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Chapter 602: I'll Be Relying on You From Now On
Watching Valon's body, its soul sealed and only an empty shell remaining, fall to the ground not far away, Joey Wheeler didn't feel much joy from defeating a strong enemy. Instead, he felt more sentiment about life fading before his eyes.
And as he picked up the Seal of Orichalcos card that had dropped before him, Joey Wheeler, in a trance, saw a strange memory that didn't belong to him.
A young boy who grew up alone, without the love of a father or mother;
A nun he saw as family;
Fight after fight for survival and dignity;
A burning Church;
An iron pipe covered in bloodstains;
Meaningless murder;
"Is this... Valon's memory?" The illusion before his eyes slowly faded. Having received this memory, Joey Wheeler lowered his head and glanced at the Deck in his hand, which Valon had thrown to him before.
That was the Gemini Monster Deck Valon had used during the KC Cup, not the Deck Valon used as a killer for the "Doma Three Swordsmen", but as a Duelist. According to Valon's dying words, he hoped this Deck could be Joey Wheeler's power.
"I will make good use of this power, Valon." Looking at Phoenix Gearfried on top of the Deck, Joey Wheeler said firmly. But just as he was about to stand up, he weakly fell again.
But a pair of hands supported him.
"Idiot, just now your Life Points dropped to only 400 points, and more than once at that." Supporting Joey Wheeler to help him stand steadily, Kujaku Mai scolded him. "You should be grateful your body is decent that you didn't just fall right there. Don't move recklessly without knowing your limits."
"Now you know it hurts, huh? Honestly, you suddenly chased after him alone and left us behind, making it hard for me to find you." Although her words were harsh, Kujaku Mai's tone was full of concern. "You don't always have to tough it out alone. Sometimes, relying on me is okay too."
Hearing Kujaku Mai's words, Joey Wheeler was also startled. He stared blankly at Kujaku Mai, who was close by, making her face flush red with embarrassment. "Wh-What are you doing, looking at me with that strange gaze?"
"Hmph, don't forget I'm the All-American Champion now, Joey Wheeler, you eternal fourth-place finisher."
Hearing Kujaku Mai's teasing, Joey Wheeler wasn't angry. "Well, that's true. Whether it was Duelist Kingdom or Battle City, I only made it to the Top 4."
Unusually, Joey Wheeler's mind recalled something Hayato had mentioned when a few of them were tutoring Tristan , who wanted to make a confession to "Little Ribbon", a classmate at School. He held back the phrase "When it comes to Duels, I won't lose" that he instinctively wanted to say, and instead joked with Kujaku Mai:
"In that case, I'll be relying on you to take care of me more from now on, Mai~"
After being stimulated by Valon like that, even someone as dense as Joey Wheeler would start to grow a little.
Kujaku Mai, whose face was clearly red but insisted it was from the sun, helped Joey Wheeler stand up. But Joey Wheeler's thoughts couldn't help but recall the segment of memory he had just now seen, which seemed like Valon's.
He could feel the anger in the memory when Valon saw the Church on fire and heard the cold mockery of the thugs, but Joey Wheeler, as an observer rather than the person involved, was more able to sense that something was wrong with the incident than the Valon in the memory.
Although those thugs hired by the demolition crew had every possibility of starting the fire, since the sooner they finished the demolition the more they would get paid, sometimes the person with the biggest suspicion isn't necessarily the murderer. At least Joey Wheeler felt that the reward for demolishing a small Church wouldn't absolutely compare to the risk of murder and arson.
What happened after Valon killed those thugs and was sent to Prison made Joey Wheeler even more confused.
At that time, Valon himself was in a state of apathy, drifting aimlessly and not caring about anything after losing his goal for living. But Joey Wheeler's intuition felt that Valon seemed like he was guided into a trap by someone, especially since the warden of a Prison actually took the initiative to propose something as strange as letting prisoners go to a small Island overseas to Duel.
Although it's not impossible that the warden was a Duel Monsters enthusiast, wasn't he worried the prisoners would hide on the Island and escape? Where did he get the authority to organize such an action?
And Dartz's appearance suddenly gave Joey Wheeler a guess.
Suppose, just a supposition, if Dartz had detected Valon's inner darkness very early on, was there a possibility that he would set a fire in the Church to maximize the utilization of Valon's power?
Great Detective Joey Wheeler couldn't help but want to slap the table in admiration at the wonderful deduction that suddenly appeared in his mind. Yours Truly is simply too smart!
But just as Joey Wheeler had walked only a couple of steps supported by Kujaku Mai, the sky, which had been clear with the blazing sun just past noon, was suddenly covered by dark clouds from who knew where. Accompanied by a startling thunderclap and roar, Joey Wheeler and Kujaku Mai were astonished to discover that a giant blue figure was standing up somewhere not far away?!
"Obelisk the Tormentor?!" Joey Wheeler saw the shadow of the Giant God Soldier, one of the Three Egyptian Gods that had defeated him before, on the giant blue monster. But the gap in aura between the "Gods" in his impression and that figure filled with evil energy was too great. He immediately rejected his first feeling. "No, that's not a 'God' card!"
"Rather than a 'God', I'd say it's a 'demon'." Kujaku Mai was also greatly surprised by the figure's existence, but after thinking back, she suddenly felt a bad premonition. "Wait a minute, that direction..."
"Isn't that the direction we came from! Yugi and Rex Raptor are still over there!"
"We need to hurry over, give me a hand, Mai!" Just looking at the giant figure, Joey Wheeler's expression was solemn. "What in the world happened over there in just the time it took for one duel?"
"Shouldn't anything bad have happened, right, Yugi!"
Meanwhile.
Valon, whose soul should have been sealed by the Seal of Orichalcos and offered as a tribute to the "Orichalcos God", opened his eyes.
He had always been in contact with the power of the Seal of Orichalcos card, but this was the first time he had experienced a situation like this, where he was sealed by someone else instead of sealing others.
Although it might sound a bit heartless, Valon was actually somewhat curious about what it felt like to have his soul sealed by the Seal of Orichalcos and offered as a tribute to the "Orichalcos God".
He had thought that after opening his eyes, he might see the people he had "killed" before, or the true form of the "Orichalcos God" that was about to absorb him.
Then, he saw a small round ball with a rainbow-like hairstyle on its head and a pair of adorable big eyes looking at him.
Rainbow Kuriboh?
Valon naturally recognized Rainbow Kuriboh, that Duel Monster, but if he remembered correctly, even globally, he had only heard that Hayato Kobayashi possessed one...
Wait a minute, could it be---
To know what happens next, please listen to the next chapter's breakdown.
(End of Chapter)
Watching Valon's body, its soul sealed and only an empty shell remaining, fall to the ground not far away, Joey Wheeler didn't feel much joy from defeating a strong enemy. Instead, he felt more sentiment about life fading before his eyes.
And as he picked up the Seal of Orichalcos card that had dropped before him, Joey Wheeler, in a trance, saw a strange memory that didn't belong to him.
A young boy who grew up alone, without the love of a father or mother;
A nun he saw as family;
Fight after fight for survival and dignity;
A burning Church;
An iron pipe covered in bloodstains;
Meaningless murder;
"Is this... Valon's memory?" The illusion before his eyes slowly faded. Having received this memory, Joey Wheeler lowered his head and glanced at the Deck in his hand, which Valon had thrown to him before.
That was the Gemini Monster Deck Valon had used during the KC Cup, not the Deck Valon used as a killer for the "Doma Three Swordsmen", but as a Duelist. According to Valon's dying words, he hoped this Deck could be Joey Wheeler's power.
"I will make good use of this power, Valon." Looking at Phoenix Gearfried on top of the Deck, Joey Wheeler said firmly. But just as he was about to stand up, he weakly fell again.
But a pair of hands supported him.
"Idiot, just now your Life Points dropped to only 400 points, and more than once at that." Supporting Joey Wheeler to help him stand steadily, Kujaku Mai scolded him. "You should be grateful your body is decent that you didn't just fall right there. Don't move recklessly without knowing your limits."
"Now you know it hurts, huh? Honestly, you suddenly chased after him alone and left us behind, making it hard for me to find you." Although her words were harsh, Kujaku Mai's tone was full of concern. "You don't always have to tough it out alone. Sometimes, relying on me is okay too."
Hearing Kujaku Mai's words, Joey Wheeler was also startled. He stared blankly at Kujaku Mai, who was close by, making her face flush red with embarrassment. "Wh-What are you doing, looking at me with that strange gaze?"
"Hmph, don't forget I'm the All-American Champion now, Joey Wheeler, you eternal fourth-place finisher."
Hearing Kujaku Mai's teasing, Joey Wheeler wasn't angry. "Well, that's true. Whether it was Duelist Kingdom or Battle City, I only made it to the Top 4."
Unusually, Joey Wheeler's mind recalled something Hayato had mentioned when a few of them were tutoring Tristan , who wanted to make a confession to "Little Ribbon", a classmate at School. He held back the phrase "When it comes to Duels, I won't lose" that he instinctively wanted to say, and instead joked with Kujaku Mai:
"In that case, I'll be relying on you to take care of me more from now on, Mai~"
After being stimulated by Valon like that, even someone as dense as Joey Wheeler would start to grow a little.
Kujaku Mai, whose face was clearly red but insisted it was from the sun, helped Joey Wheeler stand up. But Joey Wheeler's thoughts couldn't help but recall the segment of memory he had just now seen, which seemed like Valon's.
He could feel the anger in the memory when Valon saw the Church on fire and heard the cold mockery of the thugs, but Joey Wheeler, as an observer rather than the person involved, was more able to sense that something was wrong with the incident than the Valon in the memory.
Although those thugs hired by the demolition crew had every possibility of starting the fire, since the sooner they finished the demolition the more they would get paid, sometimes the person with the biggest suspicion isn't necessarily the murderer. At least Joey Wheeler felt that the reward for demolishing a small Church wouldn't absolutely compare to the risk of murder and arson.
What happened after Valon killed those thugs and was sent to Prison made Joey Wheeler even more confused.
At that time, Valon himself was in a state of apathy, drifting aimlessly and not caring about anything after losing his goal for living. But Joey Wheeler's intuition felt that Valon seemed like he was guided into a trap by someone, especially since the warden of a Prison actually took the initiative to propose something as strange as letting prisoners go to a small Island overseas to Duel.
Although it's not impossible that the warden was a Duel Monsters enthusiast, wasn't he worried the prisoners would hide on the Island and escape? Where did he get the authority to organize such an action?
And Dartz's appearance suddenly gave Joey Wheeler a guess.
Suppose, just a supposition, if Dartz had detected Valon's inner darkness very early on, was there a possibility that he would set a fire in the Church to maximize the utilization of Valon's power?
Great Detective Joey Wheeler couldn't help but want to slap the table in admiration at the wonderful deduction that suddenly appeared in his mind. Yours Truly is simply too smart!
But just as Joey Wheeler had walked only a couple of steps supported by Kujaku Mai, the sky, which had been clear with the blazing sun just past noon, was suddenly covered by dark clouds from who knew where. Accompanied by a startling thunderclap and roar, Joey Wheeler and Kujaku Mai were astonished to discover that a giant blue figure was standing up somewhere not far away?!
"Obelisk the Tormentor?!" Joey Wheeler saw the shadow of the Giant God Soldier, one of the Three Egyptian Gods that had defeated him before, on the giant blue monster. But the gap in aura between the "Gods" in his impression and that figure filled with evil energy was too great. He immediately rejected his first feeling. "No, that's not a 'God' card!"
"Rather than a 'God', I'd say it's a 'demon'." Kujaku Mai was also greatly surprised by the figure's existence, but after thinking back, she suddenly felt a bad premonition. "Wait a minute, that direction..."
"Isn't that the direction we came from! Yugi and Rex Raptor are still over there!"
"We need to hurry over, give me a hand, Mai!" Just looking at the giant figure, Joey Wheeler's expression was solemn. "What in the world happened over there in just the time it took for one duel?"
"Shouldn't anything bad have happened, right, Yugi!"
Meanwhile.
Valon, whose soul should have been sealed by the Seal of Orichalcos and offered as a tribute to the "Orichalcos God", opened his eyes.
He had always been in contact with the power of the Seal of Orichalcos card, but this was the first time he had experienced a situation like this, where he was sealed by someone else instead of sealing others.
Although it might sound a bit heartless, Valon was actually somewhat curious about what it felt like to have his soul sealed by the Seal of Orichalcos and offered as a tribute to the "Orichalcos God".
He had thought that after opening his eyes, he might see the people he had "killed" before, or the true form of the "Orichalcos God" that was about to absorb him.
Then, he saw a small round ball with a rainbow-like hairstyle on its head and a pair of adorable big eyes looking at him.
Rainbow Kuriboh?
Valon naturally recognized Rainbow Kuriboh, that Duel Monster, but if he remembered correctly, even globally, he had only heard that Hayato Kobayashi possessed one...
Wait a minute, could it be---
To know what happens next, please listen to the next chapter's breakdown.
(End of Chapter)
