Chapter 13: Chapter 10: The Illusionist’s Gambit
Shoji Nakamura's Deadly Memory Trap!
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Prologue: The Man with No Past
A dark alleyway. A flickering streetlight. A man leaning against a wall, half-hidden in the shadows.
Shoji Nakamura.
His coat billowed slightly in the night breeze as he lit a cigarette. The cherry-red glow flickered in his hollow gaze.
There was something off about him—his presence felt both real and unreal, like he existed in two places at once.
That's because he did.
Shoji was a man of vanishing memories. He had no past, no childhood, no family. The only thing he remembered was his Stand—and even that felt like a dream.
He exhaled a slow stream of smoke.
Tonight, ghosts were coming for him.
And he was ready.
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Phase One: Entering the Mind Maze
"Something's wrong," Daisuke muttered.
The team had been tracking Shoji Nakamura—a man rumored to know the Phantom Syndicate's secrets.
But the moment they stepped into the abandoned theater, reality itself seemed to shift.
The red velvet curtains rippled like water. The empty seats whispered. The air smelled like forgotten dreams.
Renji's fingers twitched. "I don't like this."
Kenji stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Then let's break it."
"Wait—!" Akira shouted.
Too late.
The moment Kenji moved, the entire world shattered like glass.
And suddenly—
They weren't in the theater anymore.
They were in their own pasts.
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Phase Two: The Phantoms of Memory
Kenji Sakamoto – The Unbreakable Titan
Kenji blinked. He was no longer with the team.
He was in a collapsed building.
Smoke filled his lungs. His hands were covered in blood and dust.
The cries of trapped workers echoed in his ears.
"No—" he whispered. "This isn't real."
But it felt real.
Then he heard it.
A voice he hadn't heard in years.
His younger brother's voice.
"Kenji… you promised you'd save me…"
His blood ran cold. He turned—
And saw his brother's crushed body beneath the rubble.
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Daisuke Mori – The Phantom Racer
Daisuke gritted his teeth. He was back in his old street racing days.
The roar of engines. The smell of burning rubber.
The final race.
The one where he almost died.
He gripped the wheel, but it wouldn't turn.
The brakes failed.
The truck was coming straight for him.
And no matter what he did—
He couldn't stop it.
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Akira Takahashi – The Sound of Silence
Akira stood in his childhood bedroom.
A record player spun on the table.
A voice called out.
"Akira… you forgot me."
He turned.
His mother stood there.
But her face was blurred.
"No," Akira whispered. "I remember you—"
Her voice distorted, like a broken record.
"Then say my name."
Akira's heart pounded.
He opened his mouth—
But he couldn't remember.
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Phase Three: Breaking the Illusion
Shoji Nakamura sat in the theater's real world, watching them struggle.
He sighed. "Memories are fragile things."
His Stand, Eclipse Waltz, hovered behind him—a ghostly figure wrapped in silver chains.
Shoji flicked his wrist.
The chains tightened around his victims' minds.
"They say memories define who we are," he muttered. "So what happens when I turn them against you?"
He snapped his fingers.
Kenji screamed as rubble crushed him again.
Daisuke slammed on the brakes—but the truck hit him again.
Akira reached for his mother—only for her face to vanish again.
They were trapped in an endless loop.
Shoji exhaled. "No one escapes their past."
Then—
A voice cut through the dream.
"I bet you're wrong."
Shoji froze.
The world rippled.
A single card floated down from the sky.
The Magician.
Shoji's eyes widened.
Renji Arata stepped out of thin air.
"How—?!" Shoji gasped.
Renji grinned. "Did you really think you were the only one who could play with fate?"
He snapped his fingers.
Fortune's Folly appeared—
And the illusion collapsed.
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Phase Four: The Gambler vs. The Illusionist
The team snapped back to reality, gasping for air.
Kenji's fists trembled.
Daisuke clutched his chest.
Akira wiped the sweat from his brow.
Shoji staggered back. "Impossible—"
Renji adjusted his tie. "Nice trick, Nakamura. But your problem is—"
He flipped a card.
"You always play the same hand."
Shoji growled. "Eclipse Waltz—!"
But Renji was faster.
He flipped The Sun.
Shoji froze.
His Stand shattered.
Renji smirked. "Looks like I called your bluff."
Shoji collapsed to his knees. He panted, gripping his head.
For the first time in years, his own memories returned.
Who he was.
Where he came from.
What he had lost.
Tears ran down his face.
Akira knelt beside him. "Now you understand, don't you?"
Shoji swallowed hard. He nodded.
For the first time, he wasn't just a man with no past.
He was Shoji Nakamura.
And he had a future.
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Epilogue: The Illusion Fades
The abandoned theater stood silent.
Shoji stood at the entrance, looking at the team.
"I owe you," he admitted. "You freed me from my own mind."
Akira extended a hand. "Then fight with us."
Shoji hesitated.
Then—he shook Akira's hand.
"I'm in."
Renji grinned. "Damn right you are."
As they walked away, Shoji glanced back at the empty stage.
For the first time, it didn't feel like a prison.
It felt like a new beginning.
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