Chapter 10: The Terminal
Both of them barely heard Roland's announcement of the final match and Alexis' cheers. Each of them walked out to the arena perfectly in step, lining up exactly twenty paces across from each other.
Two duelists, possibly the two strongest fighters to ever come out of Duel Academy, unblinkingly stood face to face. A current of electricity ran through the crowd, the spectators acknowledging the weight of the moment by remaining silent.
On one side, with his back to the rising sun; was the red-clad hero duelist; his bright crimson muscle shirt and bronze skin nearly shining with youthful energy. His face was friendly, but experienced and battle-toughened. His posture was open and his arms were poised at his sides, ready to duel.
"I've been looking forward to a real rematch with you for a long time. You're a fierce opponent; I've always enjoyed our previous matches." Jaden Yuki complimented.
Across from him was the man in black, his dark clothes contrasting with his pale skin. His angular features were taut and intensely focused, his grey eyes were slanted, and his mouth curved into a stoic frown. Unlike Jaden, he could not bring himself to relax.
"You'll find that things have changed. This time, I will be the one who emerges victorious." Was all that Chazz Princeton could say. Although he no longer despised Jaden as he once did, the idea of wiping that smile off of his face still injected poisonous pleasure into his veins.
Jaden laughed. "I guess we'll see if you have it in you. Just know that I won't be going easy on ya." He teased.
"Oh, I would hope not. If you come at me with anything less than the peak of your abilities, you will lose immediately." Chazz shot back, all in good fun, or so he told himself.
Jaden's eyebrows rose at this, but he had no time to retort, as Roland had begun to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final round of the 11th annual KC Grand Championship! Today, two upstarts from Central Duel Academy will facing off for the grand prize of one million yen and the opportunity to design heir very own card! In this corner, we have the Elemental Hero user Jaden Yuki, who has battled Wicked Gods and Blue-Eyes White Dragons in his journey to the top!"
The audience applauded Jaden, whose theatrical dueling style appealed to them. "And in the opposite corner, we have Chazz Princeton, a duelist who draws from many different kinds of monsters to create one unique and powerful dueling deck! Give this young man a hand, everyone!" Roland called, and the audience obliged with pleasure.
Sensing the anticipation from both competitors, Roland began moving out of their way. "Without any further ado, let the Grand Finals begin!" He announced.
Up in the top box, Seto looked appraisingly at Mokuba. "I find this Hero duelist to be the more impressive combatant." He said frankly.
Mokuba nodded in agreement. "Chazz is pretty good, but there's something about Jaden. He and his cards work in such effortless tandem; it's almost like some kind of destiny. I haven't seen that kind of dueling since Yugi in his prime." The younger man claimed from firsthand experience.
"This is true. However, it seems Jaden and Chazz are schoolyard rivals. Perhaps this match is not unwinnable for Chazz." Kaiba said, considering all possibilities.
"Sure. Still, he seems like a fish fighting to swim upstream. He tries, but I don't think he can make it." Mokuba said with a hint of pity.
"I hope you aren't talking about fate. Only the weak-minded believe in such lies. There is no order but that created by the strong; you'll recall that it was our destiny to be wards of the state, growing up in that damn orphanage. Look at us now- this coliseum was built with our hands alone! There is no certainty in a duel and one draw can change everything, Mokuba. It is a chaotic song, and those who learn to dance with it write their own music and establish their own order. Right now, Chazz Princeton is the one who wishes to establish his own order, even though the Hero duelist is stronger. Whether that will be enough will decide this match." Although he had settled down some as he grew older, Seto's propensity for speeches had never quite dulled. Mokuba almost wanted to write his brother's words down and publish them in a book's foreword.
Meanwhile, in the arena, a quick rock-paper-scissors match had decided that it would be Chazz who would take the first turn. He quickly drew his first five cards, his brain working in overdrive to determine the optimal strategy.
"Draw! I set two cards and summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode!" Chazz's familiar mecha assembled onto the field, its cannons pointed threateningly at Jaden. "My turn's over!" Chazz nearly shouted, his nerves on edge.
"Alright!" Jaden, on the other hand, was relaxed and having a great time. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Neos Ailus (1900/1600) in attack mode!" Onto Jaden's field emerged the smaller version of his ace monster from a sphere of stardust. "Now, I'll attack your X-Head Cannon!"
Neos Alius shot forward and smashed Chazz's mech with a power-filled punch. Chazz grunted in acknowledgement and took the damage. (Jaden 4000/Chazz 3900)
"I'll set two cards and call it a turn!" Jaden ended, even more confident now that he had drawn first blood. Chazz was unruffled, seemingly prepared for Jaden's move. The crowd was tense and silent like a drawn bowstring as the match continued.
"Draw!" Chazz nodded to himself, having just drawn a card that would unlock a new strategy for him. "I'll play Frontline Base! Once per turn, this card allows me to special summon a Union monster from my hand! And I'm sure you know what's coming up next…" Chazz smirked.
Jaden laughed, already aware of Chazz's strategy. "Go, Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600)!" The familiar red dragon mech materialized on the field, blue sparks of electricity popping from its slightly open maw. "Next, I'll normal summon Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300)!" Joining his growing army was a yellow-painted vehicle with a single ocular lens between twin tank treads. Both machines glowed menacingly at Neos Alius, who was coolly unimpressed.
On the sidelines, Leon was scratching his head. "I wonder if he'll make YZ-Dragon Tank…you don't think he has a way of summoning back X-Head Cannon, do you?" He asked Alexis airily. She smiled knowingly. "He won't stop here." She responded.
Jaden, too, was expecting more. Chazz recognized this, and took relish in beginning his next play. "I activate my face-down Call of the Haunted to bring back my X-Head Cannon from the grave in attack mode!" Now, all three of his mechanized monsters were on the field and ready to fuse.
Jaden nodded. "Ah, now that was the play I was expecting."
"Well, we'll see how much you expect this! I'll fuse all three of my monsters together to form my ultimate mecha! Combine and bring forth destruction, XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)!"
With jolts of blue thunder arcing about, Chazz's three monsters assembled to each other. Y-Dragon Head folded its wings and retracted its tail, fitting neatly on top of Z-Metal Tank. X-Head Cannon rose and fit its bottom spheroid on Y-Dragon Head's midsection, forming a chimera much more intimidating than any of its parts. It towered above both duelists, glowing with thunderous power. Up in the top box, Kaiba grunted appreciatively at one of his ace monsters being used by a member of the new generation.
"Now, I'll use my monster's effect! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one of your monsters instantly!" X-Head Cannon's shoulder guns charged with azure energy, as did Y-Dragon Head's mouth and Z-Metal Tank's cannons. Then, after a moment of coalescing energy, the fused machine unleashed a concentrated beam of power directly at Jaden.
Jaden grit his teeth in determination as his monster took the full brunt of Chazz's assault.
"And since the card I discarded was Ojamagic, I can add the three Ojama brothers to my hand." With unusually precise efficiency, Chazz leafed through his well-worn cards to find his trusty Ojamas.
"Damn Chazz, back at it again with the lucky draws, I see you!" Jaden said cheekily. Chazz allowed himself a small smile. "I took a page out of your book and drew exactly what I needed."
"By the way, my Dragon Cannon still hasn't attacked this turn."
Jaden's eyes widened in horror as Chazz's ace monster charged up another wave of energy, this time washing Jaden himself in its blue vortex of power. (Jaden 1200/Chazz 3900)
"Oh my goodness! It seems that Chazz Princeton has risen to an early lead by summoning the fearsome XYZ-Dragon Cannon! How will the Hero duelist get out of this one!?" Roland, although he was normally a terse individual, felt compelled to add to the game's spectacle by announcing the play-by-play.
Jaden was, to his credit, rather unaffected by the attack, still retaining his damnably blithe grin. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised…Chazz has been nipping at my heels for the past two years. He's changed a lot since freshman year, but I bet he's more than a little excited at the idea of beating me." The Slifer Red thought idly.
He knew that he couldn't afford to spare any quarter in this match. It occurred to Jaden that he hadn't truly fought Chazz using his real deck in the past year; during their clash in the Genex Tournament, Chazz was using a deck supplied to him by Sartorius while Jaden himself was using Chazz's Ojamas as a way of deconditioning him. Still, Jaden had no doubt that would be able to overcome this challenge.
Alexis was rather bemused as she watched the clash of egos unfold. Although the match mattered little to her, she was still entertained by the skill of her two friends. She slightly favored Chazz to win; perhaps then he wouldn't be so moody. She chuckled at the thought.
"Alright, Chazzy boy, let's get down to business. First, I'll play E-Emergency Call, letting me add an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand." Jaden scanned through his motley crew of warriors and selected his favorite. His eyes suddenly narrowed in focus.
"Now, I'll summon Elemental Hero Stratos (1800/300)!" A tall warrior wearing blue armor and wielding twin turbines as weapons floated down to the field. The crowd went up in a shock of surprise, as did Leon and Alexis.
"Wait a minute, what the hell? I thought that card was banned!" Alexis gasped, unaware that Jaden managed to sneak a copy of Stratos into his deck.
"It was, but Mokuba told me that Seto put a word in at Industrial Illusions to get Stratos off the banlist. Apparently he had to yell at the poor customer service guy for almost 30 minutes, but at least heroes are more viable now." Leon explained.
"Yeah, for real. I don't get why the card was ever banned in the first place." Alexis commented. "Me neither, but at least it's all fixed now." Leon said with a dry chuckle, turning his attention back to the match.
"Now that Stratos has been summoned, I can add another Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand." Jaden thinned through his deck once more and grabbed another resource. "Next, I'll activate the field spell Skyscraper!"
A dramatic rumbling seemed to shake the very foundations of the coliseum as dark brick towers rose from the ground. Soon, they obscured Jaden and Chazz from viewing the rest of the crowd. Looking over his shoulder, Chazz caught one last glimpse of Alexis' Athenian features before the buildings blocked him off completely.
Soon, even the sun itself was hidden from view, Jaden and Chazz's only light coming from the mysterious yellow windows of the skyscrapers. They both appreciated the facsimile of isolation; for a moment, it seemed as though they were all alone.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you what this particular card does." Jaden said wryly. "No, no need." Chazz assented. XYZ-Dragon Cannon charged up its power in the face of the tall buildings.
"Now, I'll set one card face-down. And now, since I have no othr cards in my hand, I can special summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)." Jaden's familiar aquatic hero arrived at the scene in a flurry of water.
"Ah, I see…" Chazz nodded, seeing what Jaden was planning to do. "Alright, now my Stratos will attack XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" As the airborne hero flew towards the mech, it bounced off of the brick walls, its attack points rising to 2800. At the same time, XYZ-Dragon Cannon charged more sparks of energy around its yellow fist until it was fully encased in sapphire power.
Stratos cocked its fist back, and the two titans clashed knuckles, both briefly engaged in a struggle for dominance. Then, in a white explosion of heat, the two monsters burst apart.
"Now that you don't have defense, my Bubbleman will attack directly!" With a blast of water, Chazz found himself getting an impromptu bubble bath. (Jaden 1200/Chazz 3100)
"That's it for my turn!" Jaden was feeling confident, since he saw that all Chazz had in his hand were the Ojama brothers. Although he knew of their potential, Chazz would need a lucky draw to make use of them as they are now.
Chazz seemed to recognize this, and his heart quickened as he made his next draw. Luckily for him, it was indeed a good one. "Very well, Jaden. I'll set one monster and one face-down card to end my turn." Although his move was understated, it did send a clear message; this game was still in anyone's hands.
Outside of the small cityscape, the crowd began to grumble, only those in the uppermost seats being able to see what's going on. "I get why Jaden had to play the field spell, but now we can't see anything! This sucks!" Mokuba whined to his older brother. Seto chuckled with a crooked smirk.
"I'll start by summoning Elemental Hero Blazeman (1200/1800)!" A hero donning red armor jumped from the rooftops onto the city floor, sputtering flames from its rocket-powered jet boots. "When this monster is summoned, I can add Polymerization to my hand!" Jaden's deck proved to a reliable engine for him in this duel; although Elemental Heroes were not known for their fluidity, Jaden was making them look like a top-tier deck.
"Now, with the Polymerization I just drew, I'll fuse together my Bubbleman and my Blazeman to call forth Elemental Hero Absolute Zero (2500/2000)!" Jaden roared.
The glass on the skyscraper windows froze over, and Chazz felt the first icy spikes of fear race up his spine. The warrior in white emerged from a cold mist, its cape flapping in the gale-force winds it produced.
Chazz growled; he had cheered when Alexis used this monster against Weevil and Adrian earlier in the tournament, so to see it used against him now was a bit of a surreal experience, as well as uniquely fearful one.
"I hate to use this card against you, man, but you're the one who told me not to hold back." Jaden reminded. Chazz scoffed, "Like I care which cards you use!"
Jaden closed his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Absolute Zero, take out his monster now, please."
The wintry hero outstretched its palm and let forth a rain of sharp icicles which raced towards Chazz's face-down monster so fast they only appeared as gleaming pinpricks. Within moments, Chazz's Ojama Black (0/1000) was skewered.
"At least he saved me one turn…" Chazz muttered ruefully. "Now, I'll end." Jaden said.
Chazz drew, and grinned like a man who was blessed by the winds of fortune. "I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw until we have six cards in our hand!" Replenishing their resources, both duelists felt a sense of renewal.
"Now, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your field spell!" To the audience's relief, Skyscraper was blown away by a powerful cyclone. When the wind cleared, Alexis saw that Absolute Zero was present on Jaden's field, while Chazz's field was empty save for a face-down card.
"The duel's not over, is it?" she wondered out loud, and the possibility of Jaden winning filled her with a sense of inevitability. Although she loved Jaden dearly, dueling against him was like trying to scale Mt. Everest; a task as alluring as it was seemingly impossible. She still wondered how the brown-haired boy got so good to begin with, considering he had never been to prep school. It was almost as if he had lived a past life of experience with the way he held himself.
"No, it's not. In fact, Chazz is still up in life points, although who knows how long that will last with that monster on Jaden's field." Leon replied.
"Now, I'll set another monster and one more face-down to end my turn." Chazz was walled up, doing his utmost to scrabble any semblance of field presence against the might of Absolute Zero.
Wordlessly, he passed turn again. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (1500/1600) in attack mode!" Jaden said. A brown-skinned man wearing traditionally tribal cloths and tattoos leapt onto the field with abestial howl, a slab of iron in the shape of a broadsword strapped to its back with twine.
"Now, I'll attack that monster of yours!" Jaden cried, and Wildheart jumped forward, its sword coming down upon Chazz's monster with heavy weight. When the card reversed open, it was revealed to be Masked Dragon (1400/1100), a smaller dragon with red scales and white plating on its body.
"When Masked Dragon is destroyed, I can summon a Dragon with 1500 or less attack points from my deck. I'll choose another Masked Dragon!" Chazz explained as an exact copy of the destroyed monster appeared on the field.
"No biggie, Absolute Zero will take care of him." Jaden calmly thurst out his hand, and the same time, Absolute Zero clenched its fists. In a few seconds, as though shown on time-lapse photography, the dragon was encased in a small glacier. In another instant, the ice was shattered apart.
Regardless, Chazz plowed onwards. "Now I can summon another dragon. This time, I'll choose Totem Dragon (400/200)!" A wyrm, strange in all aspects of its appearance, snaked onto the field. Its face was one large mouth with strangely human-like teeth, and its body was a long coil the same color as freshly sanded wood. Its tail rattled unnervingly at Jaden.
"Ah, nice play." Jaden already knew what Chazz had planned for his next move. "I'll end my turn."
Nearly shaking in anticipation, Chazz snapped the next card off the top of his deck. "This will be the moment of my perfect victory!" "Totem Dragon's effect allows it to serve as two sacrifices for a Dragon-type monster. I'll use my faithful servant's power now to bring forth my ultimate creature!"
As he spoke, the sun began to hide behind a cirrus cloud, leaving only half of the star visible. "Come forth, Light and Darkness Dragon (2800/2400)!" A pillar of dust grey flames erupted from behind Chazz, and in another instant the bifurcated dragon unfurled its wings and screeched with pride. One half of the audience saw a frightening harbinger of destruction clad in hard black scales, while the other viewed a dragon, that while no less intimidating, possessed a certain regal, angelic quality in its white coloration.
Jaden's eyes widened; facing this new creature of Chazz's up close was entirely different than observing it from the sidelines. "That monster is…amazing…" He murmured. "I can't believe how much you've changed, Chazz."
"I can no longer be the same duelist or man as I once was. I was arrogant, and even worse, I was not free, thanks to those pieces of scum I used to call my brothers. There's been a hole in my heart so long, I thought that such a loveless existence was normal.
"I see now that my former brothers are fools, and I was too, because I did not value moments such as this, battling against you!" It was in that moment that Chazz realized that the money didn't matter, and it wouldn't ever matter because he now enjoyed a wealth of knowledge, friendships, and even love.
"There is darkness within me…and there is also light. I know now that either in excess is dangerous. But if I can find a way to channel both in equal measure…I can create something truly potent." Chazz finished his monologue, and Jaden felt chills of excitement race up and down his arms.
"I gotta say, I hate to be the one to beat you after a speech like that. But hey, I don't mind that much. Come at me!" Jaden responded, flexing his shoulders.
"Fine! Light and Darkness Dragon, attack his Wildheart now!" If this attack went through, Chazz would win the game. However, Jaden was more than ready to intercept the silver beam. "Reverse card, open! Mirror Force!" A shield of blazing light protected Jaden's monster for the moment.
"Oh god, not again!" Chazz grumbled. His dragon's effect immediately activated, causing it to lose 500 attack points in exchange for negating Jaden's trap card. "Still, this attack goes through!"
Jaden winced, bracing himself against the force of the dragon's assault. When the dust cleared, he was chuckling nervously. "Hehe, I'm in a pretty tight spot…It's gonna take everything I've got to get out of this!" (Jaden 300/Chazz 3100)
"Just a little more…" Chazz's concentration was reaching critical levels as he reached closer to victory. Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax and simply enjoy the game.
Jaden drew quickly, and his eyes glinted with new hope. "Alright, let's try this! I'll attack your weakened Light and Darkness Dragon with my Absolute Zero now!" Jaden knew there was no point in doing anything else; any effect he activated would've been negated by the dragon's power.
Cupping its hands at its side, Absolute Zero gathered frigid energy in the form of a sphere of polar wind. At the same time, the Light and Darkness Dragon valiantly prepared another grey blast of energy from its mouth, although all knew it was a futile effort.
At the same time, the two monsters unleashed their attacks, Absolute Zero's a beam of blue energy and the dragon's a sterling silver in hue. For a moment, the two lasers hung in midair, struggling against each other. However, it was soon enough that Absolute Zero overpowered the Light and Darkness Dragon, ripping apart the lizard's body with arctic gales. (Jaden 300/Chazz 2900)
"Not bad, but now my dragon's secondary effect activates! When it is destroyed, I send all other cards on my field to the grave and special summon one monster from my grave!" All Chazz had to give up was one face-down spell on his board.
"I chain Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down card!" Jaden inexplicably said. "Why the hell would he do that?" Chazz, although he was usually able to see the reasoning behind Jaden's moves, was utterly confused on this one. The audience agreed with him- why would Jaden destroy a card that was about to be sent to the grave anyhow?
Jaden smiled- he loved how entertained everyone was watching him. "Now, as Chain Link 3, I can specially summon a new monster of mine from my hand!"
Again, Alexis gasped in recognition. She had objected against Jaden placing this particular card in his deck- she felt it wasn't useful enough to justify being mixed in an Elemental Hero engine. However, Jaden had insisted with a nostalgic glint in his eye.
"Yugi…this one's for you!" Jaden wasn't sure if the King of Games himself was in attendance- Yugi was already a rather enigmatic figure, and this was a regular annual tourney.
Unbeknownst to everyone in the coliseum, Yugi Moto happened to be in town that day and was watching the match. He stood in the very top row, where he observed all while none saw him. He wore a plain black sweatshirt with a hood that miraculously managed to obscure his multicolored spiky hair.
On a whim, he had decided to watch the finals. When he entered through the backdoor, the security guards nearly tripped over themselves upon recognizing him. All he had to do was say he was here on business, and they let him through with no issue. Now, he silently watched, in staunch support of the boy he saw a glimmer of potential in two years ago.
"This monster can only be summoned as Chain Link 3 or above- meet Winged Kuriboh LV 9 (?/?)!" In a radiant tower of light appeared a creature that initially appeared to be no different than Winged Kuriboh in appearance. However, that soon changed as pieces of red armor attached to its furry puffball body. Its wings grew several feet in diameter, as did its claws, making the normally cute monster into something with a bit more edge.
The crowd was rather confused about the monster's attack and defense values, some of the kids theorizing about the card's ability. For Chazz, a wave of bad memories rose, unbidden, to the forefront of his mind.
Suddenly, he was wearing a tightly buttoned Obelisk Blue coat once more. His surroundings melted and shifted, and soon he was standing not in the Sliver Dragon's Coliseum, but in the testing center at Duel Academy. That accursed Winged Kuriboh LV 10, the monster that had sent him on his downward spiral, a fall that culminated to him being stranded in the arctic for nearly a month. The memory of losing to Jaden still made him sour.
And yet…he had grown stronger for it. "Bring it. Tell me the card's effect." Was all he said.
"Gladly. My new monster gains 500 attack and defense points for each spell card in your graveyard, and I now count five! That means my boy's got 2500 points! And from now on, all of your spells are banished instead of being sent to the graveyard." Jaden explained as his new monster charged up a fierce red aura.
Chazz growled- he had nothing in his grave that could defend against the Winged Kuriboh. All he could hope for was to minimize the amount of damage he was about to take. "I'll summon X-Head Cannon from the grave." He muttered, his faithful blue mech appearing at his side one more time.
"Winged Kuriboh, attack with transcendent wings!" Jaden shouted, his monster destroying X-Head Cannon with a red explosive wave. Chazz flinched as residual power from the attack struck him. (Jaden 300/Chazz 2200)
The side of the crowd on Jaden's side erupted in cheers at their hero's comeback. "I can still do this!" Jaden thought to psyche himself up. "My move's over!"
Unsteadily, Chazz drew, and he was lucky enough to be able to hang on one more turn. "I set one card and one monster face-down and end my turn." He hoped that things weren't about to spiral out of his control.
Jaden drew, his mouth curling upwards. "I hate to say it, but this one might be over sooner than I thought. I activate H-Heated Heart! I hate to be the one to tell you this, but this card equips to an Elemental Hero, increasing its attack points by 500 and giving the ability to inflict piercing damage!"
Absolute Zero's name became rather incongruous as it began to glow with heat energy. The hero howled in pain, seemingly hating the feeling of warmth that now surrounded it. However, its power did increase up to 3000 points, despite the clash of cold and hot.
"I hope that monster of yours has some defense! Absolute Zero, attack now!" The agonized hero leapt forward in a meteoric burst of contrasting energy, unleashing a blast of stem from its fists. Chazz's face-down monster was Ojama Green (0/1000), a cyclopean gremlin that formed one-third of Chazz's iconic trio. It howled in pain as it was destroyed, and Chazz felt a pang of guilt for putting his monster in such bad position.
However, there was no time to brood on the matter, as he was about to take a devastating blow from Jaden's monster. A column of mist slammed into him with deceptive force, and he was nearly knocked off of his feet. (Jaden 300/ Chazz 200)
"Damn it!" the black-haired boy cursed as his advantage disappeared like sushi in the Slifer Red cafeteria during lunch hour. "Reverse card open! The Grave of Enkindling! When a monster of mine is destroyed, each of us summon one level 3 or lower monster from our graveyards in defense position. And as long as that monster is on the field, its position cannot be changed." He explained frantically.
"You're a cheeky lad, Chazz. I don't have any monsters that qualify to be summoned, letting you get a summon for free." Jaden bared his teeth, acknowledging Chazz's strategy despite his impatience.
"Exactly. I think I'll bring back Masked Dragon!" Chazz called back his searcher dragon, which coiled into defense position at his side. "Winged Kuriboh, get him outta here!" Jaden waved dismissively, his leveled up-Kuriboh sweeping aside the masked dragon with Chuck Norris levels of ease.
"Since my dragon was destroyed again, I can summon another dragon from my deck. Come forth, Armed Dragon LV 3 (1200/900)!" A small lizard with orange and grey scales flapped its meager wings, although a hidden menace lurked in its fierce eyes.
"One face down and I'll end my turn, bro." Jaden said, raw intensity lurking barely beneath the surface of his nonchalant words. As he spoke, the effects of H-Heated Heart ebbed, and Absolute Zero cooled off, returning to its original strength.
Chazz drew with a sense of weight. "During my standby phase, my Armed Dragon evolves to level 5." He said in a strangely calm monotone. His dragon grew by nearly three feet, its scales darkening to a threatening crimson. Spikes elongated all over its back, and the lizard grew a rather silly beer belly. (Armed Dragon LV 5 (2400/1700))
"And now, Jaden, it's time to end everything…this battle…" He slowly raised a card from his hand into the air, "and every battle that has come before! I cast the spell Level Up!"
His Armed Dragon underwent another evolution, its skin hardening even more until it was the same consistency of a freshly sharpened blade. It grew even taller, now nearing sixteen feet in height. "Armed Dragon LV 7 (2800/1000)… I'm sure you're familiar with this card, Jaden." As Chazz spoke, he was forcibly reminded of his fight with Jaden at the School Duel during the winter of their freshman year. How different he was back then…it nearly made him sick remembering the way he had so willingly acquiesced to the demands of his brothers for the sake of power.
This time, however, the power was completely his and his alone. "It's a shame you don't have any life points left to lose, Jaden…I almost want to prolong this…"
"You're always talking, Chazz. You should attack right now, before I perform another one of my trademark miracles." Jaden responded with a knowing smile.
"Fine! Armed Dragon, attack his Absolute Zero with serrated sonic slice!" Chazz huffed, his titanic monster launching towards Jaden's hero with the force of a freight train. Jaden nearly laughed. "I activate Hero Barrier! When an Elemental Hero is attacked, I can activate this card to stop it!" A shield of purple electromagnetic waves forced the Armed Dragon back, its claws leaving deep cuts on the arid ground.
"Damn, why didn't I attack the Winged Kuriboh?!" Chazz inwardly berated himself, perhaps unfairly. It was a mistake he couldn't have truly foreseen, but his high standards for himself and his play commanded him to be critical. "If this costs me the duel, I'm gonna be pissed."
Jaden began his next move. "I'll set one monster and switch both my Absolute Zero and Winged Kuriboh LV 9 to defense mode." Playing defensively was Jaden's best option- when his Absolute Zero was destroyed, all of Chazz's attacking forces would be sent to an early grave as well.
On the sidelines, Alexis tensed as the turn passed seemingly without incident. She knew that this was the calm before the storm- each duelist was one misplay away from defeat.
Chazz took his final draw, knowing that there was only one way he could possibly win now. He had his dragon and one face-down- and that was all he needed. "My ultimate dragon is here. By sacrificing my Armed Dragon LV 7, I can call on its final evolution- the culmination of all my efforts. I summon Armed Dragon LV 10 (3000/2000)!"
The Armed Dragon's scales were coated in silver, making the entire monster look like a sleek, polished weapon of destruction. "Are you ready to finish this?" Chazz asked one last time. "Hit me with your best shot!" Jaden responded.
"As you wish! By discarding one card from my hand, Armed Dragon LV 10's effect lets me destroy every single monster on your side of the field in one slice!" As he spoke, the dragon formed a straight horizontal line of green-tinged wind energy, sharp and fast enough to cut through single molecules.
With a chainsaw whine, the wind blade swiftly bisected all three of Jaden's monsters, the Slifer Red's face-down revealed to be Neo-Spacian Dark Panther.
"Well, you had to spring my hero's effect eventually, but now that it's destroyed, all of your monsters will now enter a permanent ice age!" Jaden shouted, confident that his final contingency would result in his victory. This was how it always went; Chazz would arrive within a hair's breadth of victory only for Jaden to swiftly establish his superiority once more.
"No, Jaden. I'm afraid it won't." Chazz said softly as he opened up his last trap card. "My Debunk trap card allows me to negate a monster effect and banish that monster."
Jaden's smile evaporated for a moment, but quickly returned. "Wow…hehe. I was really banking on that." "Armed Dragon, attack him directly!" The sliver dragon raised its claws one last time, and brought them down like an executioner. With a final glint of light, the 13th annual KC Grand Championship came to an end. (Jaden 0/Chazz 200)
A moment of silence passed before the audience gave one last deafening round of applause for the combatants who had brought them such entertainment over the course of the games.
Alexis and Leon gave their respectful cheers as well, Alexis more surprised than anything else. Seeing Chazz beat Jaden was similar to seeing a Unicorn, or the Minnesota Timberwolves winning a championship title- it just didn't happen.
Chazz himself didn't seem to believe it- he and Jaden just stood unblinkingly like deer caught in the proverbial headlights. Both were stunned by the outcome of the match in their own way.
"Shoot…man, that bites." Jaden, for a moment, seemed truly dejected, almost brought down to earth. He walked over to Chazz, slapping him on the shoulder. "Damn, man, that was an awesome match! I think that's one of the best games we've ever played." He said congenially.
Chazz stared forward, a genuine, almost innocent smile creeping to his lips. "I can't believe it…I never imagined how it would feel to actually make it this far. Ever since we first met, all I wanted to was to defeat you…it dominated my every thought, and even when I was at my lowest, all I could ever focus on was how much I hated you." He began to speak, letting his tightly suppressed feelings bubble to the surface. Jaden said nothing, letting his friend say what he needed to say.
"Jaden…thanks for being so patient with me. You've helped me grow a lot over these past two years. I'm honored that you can call me a friend." Chazz said in a rare moment of humility. With the heavy weight of pride lifted from his soul, Chazz felt an exhilarating sense of freedom, wondering how he had ever lifted such a weight for so long.
Jaden nodded, and the two compatriots shared a look of wisdom and understanding. "You've always been a good duelist, Chazz, but it's good to see you become a better man as well. Being angry and vengeful all the time- it's not good for you. In this duel, I think we've both elevated ourselves to new levels." The Slifer Red said slowly. "And I can't wait to ascend even further in our next duel!"
"Of course." Chazz responded, and he and Jaden shared a handshake. Before they could say anything else to each other, however, Roland stepped forward, a check in one hand and two medals in the other.
"Chazz Princeton," He announced portentously, "I announce you the champion of the 13th annual KC Grand Championship!" HE handed Chazz the check, as well as a medal made of real gold- Chazz couldn't imagine how much it must have cost Kaiba to forge such a large amulet out of pure gold.
Still, he cared for more about the check. Sure enough, it was one million yen signed to his name, courtesy of Seto Kaiba himself. With this, he could finally afford to stand on his own two feet, without the aid of his begrudging brothers. He would call them first thing tomorrow with the news, and with luck, that would be the last time he would ever interact with them.
"Thank you." Chazz raised his fist in the air, knowing that this was one of the greatest moments of his life thus far.
Up in the top box, Seto and Mokuba were discussing the match. "I see…it appears that Chazz is the one with the stronger will." Mokuba postulated.
"It would seem so, but I think those two have a bit of a rivalry. I'm sure this isn't the final chapter of their book…isn't that right, Yugi?" Seto said, knowing that the King of Games was standing right behind him.
"Kaiba…you've trained the next generation well." Yugi lowered his hood, letting his spiky hair out. He had grown much taller in adulthood, and his voice was deep and confident much like the pharaoh who used to inhabit his body. These were the first words he had shared with Kaiba in nearly four years.
"I'm surprised you came out, Yugi. I thought your blood no longer boiled for dueling the same way it once did." Kaiba surmised with a shrug, downing the rest of his drink. Mokuba remained silent, awaiting his mentor's response.
"I suppose it does, a little." Yugi smirked. "Perhaps later, when the coliseum is empty, we can have our rematch for old time's sake."
Kaiba's blue eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you were too jaded to get any enjoyment out of a hobby as juvenile as dueling. I thought you just traveled the world and drank expensive wine now." He said teasingly.
"Oh, I most certainly do. Still, I suppose I should keep my skills sharp, in case a young buck like that Jaden kid comes to steal my title." Yugi chuckled.
"Feeling threatened, are we? I don't blame you; they are my students after all." Kaiba said, an both of them enjoyed a companionable laugh, happy to see the dueling world was being left in good hands.
As the crowd slowly filtered out of the coliseum, the duelists waited around the lobby for a while; traffic would be highly congested for the next thirty minutes or so. Jim and Haruto hung around for a while, offering their congratulations to Jaden and Chazz for their highly impressive performances. Chazz greeted them with a smile; battling his demons throughout the tournament made a new man out of him.
Alexis nearly threw him off his feet when he returned to the sidelines, and he was more than happy to accept her accolades. All too soon, however, it was time to leave. Crowler picked up the Central Duel Academy students in his low rider, seeming rather pleased that Chazz had brought such good publicity to the school.
Jim and Haruto exchanged phone numbers with the trio. "I think we'll be seeing each other real soon." The aussie said, winking his good eye at them cryptically.
Only an hour later, the sea breeze blew in their faces as they drove by the coast, Crowler aggressively weaving through traffic while Jaden and Alexis napped in the backseat. Chazz's tired eyes lazily fixated on boats, surfers, and rowers on the water, too exhausted to sleep.
Crowler looked over at the black-haired boy, his expression inscrutable with his sunglasses on. "You've changed, my boy." Was all he said, turning down the radio to speak.
Chazz looked over at his rather clownish teacher. "It sure seems that way. I'm not quite sure what that means yet, though."
"I know. It all seems to happen so fast. The days are so long and tiring, but before you know it your school days are over and it's time to enter the real world. You're not the same child anymore, and I don't mean that in any insulting way, Chazz." Crowler said, his expression unchanging.
"I feel better now…" Chazz said slowly.
"Of course- you have your own identity now. The uncertainty and ever-shifting nature of childhood does not suit everyone, especially someone like you." Crowler said, strangely wise.
"Adventure always seems like such a wonderful thing, becoming something new…how I lived before was untenable, but it was also comfortable." Chazz murmured, hardly believing that he was being so forthright.
"Not everyone can be great because most people value those comforts over their potential greatness. Believe me, there is much greater risk playing it safe than taking that leap. Did you know I once dreamed of becoming a musician?" Crowler confided, looking back to make sure that Jaden and Alexis were asleep. Sure enough, they were both snoring loudly, although Alexis would certainly deny that fact.
Chazz nodded- although he had no idea Crowler had ever wanted to be a musician, it was consistent with many aspects of the professor's character- his David Bowie-esque makeup, his guitar-like duel disk, and his love for romantic poetry. It wasn't hard to imagine Crowler on stage belting out the lyrics to "Starman".
"Obviously, I never did achieve that dream. When I was in college, dueling was reaching its peak of popularity as the Battle City tournament was happening. I ended up pursuing a doctorate in business with a minor in dueling. It's been a fulfilling experience, but I still sometimes wonder what would have happened had I not been so passive…" Crowler shared.
Chazz silently nodded once more, acknowledging the weight of the moment. "There is something strange about dueling- it tends to blur the lines between dreams and reality. I'll walk in that twilight and experience the best of both." HE said after a long silence.
"You'll succeed no matter what you do- all of you will. I know I might be harsh at times, but I just want to see you all do your best in life." Crowler said, a little choked up.
Chazz smiled. "You're a good teacher, Crowler. And if you ever need some people to help save the world again, we'll be ready."
"Of course you will." Crowler nodded as the city faded from sight in the rearview mirror.
They departed at the same coffee shop they each left for the tournament at, and as expected, the place hadn't changed at all in the past three days, unlike the duelists.
Jaden gave Alexis a quick hug and Chazz a fist bump. "You're both awesome! I'll see you in the fall for third year. Hopefully this time we can go a while semester without some creeps trying to destroy the world this time." He said with a half-chuckle.
"Somehow, I doubt it. This time though, we'll be ready." Alexis said with a confident nod. "Right. Get ready for our next match, Jaden. I'd hate to whoop you in front of the whole school." Chazz smirked facetiously.
"I'd say the same thing." Jaden, as otherworldly as ever, departed in his parent's car into the summer street.
Chazz and Alexis looked after him until his car disappeared from sight. Then, they drank in each other's beauty, glad to be alone at last. "You feel like a coffee?" She asked, her eyes smoldering.
"Sure, but I'm paying this time." Chazz teased playfully, looping an arm around her body as they entered the coffee house's swinging doors, a smooth flute beat playing inside. Reveling in his freedom and happiness, Chazz finally achieved his ultimate goal; contentment.
"Maybe growing up isn't so bad then, if this is what it's like." He thought as the summer breeze fluttered through his hair. Any moment, he expected to wake up, but the cruel sound of the alarm clock never came. This dream would not end for the reborn Chazz Princeton, free from the shackles of anger and the author of his own story. That story is of a gradual renewal of a man, of his regeneration, of the passing from one phase of life into the next, of initiation into a strange new world.
And when that next life began, Chazz would draw the next card from his deck.
A/N
Greetings, lovely readers, and thank you for reading Coliseum!
Yes, this is the end of the story. I never thought this tale would end up being too long, and it didn't need to be. There's no need to create a 500,000+ word epic that never gets finished with this sort of thing anyhow. Mainly, I wanted to create a universe where the character of Chazz Princeton/Jun Manjoume got to achieve his dreams and become a better man for it while tying together disparate aspects of the greater Yugioh canon. That has happened, and I hope you all enjoyed the journey. There were some things I wished to include (I initially planned to tie in Yubel and Zane to the plot) that I ended up cutting out in order to craft a more singular, novella-style fanfic.
This story is indeed canon-compliant- there is nothing here that outright contradicts seasons 3 and 4 of GX, since Chazz and Alexis are irrelevant there anyways. As you can imagine, I would've handled the latter half of the series differently, although Jaden's character development is amazing. Still, GX is long finished, and I enjoy the series for what it is. Arc-V is turning out awesome as well. As far as my writing goes, I may branch out from GX for a while- I have ideas for DBZ, Naruto, Star Wars, and Bleach fics that I plan to address sometime in the next year.
If the story made an impact on you, please a review telling me your thoughts. I enjoy honest dialogue with fellow readers and writers- we are a special and powerful breed.
Thanks again for reading and have a blessed day.