki let out surprised gasps, while Kaiba tried to contain his surprise, but still let out a small gasp of his own. "I read it a year ago, but it had a list of cards he used. Toon World and the Toon monsters were listed under it."

"You are speaking non-sense, Yugi. If such an article existed than Pegasus deck wouldn't be unknown in this time," Kaiba reasoned.

"Unless that article and all other information pertaining to it were eradicated," Yusei suggested.

Jack gave his foster brother/rival a questioning gaze. "Eradicated, what do you mean by that, Yusei?"

"I mean that the Savior Group got their hands on all information having to do with Pegasus' deck and erased it, so that now in this time there are no references to any of his cards. That is what you were thinking right, Yugi-san."

"That's right, Yusei-kun."

"All this means is that Pegasus joined the Savior Group and made himself our enemy once again," Kaiba stated nonchalantly.

"But why would he join up with them?" Yugi asked aloud. "Pegasus, what is your aim?" he wondered. 'Do those strange marking have anything to do with your allegiance to Koji and the Savior Group?'

Pegasus wide smile was still plastered to his face. He glared at the Ojama duelist. He knew Manjoume would fall. He had to fall or else their plan would fail. Failure was not an option. He would defeat Manjoume first then if he needed to both Yugi and Kaiba. They would all fall until he battled the one called Yusei. They needed his card, Stardust Dragon in order to achieve their goal to awaken the Savior. The Savior would destroy this diseased world and wipe away all of its imperfections. In its place a new world would be created, the ideal world. The world she would have wanted to live in. "Come on, Thunder-boy! Make a move or forfeit. It makes no difference to me. I will obtain Stardust Dragon!" he declared.

Manjoume forced his hand on top of his deck. His body had finally gotten under his control again. "My turn, draw!"

In ancient times when man was still new two cosmic beings were charged with watching over humanity. These beings were known as the Watchers. They did their assigned task for eons. However one of Watchers haven grown tired of human kind's senseless violence overstepped his boundaries and sought to enforce his will on man. When that failed he deemed humanity a loss cause. He sought to correct this by cleansing the universe and recreating it from scratch. Having seen the extent of his brother's madness the other Watcher sought to stop him by gathering three champions, the mage, the warrior, and the dragon. Their combined powers stopped the fallen Watcher and sealed him away. Today the fallen one has awakened and gathered a new group of loyal followers to help him achieve his mad goal.

In response the Watcher has gathered three new champions to stop him. These new champions are heroes from across time and space that have each played a role in saving the world. These three each hold a card that embodies one of the original three champions. By bringing them together the Watcher hopes that they will reproduce their miraculous feats and save all Time and Space. Besides these three cards these people are connected by something else, a title known throughout each of their time periods. These people will all eventually share the name, King of Duelists.

Chapter 21 All Attacks Useless! The Terror of Thousand-Eyes Restrict Reborn!

All eyes were on the scowling dark haired man as he drew his card. Their thoughts varied. The Toon duelist only saw this as a formality. It was clear that he was the victor. His next attack would see to that. Manjoume's allies hoped that he would find some way to persevere, despite the overwhelming odds.

He drew the card from his deck and placed it to his hand. He had drawn his partner and sometimes ace monster, Ojama Yellow. Just as luck would have it he did not possess any of his Ojama cards on hand to use against the creator of Duel Monsters. The little yellow spirit materialized beside him.

"Sorry, Big Bro. I can't take those things on!" Ojama Yellow pointed at the three Toon monsters. Their appearance was far from intimidating. However, their oversized proportion body parts and goofy features hid their true sinister and overwhelming power. Ojama Yellow saw their true power and it frightened him. "Big bro, what are you going to do? They are too strong!" he whined.

The Black Thunder shoved the little annoying monster out of his way. "Shut up already, will you? I have enough to worry about without having to hear you blabbering!"

He was surprised for a bit, but he quickly reined it in. He had no idea that his opponent could communicate with and see spirits. That made things more intriguing. "Thunder-boy can see spirits can he?"

Unable to stop himself the former Obelisk jumped in surprise. Usually nobody could see the Ojamas except for a select few, such as Judai or Johan. People with the ability to see or hear spirits was so rare that he had come to expect people to think he was mental when he argued with his "partners."

"Is it that surprising to think that the creator of Duel Monsters can't see Duel Monster spirits himself?" He pointed his thumb to the tri color haired man standing on the sidelines. "I bet Yugi-boy can see it too. After all he was the owner of a Sennen item and has inherited their powers."

'Yugi can see Duel Monster spirits like me and Judai,' Manjoume thought.

Pegasus continued, "Of course your spirit friend cannot help you out of this situation. There is nothing you can do that can change that."

A smirk formed on his face. "Are you sure about that?"

"Hmm?" hummed Pegasus. His brow furrowed in perplexity.

"You were too rash in your last move. Playing Card of Sanctity allowed me to draw cards, because of that I drew something useful," he bragged. He placed a card in one of the magic/trap sections on his white and blue Obelisk duel disk. "I play the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light!"

The Toon monsters were surrounded by blades of light. They were sealed into a prison of light. Their very movement restricted to the point where they could not even wiggle their appendages. Shocked Pegasus could only stand there stunned. On the sidelines the group let cries of cheer.

"For three of your turns you cannot attack me. Your Toon Monsters won't be able to touch me now!"

Crow pumped his right arm into the air then pulled it down to show his zealous. "Alright now Manjoume bought himself some time to come up with a plan!"

Jack nodded. "Even if his Toon monsters can attack Manjoume directly that ability depends on them being able to attack."

Pegasus' shock was short lived and his huge grin returned. "Well done, Thunder-boy. But Swords of Revealing Light is only a temporary solution. It is hardly anything to celebrate about. Its power only seals my monsters and prevents them from attacking. However, that power is useless unless you draw something that can defeat my monsters in your next three turns. That is assuming I don't draw something to destroy it first."

Kaiba hated to agree with the man who had caused him such grief in the past, but Pegasus was correct. Swords of Revealing Light were a useful card, but it wasn't a game changer on its own. If Manjoume did not draw anything he could use to combat the Toons it would be worthless. "Now we see if his ability to draw what he needs is keen enough to get him out of this."

The former Obelisk and his partner stared at the imprisoned Toons and their master. Manjoume glared daggers at his opponent. He annoyed him so much. What made it worse was the fact that Pegasus ignored his glare all together and just smirked at him. "I set one monster in defense mode." A giant sized Duel Monsters card appeared horizontally before him. "Turn end." 'By playing my monsters facedown I can avoid Toon Armed Dragon LV 10's effect to destroy them. But even if I do that no amount of monsters is going to stop a direct attack when Swords of Revealing Light end. I better hope he doesn't draw anything that can destroy magic cards.'

Swords of Revealing Light: 3

"My turn, draw!" He drew his card and placed it in his hand. The conceited smirk made its unwanted appearance (unwanted to Manjoume anyway). "I special summon Toon Mermaid in defense mode."

A giant white/grayish clam appeared on his far right. It even possessed eyes. It opened up revealing a cartoonish mermaid as its name suggested.

Toon Mermaid ATK: 1400 DEF: 1500 LVL 4

"Next I set two cards." Two cards materialized in front of him filling up his magic/trap zone. A mischievous smirk formed on his lips. He pushed a button on his duel disk. "Trap open, Toon Rejuvenation!" A pink card opened up. On the card was the image of Toon Blue Eyes White Dragon, Toon Dark Magician Girl, Toon Summoned Skull, Toon Mermaid, and Manga Ryu-Ran circling around a man whose features were obscured by darkness. "Now during my end phase I will receive 500 life points for each Toon monster I control."

The black cladded man's scowl intensified. He clenched hand into a fist. Things kept getting worse and worse for him. Even with his latest play victory continued to pull further and further ahead of him.

"Turn end. Because it is the end phase and I control four Toons I receive 2000 life points!" He threw his arms into the air. His four monsters circled him. Their bodies started to radiate with white glow. The mystical glow hit the creator. His body was overcome with a soothing and invigorating sensation.

Pegasus: 4900

Hand: 3

Manjoume: 200

Hand: 5

The rejuvenation had finished the monsters unnatural glow ceased. They returned to the front line to guard their master. The blades of light returned to continue their imprisonment.

Swords of Revealing Light: 2

Pegasus returned his arms to his side. He still reveled in the immense warmth of his trap card. Game of Darkness induced indescribable amounts of pain, but it was rare occasions such as this that they could give a person an equally wonderful feeling. "Just two more turns until I can attack again, Thunder-boy. Just two more chances for you to try and fight back," he gloated.

Damn his opponent's voice was becoming so annoying. He would give anything to shut him up. Perhaps his deck would provide him with something that could do just that. "My turn, draw!" Manjoume flipped over his newly drawn card. When his eyes landed on it they bulged out of his sockets. The proud and arrogant half smirk materialized on his lips. The amazement in his black eyes faded into a wicked, knowing look. He chuckled to himself. "I play the magic card, Lightning Vortex!"

A horrified gasp escaped the Knight's lips. "N-Not Lightning Vortex!" he cried.

Manjoume could not help, but take joy at the fact that he had gotten over on his opponent. "You are the creator of Duel Monsters, so you probably already know its effects, but I'll explain anyway. I discard one card from my hand then all face up monsters on your side of the field is destroyed." He discarded one card into the graveyard. Out of nowhere four bolts materialized in the air. They came crashing down, threatening to strike down all of the energetic and childlike man's monsters.

Pegasus put his hands on his head. He let out a frightened bellow. "Ah! Oh no! This is terrible! I cannot believe you found a way to defeat my invincible army of Toons! This can't be! I'm actually going to be defeated! Just kidding," he laughed out. Instantaneously his worried ravaged face straightened. He was the picture of restraint. "Trap open, Toon Magic Guard!" A pink card opened up before him. On the card was the image of Toon Mermaid, Toon Summoned Skull, and Toon Cannon Soldier pushing a giant sliver shield against a wizard, he was casting a magic bolt at the shield. "Toon Magic Guard prevents any Toon monsters from being destroyed by the effects of magic cards."

"But that means….."

"Your Lightning Vortex's effect is negated," finished the Toon duelist.

The group of Toons banded together. They pulled a shield out of thin air. The bolts of lightning collided with the shield. However, the laws of physics did not apply, for none of the Toon monsters were electrocuted.

"That's not all this is a permanent trap card. Magic cards are now useless against my adorable Toons!" he exclaimed.

The Ojama duelist was consumed by fear. His best bet for destroying the Toon monsters was snuffed out within a matter of seconds. Could things get any worse? "I set monster in defense mode. Turn end."

Manjoume

Hand: 3

"My turn, draw!" As if to respond to Manjoume's earlier thought the creator pushed another button on his duel disk and activated his last set card. "Reverse card open, Toon Trap Guard!" A green card opened up beside its counterpart. On the card was the image of Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, Toon Goblin Attack Force, and Toon Dark Magician Girl. The trio held a rectangular shield above their heads. They shielded themselves from falling spears. "Toon Trap Guard is a permanent magic card that prevents the destruction of Toon monsters due to trap effects."

Victory wasn't just ahead of Manjoume. Now it was running so fast that it was out of sight. No matter how hard Manjoume tried to catch up it refused to slow down. His body rebelled against him once more. He trembled as the fear of defeat became more and more realized. "Even trap cards are useless. But how am I supposed to win?"

"You aren't," answered Pegasus. The Ojama duelist questioned him with a glance. He reminded Pegasus of a deer caught in headlights. His eyes were widened in fear and he couldn't stop shaking. "Don't you understand? When I said my beloved Toons were invincible I meant it. This is the ultimate Toon combo. The protagonist of a cartoon never gets harmed! Nothing harms them, not dynamite, giant boulders, anvils, and not even guns! That principle is what I had in mind when I created Toon monsters. Toon monsters natural effects prevent them from being targeted by the attacks non-Toon monsters. When an attempt to attack is made on them they simply dodge it. Toon Stop sign stops monster effects from destroying them, negating those effects. Toon Magic Guard shields them from magic cards powers, while Toon Trap Guard will stop trap cards from destroying them. Thunder-boy, your desperate struggle has been for not. Just like in cartoons my Toons are immortal! This is what I mean when I say this is my invincible army of Toons!"

"You are lying. They are actually invincible?" Manjoume muttered.

"I can't do anything this turn, so I'll end it. During the end phase I have to pay 500 life points in order to keep Toon Magic Guard and Toon Trap Guard active that means I lose 1000 life points in total."

Pegasus: 3900

Manjoume: 200

"However, Toon Rejuvenation's effect allows me to receive 2000 points in total thanks to the number of Toon monsters I control."

Pegasus: 5900

Hand: 4

Manjoume: 200

Hand: 3

"Let's not forget it's been two turns since you played your magic card. You only have one more turn," he reminded.

Swords of Revealing Light: 1

Manjoume still overcome with terror could not bother to look at his opponent any longer. His head fell in shame. He was going to lose. Despite all of his talk and his resolve to avenge Asuka he did little more than inflict minor damage to their enemy. Who knew the first Knight would be this powerful, but then again he never imagined the Knight's identity would be Pegasus J Crawford. Never before had his deck seemed so heavy. It was taking all of his effort to keep his left arm up. He hadn't even attempted to draw from his deck.

"Manjoume-kun is losing faith in his ability to win," Yugi stated the obvious. He wore a frown. The situation was far from favorable for the young duelist.

Aki nodded her head in agreement with Yugi. "Can you blame him though? Everything he has tried to destroy the Toon monsters has been countered. Now with cards such as Toon Stop Sign, Toon Magic Guard, and Toon Trap Guard they can't be destroyed by monsters effects, magic cards, or trap cards. Against such overwhelming odds even the most talented duelist would begin to lose heart," she said.

"A talented duelist also has to know when rein in his fear," Kaiba stated.

"Kaiba-san?" uttered Aki questioningly.

Kaiba elaborated, "If a duelist becomes consumed by their fear of losing than they will fail to see their chance at victory. No duelist no matter how talented or gifted they are is immune to fear in battle. However the difference between a true duelist and mediocre duelist is their ability to overcome that fear and assess their situation. It is only by clearly assessing their situation that they will be able to come up with a counter. To put it simply if Manjoume can't get a hold if his fear than he's going to lose. If that's the case we might as well start preparing our next battle."

Crow looked outraged at the brunet's suggestion. How could a legendary duelist such as Kaiba Seto suggest they give up on an ally? "We can't just give up on him! He hasn't lost yet!" He glared at the Blue Eyes duelist with disgust and anger.

Kaiba was unaffected by Crow's expression. "The question isn't if we have given up on him, but whether he has given up on himself. I am interested in seeing if this boy can rise up to that task. He should be able to if he was a student at my Duel Academia than this is no problem."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the legendary duelist. "You speak as though you know how to defeat the Toon monsters."

"Hmm, of course I do," he stated. He sounded insulted that Jack would even ask him such a question. It was quite obvious to him anyway. "If you observe more closely you would see the flaw in Pegasus' combo."

"The flaw in Pegasus' combo?" repeated the dragon wings signer. He was shocked that Kaiba had found a flaw in the combo. He had been observing the situation closely and he was having a difficult time seeing any flaw. Every counter he thought of Pegasus had card to overturn it. Nothing could destroy the creator's Toon monsters. How could Kaiba claim there was a flaw in such a strategy? Perhaps he was lying. Or did he see something that Jack himself could not?

Unbeknown to Jack, Aki was wondering the same thing. She could not see any weakness for Manjoume to exploit. She looked around herself to see if the others had any ideas. Crow looked just as clueless as she did. When she looked to Yusei she noticed his hard gaze was glued to the duel before them. He was unwavering, as though he was expecting something. Yugi was the same way. Could it be that they saw what Kaiba was seeing? Did they find the same weakness that Kaiba claimed to have found? Would Manjoume be able to find the flaw and exploit himself? Her gaze fell on Fubuki. He was unusually quiet. He looked completely different from the man who had made her family breakfast. Gone were the happy go lucky nature and carefree attitude. His brown eyes were so hard. So many emotions swirled within his orbs that she could not tell what he was feeling. She saw anger that he was trying to suppress, but was failing to do. There was concern for his friend, but a self-loathing that came from sitting on the sidelines and watching. Aki was unable to read the last emotion though. It was too allusive for her to catch and analyze. If Kaiba was correct and Manjoume lost her instincts told her that Fubuki would challenge Pegasus next to avenge the black haired man.

Manjoume still was unable to draw a card. He felt so overwhelmed. The monsters he faced seemed to be giants, growing taller by the seconds. Compared to them he was, but an ant. It was as Pegasus said his monsters were truly invincible. 'I am going to lose. There is no way I can win this.' He shut his eyelids closed, cursing his weakness. 'I failed you, Tenjoin-kun.'

"Don't give up, Big Bro!"

His eyelids rushed opened. He knew that loud, obnoxious voice. He rose his head up to see the three Ojama brothers floating above him. "You guys," he whispered.

Ojama Yellow spoke again, "Big Bro, you cannot simply give up!"

Ojama Green nodded in agreement. "That's right! You are Manjoume Thunder! You can still defeat this guy."

"Don't go spouting out nonsense. How the hell am I supposed to win against him? His monsters can't be destroyed by anything. Victory isn't even an option at this point." He punched his left hand in frustration. "Damn it! In the end I was completely useless. Is the only thing I can do is rely on Judai to save me, just like always? In the end I always find myself sitting on the sidelines and give that idiot my support. Against people like Kagemaru, Saiou, Yubel, and Darkness I was utterly useless. Are you telling me after all this time that hasn't changed? All those duels I won in the Pro League up until now, the winning streak, and without my brothers help, was it all for nothing? Can't I help save my friends, Tenjoin-kun and Judai," he whispered.

Their Big Bro was falling into despair. If they didn't do anything soon he would give up all hope and forfeit. They would not allow that. They had seen him grow over the year, away from Duel Academia. They knew he was capable of more. If only he saw what they saw he would continue to fight. He wasn't listening to them though. This called for drastic measures and even though they knew he would be crossed with them later, they had no other choice. The three Ojama brothers banded together and used their combined strength to slap their Big Bro across the face. He was stunned to say the least. His hand went to the slightly red cheek to rub it.

"What the hell is your problem?" he screamed, having lost his temper. "I will kill you three for daring to lay a hand on me!"

"Big Bro listen to us!" they screamed in unison. This caught his attention and for once he gave them his full attention. "You aren't in this alone," Ojama Yellow said.

Ojama Black said, "You have your friends behind you, Judai, Asuka-san, Sho, and the others. Even if they aren't here physically their hearts are with you."

"Don't forget about the people here, like Fubuki-san and the others," Ojama Green reminded.

"And most importantly you have us!" they cried together.

"If you summon us we won't let you down," Ojama Yellow said. A huge smile formed. "After all we are your ace monsters."

"My ace monsters….." Manjoume repeated. He looked from one brother to the next. They hadn't given up on him. They were even willing to go into battle for him in hopes of being useful. If those three useless idiots were still willing to fight how could he give up? He could never call himself a duelist again if he gave up while his own monsters were willing to continue. "Puff, you three are annoying as hell, telling me useless stuff that I don't need to be reminded of." The weight of his deck dissolved. It became as light as air. Fear no longer stopped him from drawing. He placed his hand on top of his deck. His hand no longer trembled. "My turn, draw!" He swiftly drew then flipped it over and saw it was Ojama Green. "You idiots were serious about fighting with me huh?" He smirked.

Although he drew one of his partners his situation did not change in the slightest. He looked at the two hidden monsters on the field. 'I have Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black on the field in defense mode. I could fuse them to create Ojama King and he would have 3000 defense points, but that won't do much against Toon monsters, since they can attack me directly even with monsters on my field. If there was some way I could destroy his Toon monsters, but that's impossible. That combo makes them invincible from anything I can play. Maybe if I destroy one of those cards I could fight back, but how…..' Like lightning it hit him unexpectedly. An idea formed. 'That's it! I know how to defeat this combo! But I don't have the card I need in my hand. I have to pass this turn and hope on my next draw phase that I get that card. I can still do something.' "I set this monster in defense mode. Turn end."

"My turn, draw." Pegasus had nothing in his hand worth playing, so he decided to pass. "Turn end. During the end phase I have to pay 1000 life points to keep my two Toon Guards activated."

Pegasus: 4900

Manjoume: 200

"Toon Rejuvenation's effect allows me to recover 2000 life points."

Pegasus: 6900

Hand: 5

Manjoume: 200

Hand: 3

The swords made of light dissipated, leaving the four Toons free to move all they liked. They jumped up and down cheering at their release.

"Your Swords of Revealing Light is destroyed since it has been three turns."

Swords of Revealing Light: 0

"I am afraid that your tactic failed. It was a good attempt, but unfortunately for you I set up this combo to overcome my Toons limitations and weaknesses. Sorry, Thunder-boy, but your defeat is certain once you end your turn," the smug man gloated. How he enjoyed overwhelming his opponents with his cuddly and loveable Toons.

"It's not over! As long as I have life points and a card in my deck this duel is not over. I haven't given up yet." 'I feel stupid having to act like him, but I am putting all my faith in my next draw.' His fingers touched the thin card in his deck holder. He needed this. He needed that card to initiate his combo for a counter attack. "My turn, draw!" He felt something, a pulse or a jolt. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he knew the reason for its occurrence. His deck was responding to his heart, his need to fight for his friends. When his black orbs fell upon the card he felt relief. The despair and terror that had tried to consume him had been driven away into the darkest corners of his heart. "I Flip Summon, Ojama Yellow, Ojama Black, and Ojama Green!" He flipped over all three of his monster cards face up in attack mode.

Ojama Yellow ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LVL 2

Ojama Black ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LVL 2

Ojama Green ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LVL 2

"Alright, the three Ojama Brothers have arrived to save the day!" the trio shouted together. They each went into their classic poses. To their dismay nobody (including Manjoume) seemed to react to their claim with anything, but confusion and pity. Not everyone. There were two people very amused by their arrival, Fubuki and Pegasus.

Fubuki was ecstatic. He had seen Manjoume use his Ojama monsters to conquer many challenges in the past. He knew that he was about to witness another one. 'Come on Manjoume. You can still do this,' he thought.

Pegasus applauded the trio of tiny monsters. "Marvelous!" he cheered. "I love the Ojamas! Because of their low attack power and being Normal monsters few people put them in their decks. I am splendid to see a duelist put all three in their deck! Thank you, Thunder-boy!"

"Fuck you! Don't patronize me!"

Pegasus frowned while his eye got droopy. "But I am being serious. I love all of my creations. It pains me to see duelists treat them with contempt because they cannot see their worth. Every card that Industrial Illusions makes has worth. However, it depends on the duelist to find that worth. That's why I prefer duelists like Yugi-boy who are willing to find that worth over duelists like Kaiba-boy who only see their worth through power."

Yugi couldn't help, but stare at the long white haired man. He had never heard Pegasus express his love for his creations so straight forwardly. He had seen his former enemy cheer or enjoy duels whenever he watched them. He always created special events to release some new cards. But this was the first time he heard him express his sorrow for the cards he created not being used or overlooked. Whatever happened to Pegasus his love of Duel Monsters and cartoons were still intact. Perhaps he wasn't brain washed as he thought, but for some reason he could not shake this ominous feeling off.

Manjoume's classic smirk returned to his face. "If you enjoy the sight of your monsters being used than you should enjoy watching them destroy your so called invincible army of Toons."

"Don't make me laugh, Thunder-boy. The Ojama cannot possibly destroy my invincible army of Toons. My combo is perfect."

"There is no such thing as a perfect combo. The creator of Duel Monsters should know that."

"Oh, so you think you can lecture me. Well then let's see what you can do," he challenged.

Manjoume continued to smirk. He was boasting his victory before he had even achieved it. "I play the magic card, Ojama Delta Hurricane!"

The overwhelming confidence that had settled on Pegasus' face had finally abandoned him. His eye broadened in true dread. "Not Ojama Delta Hurricane!"

The former Obelisk chuckled at his rival's fear. "I supposed the creator would know about this card, huh? Ojama Delta Hurricane is a magic card that can only be played when Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black are on my side of the field. Now I can destroy every card on your side of the field!"

"S-Shit!" cursed Pegasus.

The three Ojama came together. They slapped their behinds together. "Ready?" Ojama Yellow questioned his brothers.

"Ready!" they replied back.

The trio began to spin around. They gradually picked up speed into they became a yellow, black, and green blur.

Manjoume threw his right arm in out and pointed at Pegasus. "Now it's time to devastate his field! Bring the Thunder!"

The three monsters created a cyclone that traveled towards the opposing side of the field.

"Because of Toon Magic Guard's effect Ojama Delta Hurricane cannot actually destroy your Toon monsters, but it can destroy your magic and trap cards and once those are gone nothing will protect your Toons from its effects!"

Aki's face lit up, along with Fubuki's, while Crow let out a huge grin. Yugi followed Crow's lead, but gave a much smaller, but no less joyous smile. Even Jack and Yusei smiled modestly. Kaiba bored and unimpressed straight laced face was still intact. Though if a person was fast enough they would have seen his lip curl into a small half grin before disappearing.

The cyclone destroyed Toon World, Toon Stop Sign, Toon Rejuvenation, Toon Magic Guard, and finally Toon Trap Guard. The card became holographic debris that washed over the Toon duelist. The four Toon monsters imploded on themselves, leaving their master completely exposed. The hurricane ceased. The three monsters returned to their Big Bro.

"We did it! We did it!" they cheered.

Manjoume closed his eyes before huffing in annoyance at his monsters surprise. "Of course you did it. You are my ace monsters after all."

Upon hearing Manjoume's compliment the three monsters cheering became even louder. Manjoume rolled his eyes at the Ojamas' antics. He hoped they wouldn't be foolish enough to try and hug him. His other allies expressed their own sentiments at the destruction of Pegasus nearly undefeatable combo.

"Way to go, Manjoume!" cheered Fubuki. "One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, Manjoume Thunder!" he continued to cheer.

"I understand now. He destroyed the magic and trap cards so he could finally get at the Toons!" Crow stated his realization aloud.

"Yeah," Yusei said plainly. "Pegasus' combo made destroying the Toon monsters directly impossible. Because of that he hoped to give Manjoume the allusion that they were invincible. In some ways that was true, but…."

Kaiba finished, "There is no such thing as an invincible monster or an unstoppable combo. Such thinking is only for third rate duelists."

"In order to get around that Manjoume destroyed the cards protecting the Toon monsters," Aki said.

Yugi continued, "Yes, the truth is Manjoume could have just destroyed Toon World and the Toon monsters would have been destroyed automatically, but his way wiped out the entire field. I had no idea he had such a powerful combo. He even surprised Pegasus with it."

"However, now he has a new problem," Jack spoke up. The group turned to his direction. "In order to play that combo, Manjoume had to Flip summon all of his monsters. They have 0 attack points. All Pegasus has to do is summon a monster with 200 attack points and he can win by attacking."

Yusei took his eyes of his foster brother and put them back on the Ojama duelist. What Jack said was true. Manjoume had left himself open for an attack, but he had to have known the risks when he did that. Surely he had something in store, something to counter. "He's not done yet," he stated. Eyes went to him this time. "Manjoume does not seem like the type of duelist to overlook something like this. He'll have thought of something."

The trio's cheering had stopped. Now that the ear drum splitting screeches ended the black cladded man proceeded with his turn. "Reverse card open, Polymerization! I fuse Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black together to…." The Ojamas merged together, they formed a new being. The new being was much larger than a single Ojama was. "….Fusion Summon, Ojama King!"

Ojama King ATK: 0 DEF: 3000 LVL 6

Three miniature Ojamas, a yellow, a green, and a black one appeared in front of Pegasus. They laid down resting on their backs and relaxing.

"I activate Ojama King's effect! I select three monster card zones. Those three zones cannot be used so long as Ojama King is on the field!"

Pegasus merely scowled quietly. 'I can only summon two monsters now,' he thought. Soon he became perplexed by his opponent's latest play. Pegasus furrowed his brow in confusion. What was Manjoume playing at? He understood why he would fuse his three monsters into their superior form. Ojama King had an overwhelming defense power of 3000 points. Its effect had restricted Pegasus to the use of only two monster zones. But that gave Manjoume little advantage with his Ojama King being in attack mode. "Summoning your monster in attack mode was foolish. Ojama King still only has 0 attack points. I can easily defeat it next turn and ended it all for you!"

"Hmm, do you truly believe I would make such an amateur mistake? There is a reason why I summoned Ojama King into attack mode." A special compartment opened up at the end of his duel disk. He took a card from his hand and placed it into new compartment. "I play the field magic, Ojama Country!" Multiple one story small houses in the shape of acorns materialized around them. The roofs of the houses had the Ojama eye antenna on them. They also possess wooden doors. Dirt and grass covered the floor. A few vine-like plants grew in certain areas. They possessed no leaves, but they did hold red circular fruit. The entire room looked like a rural and untamed land. Its inhabitants were the familiar Ojama monsters. "Ojama Country's effect switches the original attack points with the original defense points of all monsters on the field, so long as I control at least one Ojama monster."

"What?" Pegasus shouted. (Note: Ojama Country is a recent card in GX timeline. This Pegasus in the DM timeline and not GX, so he doesn't know about Ojama Country)

"Ojama King's original attack points are 0 and its original defense points are 3000, but now they switch. Now my Ojama King has 3000 attack points."

Ojama King ATK: 3000 DEF: 0

Pegasus could only glare at the overgrown and zany monster. He gritted his teeth, remaining silent.

"Battle! Ojama King, attack him directly, Flying Body Attack!"

The overlarge white beast monster jumped into the air. It did not reach great heights. It did however mange to get over its creator. Pegasus watched in utter disbelief and horror as the giant monster delivered a powerful body slam. The extreme pressure pressed up against his body, crushed his bones and cut off his precious oxygen. His screams of agony were muffed by the fat of the monster.

Pegasus: 3900

Manjoume: 200

Ojama King got off of his enemy and returned to Manjoume's side. Miraculously Pegasus' bones were intact. Aside from being out of breath, the Toon duelist found his body in much better condition than it should have been after being crushed by giant sized monster. This had to be the effect of his life points being so high that his body became more resilient than it normally was. Another reason for why he was thankful for the Game of Darkness rules.

"Turn end."

Manjoume Hand: 2

Pegasus Hand: 5

"Well done, Thunder-boy. I have to compliment you on using the Ojamas to their full potential. You were even able to overcome my beloved Toons with them." He smiled brightly at Manjoume.

'What the hell is with him? I just defeated his Invincible Toon combo and have a monster with 3000 attack points, but he doesn't look worried at all. What could he be planning?'

Yugi narrowed his eyes at the battlefield. Manjoume had been spectacular in his last move, but he was far from achieving victory. If Manjoume wasn't careful he would find himself in real trouble. 'Pegasus isn't done yet. While Toon monsters are his favorite cards, they are not the most dangerous cards in his deck. If he uses that you will be in real trouble.'

Pegasus started his turn. "My turn, draw. I play the magic card, Upstart Goblin! I can draw one card from my deck. You get to reap some benefits as well."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You receive 1000 life points."

"Huh?"

Manjoume: 1200

Pegasus: 3900

The former Millennium Eye wielder drew his card leaving his opponent mystified as to why Pegasus would give him such a gift. He saw no risk to giving Manjoume 1000 extra life points. He was searching for a certain card so he could execute his deadliest move yet. "I summon Slate Warrior in defense mode!"

Slate Warrior ATK: 1900 DEF: 400 LVL 4

"Ojama Country's effect switches its original attack points with its original defense points."

Slate Warrior ATK: 400 DEF: 1900

"Turn end," he finished.

Manjoume

Hand: 2

Pegasus

Hand: 5

'I see he's gotten used to Ojama Country's effect and used it to his advantage. I guess that's to be expected from the creator of Duel Monsters,' Manjoume thought. "My turn, draw. Play the magic card, Pot of Avarice! I select five monsters cards in my graveyard, return them to my, then reshuffle my deck. Afterwards I am allowed to draw two new cards from my deck." Manjoume choose his four Armed Dragons and Masked Dragon. He returned them to his deck then shuffled them, just as he said. Once he was done he drew his two cards. "Next I summon Armed Dragon LVL 3!"

Armed Dragon LV 3 ATK: 900 DEF: 1200 LVL 3 (Note: This is its switched stats due to Ojama Country's effect. I am going to put down their switched points from now on to save time.)

"I play the magic card, Level Up! I can send one face up LV monster on my field to the graveyard in order to special summon its next LV up form from my hand or deck. I send Armed Dragon LV 3 to the graveyard…." Armed Dragon disappeared. "…to special summon, Armed Dragon LV 5!"

Armed Dragon LV 5 ATK: 1700 DEF: 2400 LVL 5

"Battle! Ojama King, destroy Slate Warrior!" Manjoume commanded.

The giant monster jumped into the air and body slammed the fiend monster into oblivion. Pegasus looked unaffected by its destruction though. "Slate Warrior's effect activates. When it is destroyed by battle it can reduces the attack points of the monster that destroyed it by 500." Manjoume growled to himself.

Ojama King ATK: 2500

He refused to let this small setback deter him from his assault. "Armed Dragon, continue the onslaught! Attack him directly, Armed Buster!"

The dragon threw its clawed hand at Pegasus' chest, knocking him off his feet. He felt something pierce his skin and cut through him. It was so fast that he didn't even have time to react. By the time he even realized what had happened he was on his back. He didn't even get the chance to scream. The pain set in. The severe burning his chest. He placed his head in the spot the monster had attacked. He felt something warm, moist. He looked down to see his fingers had traces of red liquid on them, his blood.

Pegasus: 2200

Hand: 5

Manjoume: 1200

Hand: 2

'I forgot this is real damage. Luckily the wound is shallow,' he thought.

"Turn end." Victory was in his sights once more. After a long struggle Manjoume had made a turn around. Without his Toon monsters Pegasus was on the defense. His opponent could do little more than that. He had two powerful monsters ready to strike at any moment. His situation was now favorable. Pegasus still did not look concerned. The dread and terror that he had pushed into the dark corners of his heart were creeping their way back to him. 'I have to finish fast before he does whatever it is he is planning.'

"My turn, draw." It came. The card he had been searching for had finally entered his hand. With this he could initiate his strategy to defeat this boy once and for all. His lips curled into a sinister grin that would make babes cry.

It was different from all of his gleeful and playful smirks from before. This one sent chills down Manjoume's spine. He was too late. That smirk could only mean Pegasus had gotten what he needed. He was about to witness what Pegasus had in store.

"I play the Ritual magic card, Black Illusion Ritual! I sacrifice a monster in my hand or on my field whose level equals 1 or more and I can Ritual summon, Relinquished."

"Relinquished?" repeated Manjoume slowly. He had heard of that monster before, but he could not remember what it was.

"I sacrifice Blue Eyes Toon Dragon in my hand….." He threw his Toon monster into the graveyard. Three chalice like items appeared in front of Pegasus. One was a gold bottle like object. The bottom round in an oval shape, the further up it went it became thinner and thinner. The symbol of Sennen Items was on the center of it. It lied on a green pillow. Behind it sat two taller silver chalices. Blue Eyes Toon Dragon appeared above the two silver chalices. Quickly its body was imploded, only leaving debris behind. The debris scattered itself and fell into the chalices. Both of the chalices became a blaze. The flames traveled from the silver chalice into the golden bottle, igniting it. The flames exploded until they reached the roof. A figure formed within the flames. All who observed the ritual could not help, but stare into the untamed flames, watching them dance around while the monster it was creating was forming. When the flames ceased it revealed the Cyclops monster.

Relinquished ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

Collective gasps and awes filled the room. The signers having never seen such a monster were astounded by its appearance, even the normally collected Yusei revealed his surprise on his face. Fubuki's broad smile from Manjoume's previous victories had been stolen by this new monster. Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the monster questioningly. He had never seen it before. When he dueled Pegasus the man only used his Toon monsters to battle him. While he was at a lost for what had happened, perhaps there was someone who knew what this unusual monster was.

"Yugi, what is this?"

"That is Pegasus' true ace monster. He only uses it if his Toon monsters are defeated."

"You fought this at Duelist Kingdom. So you mean to tell me this is the monster that gave you so much trouble. Hmm, I've always wanted to see this monster with my own eyes."

"Don't take it lightly, Kaiba-kun. Relinquished is a powerful monster and this isn't it."

"What?" Kaiba cried. He shot his rival a look that demanded the shorter man explain what he was talking about.

"Relinquished gave Atemu and me a difficult time, but there was one more monster Pegasus has that will be even more trouble."

Intrigued by Yugi's claim Kaiba returned his sights to the duel. He was even more eager to see this duel play out. He had to witness the monster that had been deemed such a terror, but not only Yugi, but by his former alter ego Atemu.

"Are you ready, Thunder-boy? Here is where your counter attack ends."

Manjoume snorted. "You are overconfident. Just because you summoned this monster does not mean you will defeat my Ojama King and Armed Dragon."

"Oh, is that so? Ha, ha, HAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed the white haired man. His enemy probably held him with contempt, but he didn't care. The boy had dared to insinuate that his Relinquished was inferior. "I'll have to show you why those words you spoke have no meaning. I activate Relinquished's effect. Once per turn I can absorb one monster you have on the field and equip it to Relinquished. Relinquished attack and defense points become the same as the equipped monster. Relinquished absorb Armed Dragon LV 5!"

The spellcaster opened up its shell. The hole in its abdomen opened up. A force pulled the dragon towards Relinquished. Within seconds he swallowed the dragon up completely.

Relinquished ATK: 1700 DEF: 2400

"Armed Dragon!" This monster had the same ability as Edo's D-Hero Plasma. It could absorb monsters and treat them as equipped cards then increased its attack points. This monster had the potential to be a true horror. He had to get rid of it as soon as possible.

On the sidelines Yusei was thinking similar thoughts as the former Obelisk. He couldn't help, but think back to his battles with Ghost and Placido. Those battles had been intense and almost spelled out his end. They had used a terrible and dreadful monster, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity. Watching this battle had made him remember that monster. Wisel like Relinquished had an unusual power of absorption. It could absorb Synchro monsters and add their power to its own, creating a monster that could easily surpass 4000 attack points. Yusei had witnessed his own Stardust Dragon be sealed and absorbed on two occasions now. Each time Stardust was taken it made his heart sink into a dark abyss where light could not reach. It took all of his strength to claw himself back up, to fight Wisel, and to rescue his Stardust Dragon. Relinquished's effect was more wide spread than the Machine Emperors. They could only absorb one type of monster, Synchro monsters. Relinquished could absorb all monsters. Yusei and his friends found it so hard just to combat the Synchro Killers' power. He was unsure how he would fair against something that could absorb all monsters. That meant nothing was safe.

'You are in for a difficult battle now, Manjoume,' the dragon's head signer thought.

Pegasus continued, "Next I'll set two cards. Turn end."

Pegasus' Hand: 1

Manjoume's Hand: 2

"My turn, draw." Manjoume drew his next card then pondered the best way to deal with Relinquished. It had taken his Armed Dragon, but Ojama Country was still in play. Relinquished only had 1700 attack points instead of Armed Dragon LV 5's normal 2400. 'Ojama King may have weakened thanks to Slate Warrior's effect, but it is still stronger than Pegasus' Relinquished. I'll destroy it using Ojama King this round. I'll deal 800 points of damage to him.' "You are underestimating me, Pegasus! No, you have done even worse. You insulted my pride as a duelist by stealing my own monster! And for that you will pay! Ojama King, it's time to free our comrade! Battle! Flying Body Slam!" ordered Manjoume.

"No, Manjoume-kun! You are being to rash!" Yugi tried to warn. To his dismay his warning had come to slow. Ojama King had already begun his body slam.

"You are too late, Yugi-boy! Now he will experience the power of Relinquished for himself."

The monster of discussion had closed his body off with its hard shell that was attached to its back. When it closed the head of Armed Dragon emerged from the shell to Manjoume's surprise.

"What the hell?" Manjoume was dazed by this latest development. The creator renewed his child-like mirth. Ojama King came crashing down. The head of Armed Dragon was destroyed, but the Ritual monster remained. Manjoume was about to question his opponent when he felt a familiar jolt of pain course through his body, causing him writher. "Aaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Manjoume: 400

Pegasus: 1400

Pegasus' own body started to shake uncontrollably. He screamed as he experienced his own agony. "Aaaahhhh!" The pain subsided and both duelists' cries had stopped.

Once his breathing had become normal again and his spasm ceased Manjoume turned his attention to the older man. "W-What was that? Why did I also lose life points?"

"Hehehe," Pegasus chuckled. Manjoume did not see any humor in this situation. He despised that laughter. It deviled him this entire duel and he wished it would end. "It's Relinquished's effect, Thunder-boy. When it is attacked while it has a monster equipped to it both players receive the same amount of damage. In addition the equipped monster is destroyed in place of Relinquished. Now it is free to absorb another of your monsters."

"F-Fuck!" cursed the Ojama duelist. This wasn't like with D-Hero Plasma. It did not have the power to negate its own destruction by destroy a monster equipped to it. Relinquished could absorb all of his monsters and if he attacked him he would cause just as much damage to himself as much as he did to Pegasus. If he was honest with himself he would be causing more damage to himself. His life points were lower than Pegasus'. If he mad anymore rash moves, if he continued to attack carelessly he would die.

"Manjoume-kun," Yugi said quietly.

Fubuki turned to Yugi. The original Duel King saw the man's fearful expression. "Yugi-san, you battled with this monster haven't you?" Yugi nodded. "Tell me what can Manjoume do to defeat it?"

"The best option would be to try and destroy Relinquished before it absorbs a monster. If it is attacked without a monster equipped to it the damage will go only to Pegasus and it will be destroyed."

"In order to do that Manjoume should summon two monsters, one to attack and destroy the equipped monster and the second one to destroy Relinquished," Fubuki suggested.

Yusei shook his head. "If he does that Manjoume will still take damage. With his life points only being 400 he cannot afford to take much more damage."

"His best option would be to find a way to avoid the absorption ability altogether," Jack stated. 'Hmm, so is this monster the pro-type to the dreaded Machine Emperors? Scar-Red Nova Dragon can defeat such a power. However, could I hold on long enough to summon it before Relinquished absorbed my other monsters? This ability is even more frightening than Synchro Killer. This ability absorbs all monsters. But Yugi found a way to defeat it. Did they choose a path different from either mine or Yusei's? Is there another option we had not considered?'

There nothing else he could do to destroy the Ritual monster this turn. If he didn't do anything soon though his opponent would just absorb Ojama King next turn and leave him with nothing to defend himself. "I summon Ojama Blue in defense mode."

Ojama Blue ATK: 1000 DEF: 0 LVL 2

"Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" 'Yes, with this card my strategy is complete.' "Reverse card open, Polymerization! I can fuse my Relinquished with my Thousand-Eyes Idol in my hand." Thousand-Eyes Idol appeared beside Relinquished. Two monsters merged their bodies, creating a new being. "Fusion Summon…Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"He brought it out, Thousand-Eyes Restrict," Yugi uttered.

"This is what you were talking about, Yugi? Kaiba questioned.

"Yeah, this monster will be nothing, but trouble," he claimed. The pair said no more.

"Thousand-Eyes Restrict, absorb Ojama King!"

The Fusion monster called upon its dark power buried deep within it. Its thousand eyes radiated with supernatural green. Ojama King was pulled straight into it. Thousand-Eyes Restrict consumed its fellow Fusion monsters, taking control of its power.

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 0 DEF: 3000

"You still possess an Ojama monster that means the attack and defense points still switch," he reminded.

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 3000 DEF: 0

"Ojama King," Manjoume stated regretfully. He let down his partners. They were captured by that chaotic misshapen creature.

"With Ojama King gone from your field the three monster zones that had been disabled are no valid again." The three miniature Ojamas were destroyed. "It is time for the battle to commence. Thousand-Eyes Restrict, obliterate Ojama Blue!"

Follow its master's command the Fusion monster drained Ojama King of its power. With stolen power Restrict unleashed a massive energy beam from its lone golden eye. The beam incinerated leaving Manjoume alone.

Manjoume countered, "When Ojama Blue is destroyed by battle I can add two Ojama cards from my deck to my hand." He retrieved his two cards before reshuffling his deck. "That's not all because you destroyed Ojama Blue there are no more Ojamas on the field. That means your monsters attack and defense points switch back."

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 0 DEF: 3000

"You are grasping at straws," Pegasus accused in a smug tone.

He scowled. "Like I said before the duel is not over. I will win. I can't lose because I will avenge Tenjoin-kun! You bastards are the reason she is hurt. I can't forgive anyone who associates themselves with the Savior Group, even if that person is the creator of Duel Monsters. How could you ally yourself with these people?"

"Before I answer your question can you answer one of my own questions?"

He really did not see the need to play games with this man. Why couldn't Pegasus just answer him? It was he who questioned him first anyway. His brain told him if he refused to answer Pegasus would decline to answer his own question, so he simply nodded his head.

"Have you ever been in love, Thunder-boy?"

His face flared up, into bright red. "W-What does that have to do with anything?" he shouted.

"It seems you have," he said to himself. "The woman I loved is gone. She was taken from me by this horrible world. She was so young, much too young to die. I don't understand why it happened. Why did I live, while she died? Why was I forced to endure this pain? How could life be so cruel as to allow me to meet Cyndia, fall in love her just to have it ripped away from me? When I was ready to try and put that pain behind me to try and move on I was granted the Millennium Eye and allowed to see her soul one last time, but not interact with her. This world, this uncaring and cruel world is truly a despicable place to live. We have wars, crime, deforestation, disease, and people don't even care. We live in a world where men will butcher children for no other reason than that they can. I have always known this truth, but I told myself that there were good people out there. There people who were trying to make the world a better place and I wanted to be one of those people. I was so selfish. That was why I thought I lost to Yugi-boy in Duelist Kingdom. He was someone who fought for other people's sakes, while I battled for my own reasons. After I lost to him I strived to be a better person to make up for my sins and to try to be the man I was before Cyndia died. I created charity events for the less fortunate, created more cards for the world to enjoy, and to bring joy to the world I had cursed for taking her away. But in the end it was a hopeless task."

"Why do you say that?" Manjoume asked with genuine interest.

"Because I am human," Pegasus replied. "I looked at others, men and women who were so in love with each other and I envied them. Deep down in my heart I resented their happiness. If I had to suffer why should they be happy? Why shouldn't everyone suffer like me? That was how I felt." Manjoume, Yugi, and Aki stared at Pegasus each one of them wearing an expression of realization. They understood what was in the Toon duelist's heart. "I envied those people. I had already given my heart to that sin. I became impure. That was what I realized. That is what they made me realized. I tried to fool myself by thinking I could conquer that impurity, but it is impossible. I was just as diseased as the rest of this world. Cyndia was fortunate one she died before this world could corrupt her. She was too pure for this world. That's why I am helping them." The black star symbol on his forehead started to glow an eerie purple. "I gave my heart completely to the envy in my heart and became a Holy Knight! I would help them awaken the Savior, so that he would destroy this contaminated world and wash away everything! He will create a new world free from all of this filth and disease. He will create a world where Cyndia can live in. If it is your mission to avenge your friend then you have already given your heart to the impurities of this world. I can see it all so clearly now, the wrath, that is in your heart. You are no better than I am."

"Don't compare me to you. I would never do what you are doing! I would never give my heart to darkness!"

"You are so naïve! Can't you see it? If that woman were to have died wouldn't you have lashed out at the person responsible? Isn't that what you are doing now? You're trying to defeat me to avenge her. The reason you are doing that is because you are enraged at what has happened to her. I can tell you hate us, the Savior Group. These are all the impurities that have consumed you. The only thing that makes us different is the sides we have chosen, Thunder-boy."

Manjoume opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead his mind took him to yesterday when he punched Judai. He blamed Asuka's condition entirely on him. He said such spiteful words. He lashed out on him. Now here he was standing here determined to win this duel to avenge Asuka. Those feelings Pegasus described the rage and the hatred, he could feel them flowing through his body. He was right. Pegasus had been right. They were the same. If circumstances were just slightly different, if Asuka had died, would he blame her death on their far from perfect world? Was he only a step away from joining their enemy himself?

Kaiba shook his head disapprovingly at the black haired man. "He's letting Pegasus get into his head. His will is weakening. He can't win if he is halfhearted."

"His resolve was strong when the duel started that I thought he would not allow the enemy to manipulate him," Jack said. "Perhaps we shouldn't have let him duel after all."

"Don't say that, Jack!" Crow protested. He still had faith that Manjoume would win. "Don't talk like he has already lost. He can still win."

Fubuki looked doubtful at Crow's claim. He had faith in Manjoume's ability as a duelist, but Pegasus fought with such conviction and resolve that he put everything into this duel. Manjoume was able to match that same resolve and conviction before, because he put his entire soul into the duel to fight for his sister's sake. If he allowed Pegasus' words to instill doubt within him his deck would respond to that and it would fail him when he needed it most. 'Come on don't lose out to this.'

Yugi remained silent. He sensed something within Pegasus moments ago. His body consumed by this powerful resentment. His pours reeked with it. It was enough to make him want to leave. Pegasus never gave off this type of aura before. The Savior Group had definitely changed him.

"I don't care what you say. I won't give in to you. I refuse to allow you to have your way." Despite his words Manjoume was still unsure about his reason for fighting. "Hurry up and finish your turn."

"Demy it as much as you want to, but the truth is we are the same. All humans are the same. You need to accept that and realize you are fighting on the wrong side. If you wish to return to the duel I should tell you that against Thousand-Eyes Restrict all your attacks are useless. Turn end."

"My turn, draw. I summon V-Tiger Jet!"

V-Tiger Jet ATK: 1600 DEF: 1800 LVL 4

"V-Tiger Jet, attack Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" His monster did not move. It remained still as if Manjoume did not say a word. "I said attack!" The machine monster still would not budge. "V-Tiger Jet, why are you refusing my orders?" He heard laughing. He took his eyes off of his monster and threw them at Pegasus.

"I told you that all attacks are useless against Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Its second effect prevents all monsters from changing their battle modes or attacking."

"I can't attack!" cried the Ojama duelist.

Pegasus replied, "The only monster that can attack is my Thousand-Eyes Restrict."

He threw down one card. "I set one card. Turn end," Manjoume ended. He furrowed his brows and closed his eyelids. This was becoming impossible. First he had to deal with the Toon monsters and now he had to deal with a monster which literally made all attacks useless.

"My turn, draw! Trap open, Light of Intervention! Monsters cannot be set on the field. I won't allow you to hide any of your monsters from me. I'll play the magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon. I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field. I choose to destroy Ojama King." The Fusion monster was destroyed, freeing Restrict. "Now that Thousand-Eyes Restrict no longer has an equipped monster I can activate its effect. Absorb V-Tiger Jet my Restrict!"

Just as with Ojama King before the machine monster was swallowed up.

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 1600 DEF: 1800

"It's over. Bye-bye, Thunder-boy. Thousand-Eyes Restrict, attack Thunder-boy directly!"

Restrict drained V-Tiger Jet of its power. It charged up its attack preparing to unleash it on Manjoume. The black cladded man stared at the spellcaster. Terror had renewed its feeding on his heart. His body trembled. His black spheres shimmered with disbelief along with fear. He clenched his shaking fist to try relief himself of this pent up fear. It was to no avail. Manjoume was falling faster and faster into an abyss. There seemed to be nothing he could to pick himself up.

Yes, another cliff hanger. I originally wanted to end this duel in this chapter, but as I hit 10,000 words I knew that wasn't going to happen. The next chapter should be the final one. I'll try not to make the duels go beyond two chapters. My biggest problem with DM was that they stretched out duels for four or five episodes. OMG most episodes would flashback of stuff that we already knew and repeated it over and over again. I love DM and it is my favorite YGO series, but they could have shortened a lot of duels to two or three episodes if they tried. I don't want to do that with my story.

Next chapter will reveal what exactly happened to Pegasus. I think most people have figured it out by now based on their reviews from the last chapter and this one threw some hints. Oh yeah heads up to people who are interested in seeing the 10th anniversary movie it is on the raw is out on the internet. It's probably only a manner of time before someone subs it (if someone hasn't already done so by the time I upload this chapter).

The cards that I made up in this chapter are Toon Rejuvenation, Toon, Magic Guard, and Toon Trap Guard. Here is Aki and Fubuki to give the preview of the next chapter.

"Manjoume is losing his resolve against Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Pegasus. Pegasus claims that Manjoume is no different from him and that he has allowed impurity and sin to corrupt his soul."

"Eh, don't listen to him, Manjoume! You are not like Pegasus at all! You were my student in romance after all! Don't allow him to twist your emotions."

"Manjoume, if you continue to doubt yourself you will be defeated by Pegasus for sure. His will is too strong to be defeated by someone with so much uncertainty. Please, Manjoume look into your heart and hardened your resolve."

"Aki-chan is right. Manjoume if you want to avenge my sister you can't allow your heart to be plagued by doubts."

"It's not just for your sake or even Asuka-san's, but also Pegasus'. I can see the sorrow in his heart and understand his pain. Manjoume you have to win in order to rescue him from that darkness."

"Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space, Harden Your Resolve! Open Your Heart! Awaken Light and Darkness Dragon! Riding Duel Acceleration!"

"This monster is Manjoume's resolve?"