Chapter 113
Round 16 results:
Ozai Nakamura 0.5 - Aang Jetsun 0.5
Azula Nakamura 1 – Zhao Sakamoto 0
Zuko Nakamura 0 – Piandao Mori 1
Standings after Round 16:
1. Ozai Nakamura – 10.5
2. Piandao Mori - 10
3. Azula Nakamura – 9.5
4. Zuko Nakamura – 8.5
5. Aang Jetsun – 7.5
6. Zhao Sakamoto – 2
Round 17 results:
Ozai Nakamura 1 - Zhao Sakamoto 0
Azula Nakamura 1 – Piandao Mori 0
Zuko Nakamura 0.5 – Aang Jetsun 0.5
Standings after Round 17:
1. Ozai Nakamura – 11.5
2. Azula Nakamura – 10.5
3. Piandao Mori - 10
4. Zuko Nakamura – 9
5. Aang Jetsun – 8
6. Zhao Sakamoto – 2
Excerpt from an article in The Harmony Ring, written by senior correspondent Suki Arya:
The matches of the eighteenth round of the Pai Sho world championship proved to be more dramatic than anything we've seen in the tournament thus far. The defending champion Ozai Nakamura made a massive step towards retaining his title by drawing his game against former champion Piandao Mori.
The experts agree that Mr. Nakamura did not play anywhere close to his best and was fortunate to escape with a draw, as Mr. Mori failed to land a decisive knockout punch and after more than ninety exhausting moves, the game ended in a tie. It was clear that Ozai Nakamura was not his usual sharp and aggressive self, and we can only speculate whether his distracted state has anything to do with the recent accusations coming out of Ba Sing Se regarding illegal arms deal between the Nakamura Industries and various Earth Kingdom companies. Judging by the reaction of Mr. Nakamura, these accusations carry considerable weight, and could give hope to his closest challengers in the tournament, although considering that Ozai Nakamura is leading Piandao Mori and Azula Nakamura by a point and a half with only two games left, most experts are certain that the defending champion will be able to secure the title for two more years.
Azula Nakamura made a costly mistake in a tightly contested game with her brother, and as a result of her loss, failed to make any ground on the tournament leader. The outcome appeared to greatly frustrate Ms. Nakamura, since her brother Zuko Nakamura has only theoretical chance to still challenge for the title.With two points behind Ozai Nakamura, Zuko must win both of his remaining games, while hoping for the defending champion to lose his two remaining contests. And even in such a scenario, Zuko Nakamura would only tie his father and force an extra round. It is much more likely that should Ozai Nakamura lose his last two games, it would be Piandao Mori or Azula Nakamura who surged ahead of the defending champion to steal the title, but the leading experts at the tournament consider the scenario of Ozai Nakamura losing his two final games extremely unlikely.
The final game of the round saw young Aang Jetsun surprisingly lose to Zhao Sakamoto and say farewell to his chances of claiming the title. Still, Mr. Jetsun has acquitted himself with great aplomb and will undoubtedly feature in many more world championship finals in the future, challenging for the highest honors. With two final rounds left to go, there are still numerous possible scenarios that could come to pass, and even if the experts are almost unanimous in their opinion that Ozai Nakamura will retain his title, it is the belief of your faithful reporter that the tournament will deliver us even more surprises, and there is no better source for staying on top of all things Pai Sho than the next issue of The Harmony Ring, coming your way in two days!
Round 18 results:
Ozai Nakamura 0.5 - Piandao Mori 0.5
Azula Nakamura 0 – Zuko Nakamura 1
Zhao Sakamoto 1 – Aang Jetsun 0
Standings after Round 18:
1. Ozai Nakamura – 12
2.-3. Azula Nakamura, Piandao Mori – 10.5
4. Zuko Nakamura – 10
5. Aang Jetsun – 8
6. Zhao Sakamoto – 3
Azula felt strangely calm ahead of the penultimate round, which was a little odd because a couple of days ago she had been absolutely livid with herself, having blown a crucial game against Zuko by committing a very basic oversight. She couldn't explain her mistake in any other way than mere overconfidence, because she had been playing so well in the previous rounds, but that should have never allowed for this lapse of concentration because Zuko had also been playing better as of late.
Following that disastrous game, Azula had been seething in anger, and it had taken Yue and Katara a while to get her to relax again. Her girlfriends were reading Azula like an open book by now, and they knew perfectly well that for Azula the best way to get rid of anger was sex and more sex. At that point Azula hadn't even cared about how thin the cottage walls were. A few hours later, Azula felt a lot chiller and was seeing things in a much more positive and optimistic light.
The day after, Azula had wanted to throw herself into extensive practice sessions to make sure that she wouldn't make the same mistake twice, and once again her girlfriends had been forced to bring Azula back to her senses, reminding Azula that her penultimate round opponent was Aang and she didn't really need to do any prep for their game. Aang had already lost his chances to claim the title and couldn't finish higher than fifth. Katara and Yue had spoken with Aang the previous evening, and before they had even had the chance to ask, Aang had informed them that he was going to hand the win to Azula. Normally, Azula would have protested such a decision, but Zhao had already given four wins to Ozai, and really, Aang gained nothing from playing her hard, because he could no longer improve his own placing. In the name of their friendship, Aang had agreed to help her out and Azula hugely appreciated the gesture.
Of course, all the attention of the penultimate round would be on Zuko's game with Ozai. If Ozai won, then it would be all over and their father would be crowned as the champion yet again. Azula didn't like how at this point her fate wasn't in her own hands and she was forced to rely on her brother to keep her hopes alive. In context of their relationship, it was still a slightly uncomfortable situation for Azula, but perhaps it was also fitting considering that their relationship had improved greatly as of late. Azula had learned to rely on Zuko when they had undertaken that horrible training by "Guru" Pathik, and now she would have to rely on him again. But perhaps this was what had to happen, and it was a way in which they would take their father down together. And of course, Azula and her girls had spent a lot of time helping Zuko prepare for the upcoming game. Just because she couldn't affect the way Zuko's game with Ozai unfolded, it didn't mean that Azula couldn't do her utmost to make sure that her brother was as prepared as he could be.
"How are you feeling?" Azula asked, a little nervously and for what must have been at least the fifth time as together with Zuko and Aang they stood on the stage, waiting for all the competitors to arrive. Piandao was present, waiting to face Zhao for what was probably an easy win, but neither Ozai nor Zhao had showed up just yet.
"Will you stop that?" Zuko glared at her accusingly. "I'm actually feeling great, but you're starting to stress me out."
"I'm sorry," Azula apologized, mentally kicking herself. "Would it help if I told you that I believe you can do it?" she asked.
"I believe in you too, Zuko," Aang echoed her sentiments. "Also, I feel like Ozai will probably be really distracted. Did you see the crowd of journalists outside, waiting for his arrival?" Azula and Zuko both nodded at that. The confession of Lao Beifong had taken its time to spread. In a couple of days after Toph had read it on air at a regional TV station in Gaoling, the story had reached Ba Sing Se and blown up. There were now massive protestations in the streets, threatening to grow into riots. Azula had spoken with Ursa, and her mother had sounded a little scared about what was going on, deciding to stay indoors together with Kiyi until the situation calmed down, with Ikem making the occasional supply run. The Dai Li were quickly losing control of the situation and Azula could see the writing on the wall for Long Feng. Already, there were stories of mass desertions from the Earth Kingdom forces in Yu Dao. The rank and file had never felt like this was their war, but now the disgust and unwillingness to pick up a weapon reached new heights. The political system of the Earth Kingdom was about to collapse.
It had taken more time for the story to reach the Fire Nation, where Ozai controlled so much of the mass media. However, when writing about the troubles in Ba Sing Se, it quickly became impossible not to involve Ozai's name in connection with the story that had broken. Also, while so many reporters were on Ozai's payroll, it didn't take too long for them to realize that this was way too big to cover up, and whether the reporters were on the take or not, the story began to spread. The crowd of journalists outside the theatre house waiting on Ozai's arrival and hoping to press him for comments was exactly what Azula had been hoping for. She had wanted to put her father under immense pressure for these final games of the tournament, and Azula felt confident that she had succeeded at creating a massive headache for her father, one that even he might struggle to overcome. He had committed high treason by violating the treaty forbidding arms sales to an enemy state. This was dire, and Azula knew that Ozai must have by now realized that even he would struggle to contain this, especially if his allies began to turn on him. This was the perfect situation in which Pai Sho could no longer be at the forefront of her father's mind.
"I'm not going to count on our father to just roll over and lose because he's distracted," Zuko replied, his answer immediately calming Azula's nerves. "I would just distract myself by expecting that."
"I am so glad you realize that," Azula said gratefully. "Just play your normal game, like we practiced. Follow what we did during the prep and you'll be golden, I know it," Azula nodded.
The matches were almost about to begin, but neither Ozai nor Zhao had arrived yet. They all sat down at their respective Pai Sho boards, but only Azula and Aang could actually begin their game, with Zuko and Piandao having to wait for their opponents, not that they minded. Ozai and Zhao were both on the clock and their allotted hour was starting to run down. Azula and Aang had made a couple of moves each, when Azula finally spotted her father as he entered the hall and walked up to the stage, with Zhao following him. Ozai looked absolutely outraged, and Azula guessed that he must have been harried by all the reporters outside the theatre. This was exactly the kind of mood Azula wanted Ozai to be in, mad with anger and barely able to focus his attention on Pai Sho, but of course, Azula still felt anxious about Zuko somehow managing to squander this perfect opportunity.
It was very fortunate for Azula that she was facing Aang who had agreed to hand her the victory before the match. Azula was utterly unable to focus her attention on her own game, so Aang would have probably had an easy time dispatching her if they hadn't made their agreement beforehand. Azula simply could not tear her eyes away from the Pai Sho board on which Zuko's tiles clashed with those of her father.
Despite Ozai clearly not being in the right mindset for Pai Sho, Azula was disturbed at how her father still managed to remain so disciplined. Zuko was trying to play a stable and safe game, slowly overwhelming Ozai, but Ozai was defending well and constantly forced Zuko to exchange his more active tiles, threatening to force Zuko into a draw. As Azula lackadaisically moved to finish off Aang, she began to realize the problem that Zuko was facing with Ozai. Due to his sheer amount of experience, Ozai was able to defend on pure instinct, and Zuko's safe and predictable patterns of attack were playing right into Ozai's hands. What Zuko needed to do was to improvise, or else he would be forced into a draw, but unfortunately there was no way for Azula to let him know that without alerting the attention of the officials.
Of course, Zuko holding Ozai to a draw was still an acceptable result to Azula. With her victory over Aang in the bag, she would find herself a whole point behind her father, and even more fittingly, Ozai was her final round opponent. If she won against her father in the final round, Azula would tie him on points, and the title would then be awarded based on who had done better in their head-to-head meetings. And if Azula won the final round game, she would have two wins, a draw and a loss against her father. Her record would be better, so the title would go to her. Azula knew that she could not have dreamed of a more dramatic scenario than this, with everything coming down to the final round match between her and Ozai.
All Azula had needed from Zuko was for him not to lose his game against Ozai, and as he reluctantly agreed to a draw with their father, Azula felt intense gratitude to her brother for providing her with this opportunity to deliver the knockout blow herself. There had been the possibility of Piandao playing the role of a spoiler, but with some surprise, Azula noticed that he had failed to prevail against Zhao, which was definitely a major surprise. Piandao looked very upset, but it didn't seem as if he was angry with his own performance. With Ozai still lingering behind and waiting for Zhao to catch up, Piandao walked up to them both and started to speak with them very animatedly. There were never that many spectators in the theatre auditorium, but those present were also talking animatedly and it did not allow Azula to overhear the exchange between Piandao, Ozai and Zhao.
It seemed that Piandao was not happy about what he had read in the papers about Ozai's business dealings, and he was letting his feelings be known. Perhaps it also explained his agitated mental state, because under normal circumstances, Azula would have expected him to deal with Zhao quite easily, but with Piandao being so angry, perhaps he had sabotaged himself. The situation came to a heated end with Piandao getting very close up and personal with both Ozai and his lackey, before Zhao gave Piandao a hard shove that sent him reeling. Piandao came right back at Zhao, grabbing him by the lapels of his shirt. This time it was Ozai who shoved Piandao, and as the older man went down, he pulled Zhao into a heap with him. The frightened looking tournament officials finally decided to intervene and pulled the two inept fighters apart, giving Ozai and Zhao the opportunity to depart. Azula had a feeling that those two would not be sticking around for a chat with the press.
"Sorry, for not finding a way to dispatch him," Zuko told her as together with Aang they slowly made their way towards the press zone. All three of them were a little rattled by what they had seen on the stage. It wasn't really a brawl as such, but still, Pai Sho players rarely got physical with each other. This was all turning into quite the scandal. "Anyway, it's all in your hands now, sister," Zuko added. "I think you probably wanted it this way."
"Well, I have you to thank for the opportunity," Azula smiled at him. She then turned towards Aang, smiling gratefully. "And I owe you thanks as well, not just for the match today, but for taking some crucial points from my father earlier. You've given me the chance I've been waiting on for five or even more years."
"Hey, don't mention it, there's nobody I'd rather see taking down Ozai Nakamura than you," Aang said, clapping Azula on the shoulder. "Uh, sorry, Zuko," he then added hastily.
"Don't worry," Zuko replied. "As long as I get to play a part in bringing him down, I'll be satisfied. And I would have to agree that Azula is the one who deserves to deliver the coup de grace. What you had to endure in his care-"
"Hey, Zuzu, we really don't need to compare trauma, okay?" Azula said hastily. Zuko nodded in agreement to that.
"I just can't believe how everything is unfolding," Aang said, shaking his head. "The pressure on your father is only going to mount over the coming days, right? The press will keep hounding him until he makes some sort of statement about those weapons deals. What do you think he will do, Azula?"
"He'll try to reach out to everyone he has bribed over the years, and he's going to ask them for their help to suppress the stories," Azula replied. "But I'm hoping that this story will prove to be too big for him to bury. I think his allies will begin to turn on him."
"I think you're right," Zuko said. "I think that all as one they will get cold feet and abandon Ozai. People in this situation tend to think of only one thing and that is to save their own skins."
"That's my hope as well, Zuko," Azula nodded. This was what Azula had tried to orchestrate all along. Two years ago, Ozai had caused Katara – and Yue – such harm by putting Katara through inhumane psychological terror. Now, Azula's machinations had created a situation in which the roles had been reversed, and now it was Ozai who was under intense mental strain. Azula expected that the pressure on her father would continue to mount over the next two days. By the time she met him in the final round, Azula hoped that Ozai would be a wreck, a shadow of his formal self. Still, the way he had held himself up against Zuko just now told Azula that she would still have to be very careful. Ozai was not someone to be underestimated even now, when the walls were closing in on him.
The day before the final round of the world Pai Sho championships found Ozai Nakamura in a foul mood as he paced around his office in the Nakamura family summer retreat on Ember Island. He was absolutely livid with how the situation around him was spiraling out of control. The web he had woven so carefully and painstakingly over the past decade or so was starting to come apart at the seams. All those people he had put in high places and who had sworn him their undying loyalty had suddenly stopped returning his calls. Even that weasel Zhao had disappeared somewhere during the tournament off-day, which was particularly irritating when Ozai could have done with something he was paying Zhao handsomely for, and that was to offer advice.
Not everyone had abandoned him, fortunately. Some of his contacts in the various power structures of the Fire Nation political establishment had reiterated their promise to do everything they could to make this unpleasant breaking story to just… go away. However, by now it had blown up to such an extent, with even newspapers owned by Ozai himself starting to write about it, that merely suppressing the story now seemed impossible. Ozai knew that it was now time to go into damage limitation mode. And that meant finding a convenient scapegoat or a few to throw under the bus. High level executives in Nakamura Industries had authorized the sale of all this military equipment with Ozai being none the wiser. Perhaps they had worked together with Zhao. That seemed like a good story that the public would believe. Ozai had been growing increasingly annoyed with Zhao. Perhaps it was time that his long-time right-hand man performed his last service for his master.
Ozai was also incredibly angry with Long Feng. He had learned that the story had broken out in Ba Sing Se first, with Long Feng failing to contain the confession by that irritating idiot Lao Beifong. Despite multiple reassurances from Long Feng that he had the situation well in hand, it seemed that it was all a lie and Long Feng's hold on the situation had been tenuous at best. His old friend had kept reassuring him until a few days ago, when Long Feng had suddenly gone silent and stopped returning his calls, probably fearing that Ozai would seek some kind of retribution against him. Knowing that he had to make sure that Long Feng plugged all the leaks on his end and stopped dropping Ozai's name in connection with the story, Ozai Nakamura once again sat down at his work desk and dialed the number of the private phone line connecting him with Long Feng's office at the Dai Li headquarters. The past few days, nobody had answered the phone, and Ozai was starting to suspect that Long Feng had fled the city. Ozai was taken by surprise when after a few rings someone actually answered his call, but he was then surprised even more when he didn't recognize the voice of the person he was now speaking with.
"Who is this?" Ozai demanded harshly. "I wish to speak with Long Feng, immediately."
"That might be problematic," a slightly annoying nasal male voice answered. "Who am I speaking with? Is that Mr. Nakamura?"
"Never mind that, who am I speaking with?" Ozai all but shouted.
"It doesn't matter, Mr. Nakamura, my name will not mean anything to you," the man replied. Ozai was starting to develop the feeling that he was being mocked here. "I regret to tell you that Long Feng is unavailable to speak with you, Mr. Nakamura."
"Can you at least pass him a message from me?" Ozai asked, grinding his teeth at the impertinence of this stranger.
"Hmm," the man on the other end of the line sounded amused. "I suppose I could write a note and stuff it in the pocket of his suit? I'm just not sure what good it would do."
"What is this nonsense? What are you blabbering on about, man?" Ozai began to shout. "Get a hold of Long Feng for me and do it now!"
"Well, that might prove a little difficult, Sir," the man replied, clearly holding back a laugh. "We are trying to get a hold of him, but it's a little difficult when he's hanging in a noose made from his own necktie while swinging from a chandelier."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Ozai yelled. The pounding in his temples was intensifying, bringing with it a painful headache.
"What I'm trying to tell you here, Mr. Nakamura, is that Long Feng is dead by suicide," the man dropped all pretense of being amused, speaking in a cold and calculated voice. "And that means only one thing. Please, don't bother using this line ever again. You will find that the new management will be far less inclined to cooperate with you. Have a good day, Sir," he added before hanging up on Ozai.
Ozai screamed in rage, grabbing the phone and tossing it against the nearby wall where it shattered in pieces. "This can't be happening! I won't allow it!" he shouted in blind rage at nobody in particular, for the first time in his life experiencing the feeling that his carefully constructed empire was starting to come apart all around him.
Finally, Azula's big day was upon her as the twentieth and last round of the world championship finals was about to get under way. Even though Azula was under the immense pressure of requiring a win, and only a win, in order to pip her father to the title, Azula did not feel stressed under the weight of expectations. She had enjoyed a couple of very relaxing days in the company of her beloved girlfriends, doing activities that kept Azula positive and in a good mood. They'd done some sunbathing and beach volley, some swimming and paddle boarding. Azula had done a few hours of meditation to keep herself centered. They'd done some practice to finalize their tactics in the upcoming game against Ozai, but since Azula had already realized how she needed to play by watching Zuko take on Ozai in the previous round, they hadn't needed to keep the prep session too lengthy. Lastly, there had been plenty of vigorous bedroom activities to put Azula in an extremely good mood come the morning to face her father at the Pai Sho board.
Of course, considering their experiences in the Fire Fountain City and their cottage getting demolished a week ago, Yue and Katara had been rather anxious about Ozai still attempting something to throw Azula off the track. However, Azula felt supremely confident that there would be no last-minute tricks from her father, not this time, and she had managed to reassure her girlfriends, allowing them to relax as well. The reason for it was simple, and it also explained why Azula could enjoy so much free and undisturbed time on the eve of the final match. The stories of Ozai's arms deals were now blowing up all over the Fire Nation and the press had swarmed Ember Island, with Ozai being the sole focus of their attention. Azula didn't believe that her father's last-ditch attempt of throwing some of his top executives together with Zhao under the bus was going to work. It truly felt that things had spiraled out of Ozai's control, which still felt so strange to Azula, because on some level she had never expected that this could happen. After all, she had been brought up believing that her father possessed almost godlike powers and influence, and yet it seemed that with enough time and effort he could be brought down just like any other powerful tyrant.
"Five minutes," Azula opened her eyes to the soothing tones of Katara's voice. She was sitting in a chair right by the stage, with Yue standing behind her and gently rubbing her shoulders to keep Azula relaxed. Katara was kneeling in front of Azula, their hands linked in Azula's lap. "You know what to do, love. We believe in you," Katara added, smiling at her.
"We believe in you all the way, Zula," Yue echoed Katara's statement. "You're ready to slay the beast."
"I do feel ready," Azula sighed in contentment, at the moment feeling like she would rather stay put to be cared for by her girlfriends. Yue gave the best shoulder massages, and holding hands with Katara had always been one of her favorite pastimes.
"Remember, no relying on your father being rattled and not in the right mindset to play," Katara continued, somewhat unnecessarily. Azula knew the strategy perfectly and they had plotted everything out from A to Z. Azula wasn't going to rely on her father playing poorly, because that was the way of complacency which led only to bitter defeat. But there was something that Azula could rely on, and that was the knowledge that because of what Ozai was currently dealing with politically and financially, he would have had no time for Pai Sho prep. This meant that he was going to play the same way as he had played against Zuko, tried and tested strategies, simplification of the game as much as possible, and then forcing the opponent into a draw. Azula and her loves had prepared an antidote against this approach, one that was sure to leave Ozai flabbergasted.
"There's Zhao," Yue commented as the loathed right-hand man of Azula's father walked past them, flashing Azula a grin as he climbed onto the stage to sit at the same table with Zuko. "Why does he look so cheerful?" Yue wondered. "Didn't your father try to set him up for the fall?"
"Yes, they usually arrived together, but not this time," Katara remarked. "I guess the honeymoon is over."
Azula snorted. "I think Zhao is probably looking to cut a deal with the prosecutor's office or something like that," she mused. "He'll probably offer to come clean about my father's dealings in exchange for protection and reduced sentence. That's how they usually nail influential people like my father. Their own lackeys turn on them."
"Speaking of your father," Yue said, as together they watched Ozai appearing in the side entrance and proceeding towards the stage.
"You better go, love, the game is about to start," Katara urged. "I want you to do it for us, Zula, but most importantly, I want you to do it for yourself."
"I will," Azula said. She leaned in and surprised Katara with a kiss. "For luck," she said, then repeating the same with Yue. "For even more luck," Azula smiled as she turned to join the others on the stage. Azula knew that her father had seen her kissing her girlfriends, and she hoped that she had managed to inflict some extra annoyance upon him with the gesture.
Ozai didn't seem to be in the mood for either conversation or mind tricks as she sat down opposite to him at the Pai Sho board, waiting for the tournament official to come up to them and start the timing clock. Her father didn't even want to glare at her today, or maintain any eye contact at all, perhaps because his eyes were completely bloodshot, suggesting lack of sleep and overuse of alcohol. Azula made sure to act relaxed, smile and stare at her father as much as she could, all to project her confidence and further dampen his spirits.
Finally, the tournament officials started the timing clocks and Azula found herself with the opportunity to make her opening move. And what Azula had prepared for her father was something highly unorthodox and yet at the same time, it was a calculated risk, the same unconventional opening she had tried to play against Bumi in Omashu, where it had been declined. Azula once again went for the White Lotus Gambit.
Upon Azula offering her White Lotus tile as a sacrifice, Ozai made a disgusted sound in his throat. "How dare you?" he barked at her. "Have you no shame?"
Azula merely grinned at her father's reaction. She could understand his frustration. White Lotus Gambit was considered as not viable opening at the highest level because of its low success rate. It was something that was used more at amateur and junior tournaments. To use it in the final round of the world championship finals would be considered highly disrespectful by crusty old men who formed the Pai Sho elite, but Azula didn't care. She was choosing to play this opening because she wanted to further frustrate Ozai with this show of disrespect and defiance.
"Then punish me for my disrespect," Azula said teasingly. "Or are you afraid to accept it?" she asked. One of the officials approached them and gave them both verbal warnings for speaking during a game. Azula was impressed that Ozai was given a warning as well. It seemed that he was losing his standing everywhere, even in the world of Pai Sho.
Azula briefly wondered whether Ozai would accept the gambit or not. They had prepared detailed strategies for both options, but privately, Azula felt confident that Ozai would swallow the bait and accept it. It would be below his honor not to punish Azula for her open show of disrespect. Without much hesitation, Ozai took her White Lotus tile off the board, giving Azula what she wanted, an extra tempo, the initiative and a position on the board where Ozai's standard strategies would prove useless, and she got all this in exchange for a single, albeit very important tile.
Soon enough, Azula found herself in ascendancy. She struck on the left flank first, gaining more important ground by sacrificing another flower tile and then another sacrifice followed to open up the right flank. Ozai by now had considerable material advantage, but most of tiles were inactive and he could not get them involved in play because Azula had gained so much territory and had a clear positional advantage. It was now time to turn this positional advantage into a material one. As Azula turned to look at the tense and anxious faces of her girlfriends watching her, she couldn't resist flashing them a knowing and reassuring smile, just to tell Yue and Katara that she knew what she was doing.
Ozai's strength as a player had never laid in being able to maintain long and sustained defense. That was the forte of players like Pakku Karetak. Ozai felt more at home when he was attacking, but now, Azula was forcing him to play the entire game on the defensive while she peppered his fortifications, softening them up for the decisive blow. Despite feeling confident, Azula knew that because she was at a material disadvantage, her decisive move had to stick. Also, she still faced the one disadvantage of the White Lotus Gambit. The White Lotus tile when activated made the Orchid tile that much more powerful. Azula didn't have her White Lotus tile anymore, but Ozai had both his White Lotus and his Orchid. They were simply stuck behind his lines of basic flower tiles and were failing to contribute. Both Ozai's White Lotus and Orchid were Azula's targets in the attack she was contemplating.
With two consequential moves, Azula opened up both flanks one after another. With enough of her tiles concentrated in the center, Azula was preventing Ozai from transferring his tiles in defense of the flanks. As they finally reached the fortieth move and another hour was added to their timing clocks, Azula had penetrated deep on both flanks. Ozai was throwing everything but the kitchen sink in order to halt her advance on the flanks. He had tried to keep his Orchid and White Lotus out of action for now, unwilling to see them forced into an exchange, but he soon ran out of tiles witch which to plug the gaps and Ozai's two most important tiles also ended up transferred from their backup guard duty of the center to plug the wings.
This was when Azula went for the finishing blow. Ozai's tile structure in the center no longer had a back line to hold it together in any cohesive shape. When Azula now aimed a decisive blow at the center, she managed to achieve a breakthrough and Ozai's tiles were swiftly routed. Her tiles crushed the weakened center, then wheeled around and swept up Ozai's flanks, destroying both his Orchid and the White Lotus tile.
It was all over, and Ozai knew it. Azula's father didn't even bother to stop the timing clock as he rose and left, not bothering to acknowledge her in any way. On his way out, Ozai angrily flipped a table and then punched one of the tournament officials in the face before making a speedy exit through the side entrance, apparently unwilling to linger behind and accept the accolades for his second-place finish.
It took a while for the reality of what she had achieved to sink in for Azula. As she rose from her seat, the auditorium erupted in cheers, but Azula only had eyes for her girlfriends, looking ecstatic with joy, hugging and looking impatient for Azula to join them. Azula would soon be on her way to embrace her girlfriends, but first, she used the moment to bow to the audience with an exaggerated flourish, truly milking the dramatic moment befitting a theatre stage. As the cheers of the audience reached a new crescendo, Azula finally and truly realized what she had achieved.
She was Azula Nakamura, and she had just become the world Pai Sho champion, first in the history of this ancient game who had done so by employing the White Lotus Gambit.
Next chapter: the aftermath of the tournament, including celebrations and Ozai facing a very sticky situation as the walls begin to close in around him.