A/N: I swear, with how hectic my schedule has been over the last couple of months, the guilt that I feel in regards to how long it takes for me to upload these chapters is almost as much of a tradition as the background paragraph that I include about the story's origin and creation. Once again, I'm really sorry that it took me over half a year to upload another story/chapter for this fanfic. It's just that life and writer's block can be quite the deadly combination.

In regards to this story, it holds a special place in my heart since it was one of the first fanfics I ever wrote that focused less on comedy and more on action. Essentially, one day, I was listening to Duel of Fates while brushing my teeth one evening, when the idea of Zak and Phoenix getting into a huge fight over who's Trucy's real father popped into my mind. However, I quickly scrapped that idea for two reasons: one, there's no contest in that regard since Phoenix adopted Trucy, a girl who he had just met and who was sort of the reason why he was disbarred, and raised her as his own with love and kindness, whereas Zak abandoned her without a second thought, only to reappear seven years later with the intent of ruining Phoenix's reputation and income, thereby putting her health in jeopardy. And two, given that Zak's a magician who has proven that he can use his skills to his advantage, it wouldn't be a fair fight unless Phoenix was allowed to use his horrible piano-playing as a weapon.

So from that, the idea evolved into "What if Valant encountered Zak when the latter returned?" However, it would be a bit underwhelming if the magic of the Gramaryes was mere tricks- plus, this is a universe where spirit channeling exists and Phoenix is able to get hit by a car, launched 30 feet through the air, and hit his head on a telephone pole, only to get a sprained ankle (not to mention, all of the crazy stuff that happens in the Professor Layton games, which take place in the Ace Attorney universe)- so I decided that it would be way more fun if Magnifi and his students had magical capabilities that defied the laws of nature. And from that, the original version of this story was born.

However, since that version of the story was written about seven months before the release of Spirit of Justice, I decided to give it a massive overhaul before uploading it here by making it where Zak's fighting Roger Retinz instead of Valant- partially because it would make more sense to have Roger, Magnifi's scorned former student, getting into a magical fight to the death with Zak, but also because Roger specializing in fire and coin tricks opens the door to a lot of possibilities combat-wise. Essentially, think of a firebender from the Avatar series mixed with a metalbender.

So with that said, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Duel of Magic

(Time: April 17, 2026)

For as long as he could remember, Zak had always liked late spring- the way the days got longer, the way the weather was warm, but not stiflingly hot, and how the light breezes felt so pleasant on his skin, how it so subtly rubbed the back of his hands, like the tender kiss of an angel. Perhaps that lattermost reason had to do with the dates he'd used to have with Thalassa after practice.

Even now, despite all the hardships he had endured, Zak still couldn't help but smile when he looked back on those happy times with Thalassa. After all, it was the anticipation of those dates that helped him muster up the strength to get through the long, strenuous hours of practice that Magnifi demanded of him. Sure, both Zak and Valant loved Magnifi like a father, but that didn't change the fact that he was as ruthless a mentor as he was skilled as a magician- giving his apprentices only a small breakfast of oats or rice in the morning and nothing else until practice was over, not allowing any breaks of any kind, and mildly torturing them over the course of several hours in order to drive his lessons home.

To this day, Zak still had nightmares about the sheer amount of rabbits he and Valant had to pull out of a top hat while trying in vain to master that classic trick- or rather, Magnifi's version of it. For instead of doing the trick in the normal fashion- a secret compartment in the hat that the rabbit would be stored in- Magnifi would actually use an empty hat and conjure a rabbit out of thin air. Of course, being only human, Zak and Valant were unable to successfully pull the trick off, even after five hours of nonstop attempts, much to the sadistic delight of Magnifi, who revealed to his apprentices that the purpose of the lesson wasn't for them to learn how to perform the trick, but rather, that they would never be able to become great magicians without complete devotion to him.

And sure enough, as time went on, Magnifi bestowed upon his apprentices different sets of tricks and abilities based off their personalities and preferences. For Zak, with his unrivaled love of card games- particularly poker- Magnifi bestowed upon him a mastery of card tricks, whereas Valant's passion for showmanship and dazzle made him the perfect candidate for tricks of the flashier variety- making animals and objects appear out of thin air, mirror tricks, anything involving ribbons, etc.

But despite gaining skills and abilities that defied the laws of nature, they couldn't hold a candle to those late spring days after practice when Zak and Thalassa would go to Repose Park for a picnic dinner to watch the sunset. Of course, being the third-wheel that he was, Valant would always try to tag along, but every time, Zak and Thalassa would always outrun him, leaving the yellow-cladded magician with only his tears and the sound of Magnifi's laughter whenever he'd see his least favorite apprentice abandoned. But Valant was the least of Zak's concerns during his times out with Thalassa, with his focus being devoted to the great food and the even greater beauty of his date.

Thalassa was always a sight to behold- her svelte figure, her delicate features, the way her chestnut-brown hair flowed down her shoulders- but during these dates, she was even more fetching thanks to how the warm orange of the sky as the sun gradually dipped below the horizon perfectly complemented her cool blue-grey eyes and made the white sundress that she favored at this time of year really pop. If Zak hadn't known better, he could have sworn that during those dates, Thalassa was an angel sent down from Heaven. But even if that wasn't true, she never failed to make him feel like he was in paradise whenever they were out on those dates- especially since it was on one such sunset that she agreed to marry him.

But on the night of April 17, 2026, things were different as Zak roamed the streets of Los Angeles. Since it was nearing midnight, the sun had long since gone down, making it where the only sources of illumination were from the streetlights and buildings surrounding Zak, and the wind that he had always loved so dearly felt cold and slightly bitter against his skin. Though in a way, it was only fitting that the warmth of spring was no longer present. After all, the person who helped to give Zak's springs warmth was gone, leaving him alone in this world. Sure, the former magician had a lovely daughter who, as he recalled, took after her mother in all the right ways, but she probably didn't want anything to do with him- not that he blamed her. What person in their right mind would want to associate with the father who not only abandoned them for seven years, but was also a wanted criminal?

Nevertheless, whether or not Trucy wanted to see Zak didn't change the fact that he was risking jail time by returning to this city for two reasons- one business, and another that was far more important. Luckily, thanks to his dealings with some of Los Angeles' more… dubious gambling circles, Zak knew all about how to travel through the city undetected- which streets people didn't really walk during night, where there was little to no police surveillance, which alleys were safe and which ones were frequented by some scruffy-looking hobo in a green trench coat rooting through dumpsters for food scraps, etc.

That's why, while wandering down one such deserted street, Zak was startled when he heard someone call out to him.

"Well, well, well, took you long enough to slink back here." The voice remarked in a condescending tone.

"Who said that?!" Zak snapped as he quickly turned around, his fists clenched and prepared for a fight, only for them to slightly loosen up when he saw that the person wasn't some thug who he owed money to or a police officer, but rather some guy who was wearing a pair of sunglasses, a white fedora that matched his dress shirt that had a red blazer of sorts draped over the shoulders, giving him the appearance of having a cape, and a pair of green-checkered cargo shorts that clashed horribly with his shirt.

"Nice to see you haven't changed a bit, Shadi…. Or should I say Zak." The man snidely commented as he put his hands up.

"Do I know you?" Zak asked with a confused look on his face, his arms crossed as he tried to remember if he had met this guy before.

"That really hurts, Shadi." The man replied with mock pain in his voice. "How could you forget about me after everything that happened between us?"

"I'm sorry, old boy, but I can say for certain that I've never seen you before in my life. Because if I did, I would never forget such a tacky outfit!" Zak bellowed with his infamous laugh. "What even is that outfit, old boy? A white blazer and green-checkered cargo shorts..? Are you trying to impersonate Johnny Depp going through a midlife crisis? Because if that's the case, then mission accomplished!"

"Well, since you appear to be as dense as you are a jerk, then I'll give you a hint: you ruined my life." The man disdainfully responded with a look of contempt.

"You're going to have to be more specific, old boy." Zak smirked with his hands placed proudly on his hips

"You and that miserable sack of crap Magnifi ruined my life." The man growled.

"Once again, you're going to have to be more specific. If anything, that last comment just widened the circle of possible people you could be!"

"Magnifi cast me off to the side the second my usefulness came to an end while you and him used my downfall as a stepping stone for your own careers."

"Ok, old boy, this is no longer funny." Zak sternly stated, his expression becoming more stoic. "At this point, you're describing every last person on the planet- t.v. producers, Rainbow Squirts, my ex-partner, Valant…"

"Geez, just when I thought that you Gramaryes couldn't be more of a pain in my ass…" The man groaned as he took out a wad of money and started fanning himself with it. "I mean, it'd be one thing if I was some washed-up has-been like you, but how could anyone in this country not know of me, Roger Retinz? For God's sake, I'm the freakin' Ratings Rajah, the titan of the t.v. screen! Hang loose, man-baby!" Roger smirked with a wink as he flashed his former acquaintance a shaka gesture.

"The what?" Zak asked with a tone of complete bewilderment and an expression to mach.

"The Rating Rajah! Y'know, the brilliant mind that produced hit shows like Scandal Gamble Gambit, The Ratings Rajah Goes to Burger Barn, Bikini Wars, and The Ratings Rajah is Forced to Go to Big Willy's Against His Freewill, and a dozen more? I'm a freakin' legend!" Roger snarled with clenched fists.

"You're the one who produced those shows?" Zak asked with a tone of mild surprise.

"Thank you! And here I thought that you spent the last seven years living in a cave." Roger snidely remarked with raised hands. "Glad to know that even the biggest douches society can offer know who I am."

"Sorry to get your hopes up, old boy, but I still have no clue about who you are. I was just surprised that a human being actually approved of such mindless programs. And here I thought that a circus monkey hopped up on meth was running the show at Take-One TV or whatever that station's called!" Zak bellowed as he burst out into laughter.

"Two! Two! My station is called Take-2 TV! Two, as in the thing you do in a bathroom that perfectly summarizes who you, Magnifi, and the rest of Troupe Gramarye are as people!" Roger snarled, a few embers sparking from his left hand. "Regardless, perhaps this will jog your memory! The memory of…!"

The producer started to vigorously rub his palms together with great intensity, not unlike how one would go about rubbing two sticks together in order to create a fire, until sparks actually started emitting from his hands, faint embers falling to the ground like snow. With each passing second, Roger's hand-rubbing grew faster and faster, the number of sparks and embers multiplying until it seemed as if he was trying to contain a sparkler. And then suddenly, with a thunderous clap, Roger created a blinding light that forced Zak to put a hand to his eyes.

The light lasted for only a brief second before disappearing as quickly as it was created, but upon removing his hand, the poker-loving jerk was greeted to the sight of the sleazy producer going from one garish fashion nightmare of an outfit to another by changing out of his producer clothes in favor of his old Mr. Reus attire.

"The Great Mr. Reus! Tremble in fear, Gramarye, before the one true magic!" Roger proudly proclaimed as a flame formed in the palm of his outstretched hand.

"Oh, now I remember!" Zak beamed with a prideful grin and his hands on his hips. "Mr. Pee-us, the sad little magician who was only capable of doing fire and coin tricks!" The poker-loving ex-magician heartily chuckled. "Sorry about that, little boy, but ever since Magnifi expelled you and your pitiful little tricks from our troupe and had me and Valant give you the Gramarye Farewell, it's hard for me to recognize you when you aren't covered in spit!"

"Well, if my 'tricks' are so weak, then you should have no problem dealing with this!" Roger sneered as a baseball-sized fireball formed in his hand, which he chucked at his poker-loving enemy with impressive speed.

However, instead of jumping out the way or ducking, Zak simply stood his ground and, with a quick upward flick of his wrist, caused a wall of playing cards of various suits to rise from the ground and block the fiery projectile. Though as one would expect, the second the fireball hit the wall of cards, it disintegrated into a black powder which a passing breeze blew away.

"Like I said, little boy, your 'magic', if I can even call it that, is laughable at best- hardly a match for a former disciple of the Great Magnifi Gramarye!" Zak bellowed with a hearty chuckle.

"On, the contrary, Gramarye, I think I'm on a roll." Roger smirked, using his right hand to very slightly pull down the brim of his top hat over his eyes while performing a coin trick with his free hand.

"Well, you'll be thin enough to fit on a roll when I'm through with you!" Zak retorted, causing three playing cards to appear in his grasp with a wave of his hand, which he proceeded to throw at his foe like shuriken.

Though just like with his attack against the jerk poker enthusiast, Roger didn't budge from his spot. However, contrary to his former acquaintance who blocked using playing cards, the television producer opted for a sturdier defense in the form of raising both of his arms in the air, causing his body to be encased in a large sphere made of coins which the cards harmlessly bounced off of.

After causing his newly formed coin sphere to bounce a smidge off of the ground, only to land with a thunderous slam that caused the earth to tremble slightly in a show of force and intimidation, Roger started to roll towards the magician at a respectable speed in an attempt to crush him like a bug. Though fortunately for Zak, what he lacked in human decency, he made up for with quick thinking, a trait that gave him the wherewithal to form two decks of cards underneath his feet that he proceeded to bend inwards using his magic, making it appear as though he was wearing a pair of arched shoes. However, this fashion choice wouldn't last for long as the poker-loving ex-magician released his magical grasp on the cards, causing him and the topmost cards on the deck to be rocketed into the air above Roger's giant coin sphere mere seconds before becoming the world's jerkiest flapjack.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zak summoned three more card shrunkens, which he proceeded to throw at the coin sphere as it zoomed away from him, once again having no effect as the cards merely bounced off of the metal shell before fluttering to the ground.

However, even if the attack did no damage, it nonetheless managed to infuriate Roger, prompting him to stop his coin sphere with surprising ease before rolling back towards Zak with even more speed as the poker-loving man just landed. Given the current situation, Zak was unable to leap into the air once again, therefore prompting him to summon a ramp of playing cards with raised hands, which he proceeded to hide underneath of.

As Zak had planned, the giant metal sphere rolled onto the ramp, causing him to struggle a bit to keep the structure in tact underneath the great weight of the many coins, and was launched skywards, soaring forward through the air until it collided into a large building, where it remained stuck.

"Is that seriously the best you can do? Because if it is, then you are truly the most pathetic 'magician' I've ever seen, and I spent a number of years with Valant!" Zak boasted as Roger deformed his sphere, causing the coins that were used to form it to cluster into two clouds above him, one on either side of him, as he jumped from the hole created by the sphere to the ground below.

"In that case, you'll be glad to know that my magic is like my shows- the longer things go on, the more interesting they become." Roger smirked.

"Is that some kind of new slang term that kids nowadays are using? Because last I checked, little boy, 'interesting' didn't mean 'bland and repetitive'." Zak snidely retorted.

"Let's see how well you make wisecracks with a face full of coins!" Roger snarled, pointing his right arm at his foe, causing the coin cloud to his left to shift into a stream of sorts before being fired at tremendous force in a c-shaped arc. However, Zak was able to block the attack by flicking his left wrist, causing a large playing card to appear out of thin air to shield him.

As the coins continued to push against the card, Roger pointed his other arm at his foe, performing the exact same attack with the coin cloud on the right, only with the stream this time moving in a backwards c-arc and striking at Zak from the right. However, just with the previous attack, Zak blocked the coin onslaught by summoning another giant playing card.

"Any last words, old boy?" Roger sneered as he clenched his fingers, causing the two streams of coins to press against the playing card shields with even greater force.

"Just one question… little boy." Zak grunted as he struggled to keep his shields up.

"I'm listening..."

"Have you ever heard of three-card monte?" The poker-loving ex-magician asked as he jerked his head slightly to the right.

"What kind of question is tha-AH!" Roger screamed in both shock and pain as a third giant playing card appeared mid-air to his right and slammed him in the side, causing his coin streams to harmlessly fall to the ground like their wielder, only with the latter, he did so with a slight roll as he was launched to the side.

Seeing that the disgraced magician was downed, Zak lowered his card shields, having believed that he won the fight, before turning around and proceeding to walk away.

"As much as I'd like to continue this little game, Pee-us, I have somewhere I need to be. Though perhaps next time we meet, you'll actually prove to be somewhat of a challenge." Zak casually remarked, not even bothering to turn around.

Though in retrospect, that was not the wisest of moves on Zak's part, for right after that remark, the poker-loving jerk's torso was grabbed by a large disembodied hand made of coins as he was suddenly skyrocketed into the air. Upon looking around to gauge his surroundings, Zak could see only two things: the city below him becoming increasingly smaller with each passing second, and Roger, who was rocketing up into the air, parallel to the hand, thanks to two powerful pillars of flames erupting from the soles of his shoes.

"You know, Zak, it's not a very good idea to turn your back on someone who's out to kill you until you're absolutely sure they're down. Otherwise, well… I think it's kind of obvious what can happen. But you know what they say: pride comes before the fall." Roger sneered with a snap of his fingers, causing the coin hand to drop his enemy before transforming it into a spear with a flick of his wrist that he sent plummeting after the poker-loving jerk.

Though once again, Zak was able to save himself with some quick thinking by summoning a large playing card to slap away the coin spear before stopping his decent by creating a platform of playing cards beneath his feet. However, even though the poker-enthusiast wasn't falling anymore, he knew that he had to get away from the psychotic t.v. producer if he was to have any hope of making it to his meeting, the sole reason why he was back in this crazy city in the first place. So channeling his inner-Frozone, Zak proceeded to flee the scene by causing a trail of playing cards to appear under his feet with a few waves of his hand as he ran forward with the cards behind him gently fluttering to the ground.

"You're not getting away from me that easily, Gramarye!" Roger growled as he rocketed after Zak in hot pursuit while firing round after round of fireballs at his foe with quick succession, all of which the poker-loving jerk managed to dodge with a series of jumps, ducks, and sidesteps.

Realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere by staying on the defensive, in-between dodging fireballs, Zak proceeded to use his free hand to fire playing card shrunkens at his foe, which the television producer dodged by simply flying around, while continuing his own onslaught.

This back and forth series of attacks continued for a good while as the two former magicians raced through the city, zigging and zagging around various buildings and billboards, as well as each other's unyielding attacks, until Roger decided to shake things up by not shooting off another fireball, but rather, using his powers to form two boomerangs made out of coins which he fired at his enemy's feet, with one coming from the left that was launched first and another from the right that was sent out a split second later. Sure, it wasn't that dissimilar from just firing them at the same time, but it made all the difference when Zak dodged the first boomerang with a simple hop, only to be hit in the ankle by the second one right as he landed, causing him to trip forward and his card trail to collapse as he plummeted towards the ground once again. However, this time, Zak was able to cushion his fall by creating a ramp made out of playing cards that he was able to simply slide down until he safely reached the ground.

"You're finished, Shadi. Notice the area we're in…" Roger smirked, a fireball at the ready in his left hand as he gestured to the surrounding area- a moderately crowded section of the city where the road formed a T-shape. "If you continue to flee from me, you have one of two choices: you can either take the left road and speed towards the precinct, where the police will waste no time in arresting you, a felon who has been on the run for seven years, and doing me a great favor; or you take right road, which goes straight to the red-light district and a lot of … shall we say, unsavory types who we both know aren't too fond of you and wouldn't hesitate to do things to you that would make the police look like Rainbow Squirts by comparison. And even if you stand your ground here and fight me, this isn't the empty backstreets that you were originally keeping to. So eventually, someone would call the police, and you'd still be arrested. So what will it be, Shadi: death by my flames and coins, a lifetime of prison, or the Cadaverini family breaking your kneecaps and fitting you with a pair of concrete shoes?"

"Hmm…" Zak crossed his arms as he pretended to think about the decision in-depth. "I think I'll take… Option D, the high road!" The poker-loving jerk beamed as he used his magical abilities to run up the side of the largest building in the area, which just so happened to be the Prosecutor's Office, while Roger flew up after him- at which point, the two former magicians resumed their back-and-forth attacks of fireballs and playing card shrunkens.

Meanwhile, Edgeworth was sitting at the desk in his office, casually sipping some tea as he read a case file, when suddenly, Kay burst into the room.

"Mr. Edgeworth! Mr. Edgeworth! You won't believe what I heard!" Kay beamed as she rushed over to the maroon-cladded prosecutor, who decided to place his case file on his desk and take a break since he knew that he wouldn't be able to get any reading done with his high-strung assistant present.

"If you're going to tell me that another horror game was released, then I'm begging you to not show it to Sebastian." Edgeworth groaned as he rubbed his temple. "I'm still having monthly panic attacks after you played Five Nights at Freddy 2 with him."

"Geez, I've apologized for that, like, a billion times and helped you fix the door! What more do you want from me?"

"I want you not to introduce Sebastian to any more horror games for not only my sake, but for the community as a whole. Why, just last week, Sebastian called Justine at midnight and have her drive all the way to his house to make sure that Foxy and Mangle weren't hiding in his closest."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that because this news isn't about any horror games." Kay replied with a confident smile as she rubbed her nose with her index finger.

"Then what is your news? That you've figured out more ways to keep your friend from completing his work for the day?" Edgeworth wryly retorted with crossed arms as he tapped his bicep.

"Sorry about that, Mr. Edgeworth." Kay stated with a toothy grin. "I'm just really stoked because I just heard from Maya who heard from Mr. Wright that Trucy's gonna try doing some new tricks at her next show that were inspired by Troupe Gramarye in memory of her grandpa, a.k.a. the Magnifi Gramarye!"

"So?" Edgeworth nonchalantly responded with a shrug of his shoulders before picking up his case file and resuming his reading.

"So? SO!?" Kay gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers out of shock. "Do you know what this means?"

"That you're going to explain it to me regardless of what I say?"

"Yes, because it's that big a deal! If the news is true, then that means that at Trucy's next show, we could see her doing awesome stuff like making a cruise ship disappear, or blowing up an amusement park, or making a ton of gold disappear from a safe! If I could convince Trucy to become part of the Yatagarasu, could you imagine the new heights we'd be able to reach? Why, with her magical abilities, my wit and athletic abilities, and our combined cuteness, we would be unstoppable!" Kay remarked with a mischievous smirk as she adjusted her gloves.

And bring forth a wave of destruction of woe the likes of which humanity has yet to see. Though if Trucy were to make Gatewater Land and their unholy mascots disappear… "Frankly Kay, you'd be wasting your time trying to get Trucy to join the Yatagarasu if you're basing it off of her 'magic'."

"Why do you say that, Mr. Edgeworth?" Kay asked with a confused look on her face. "Trucy's magic is a force to be reckoned with! For example, her magic panties alone could help me pull of countless heists."

"While Trucy's tricks are indeed a sight to behold, that is all they are- tricks. You see, Kay, magic does not exists. When a magician utilizes 'magic', they are merely fooling your eyes and mind with smoke, mirrors, and misdirection- like the corrupt public officials we have brought to justice in the past, only with more sequins." Edgeworth smirked with outstretched arms. "Why, even Blaise Debeste was more magical than these so-called magicians on the grounds that he actually made people disappear. Do you honestly believe that people are capable of flying, conjuring objects out of thin air, and defying the laws of nature as a whole? Sure, you could argue…"

As Edgeworth continued his rant, Kay spotted Zak standing right on the outside of the maroon-cladded prosecutor's window, throwing three playing card shrunkens at Roger, who dodged them all with ease before firing a torrent of flames from the palm of his hand, not unlike a flamethrower, at his opponent, who avoided the attack by running slightly to the left.

"Mr. Edgeworth! Two magicians are fighting right outside your window with magic! Look! LOOK!" Kay gasped, frantically pointing at the window as the two former magicians continued their magical duel.

"Kay, that remark was so ludicrous that I won't even dignify it with a response." Edgeworth nonchalantly replied, not even bothering to look up from his case file.

"But, Mr. Edgeworth! They're-"

"But nothing, Kay!" Edgeworth snapped. "If these so-called magicians are fighting outside my window, then may some heavy object crash into this office and cause me harm."

At that moment, Roger rotated his right wrist in a counterclockwise motion, causing several coins to condense into a bowling ball-sized sphere which he launched at his opponent, who responded by summoning a large playing card to deflect the sphere back at its creator, who proceeded to position his forearm in front of his chest, creating a shield out of coins that he used to redirect the sphere back at his target. However, instead of deflecting the sphere back at the television producer for a second time, Zak opted to dodge it by simply running further up the building, resulting in the sphere crashing through Edgeworth's window, slamming him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground, and pinning him under a large pile of coins.

"Don't. Say. ANYTHING!" Edgeworth snarled through clenched teeth, struggling in vain to free himself from the pocket change as Kay simply crossed her arms and smirked.

Even though Edgeworth was incapacitated and his pride wounded, the two former magicians remained steadfast in their duel, locked in combat as the world around them slowly became limited to each other and their attacks and time felt as though it was moving at a snail's pace. But nothing in this world lasts forever, and the Prosecutor's Office's height was no different- something Zak realized when he no longer felt cold, smooth glass or stable stone beneath his feet, but rather, the emptiness of air as his momentum carried him slightly skyward. Granted, the poker-loving jerk wasn't launched all that high- if he wanted to, he could have easily grabbed the roof's ledge and pulled himself up- but it was just high enough for Roger to get a good hit in, which he did by encasing his right hand in a gauntlet made of coins before delivering a solid punch to Zak's torso, slamming the prideful magician down onto the roof and causing his body to slide back to the far side of the flat concrete surface.

"Is that seriously all you could muster, Gramarye? Pathetic!" Roger sneered as he landed on the roof and sauntered over to his adversary, who had managed to lift himself up onto one knee, but was still struggling to get up. "And to think, I was deliberately holding back my true power just so I could toy with you. Good thing I did; otherwise, within the first ten seconds, you would have been a burnt little stain on the sidewalk- a huge improvement over what you've always been, if I must say."

"Screw… you!" Zak grunted as he finally rose to his feet.

"Oh, I'm sooo hurt." Roger snidely retorted before pulling out a video camera with his non-metal-wielding hand and aiming it at his opponent. "C'mon, Zak, where's your trademark douchebag arrogance that we all love to hate? I plan on editing the footage of me beating you to death with my coin gauntlet into a comedy skit- maybe have you get beaten up by that sad defense attorney that you left in the dust, or a cartoon dog, or some sassy old lady with a purse and a grudge. I don't really have anything set in stone, but whatever I go with, it would be so much more entertaining with you being your typical jerky self. I mean, what happened to all that bravado that you had at the start of the fight? Did it go up and die, like Magnifi… or Thalassa?"

"How did you- Don't you EVER mock the memories of my beautiful wife, or her father and mentor, you son of a bitch!" Zak roared as he sprung to his feet, encasing his hands within two thick boxing gloves made of playing cards with a flick of his wrists before decking the sleazy t.v. producer with a right hook, prompting the camera to fly out of his hand and careen over the roof's edge.

However, before Zak could land a second blow with his left fist, his attack was blocked with a grab by Roger, who had encased his other hand in a coin gauntlet.

"Ha! There's the magic! There's the fight!" Roger cackled with sadistic glee. "I may have lost my camera and my footage, but I'll just hire some actors to reenact the fight tomorrow for the premier episode of a new superhero show that I just 'thought up'. Hell, maybe I'll even spring to have that sleazebag Matt Engarde sprung from prison since I can't think of anyone better to play the part of you. After all, you're both spineless, despised, weak-willed cowards who are the reason that someone who loved them is rotting in the ground." The t.v. producer remarked as he pushed his adversary back with a mighty shove. "Oh, and as for how I know about Thalassa, when you work in media, you learn a lot of things that are supposedly secrets."

"Don't lump me in with the likes of Engarde, Pee-us!" Zak snarled as he charged at his foe like a raging bull, unleashing a flurry of punches that were all easily dodged with some skilled footwork as the other former magician did the same, only for his attacks to be dodge in a similar manner as the two men continued their dialog. "Thalassa's death was an unfortunate accident, nothing more! And for all I know, it was Valant's pistol that did the deed!"

"An unfortunate accident? Ha!" Roger guffawed. "You know just as much as I do that there was no such thing as accidents in Magnifi's troupe!"

"You don't mean…!" Zak gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief at what his opponent was implying.

"That's right, Gramarye! Your beloved mentor, the man who you devoted your life to, staged his own daughter's death just so he could blame it on you and Valant in order to keep the both of you in line!"

"You're insane, little boy! Sure, Magnifi wasn't exactly the kindest person out there, but he loved his daughter and would never so much as harm a hair on her head, let alone have her killed!"

"If you believe that, then you don't know anything about Magnifi. The old bastard only cared about two things: himself, and his career, while every other person and thing- you, me, and even Thalassa- was just puppets that he'd simply discard once their usefulness came to an end. Why do you think I was fired? Sure, he fed you all that load of bull that it was because I was using my magic as a mere tool- as if he was never guilty of doing the same- but in all actuality, it was because he felt that after my injury, my magic would only serve to embarrass him and as such, he was looking for an excuse to get rid of me. Even if I didn't try to perform against Magnifi's wishes, that prick would have merely waited for another potential reason to oust me to rear its ugly head!

"Then by that logic, Magnifi wouldn't have even let Valant in through the front door." Zak snidely retorted as he tried to punch Roger, only for the t.v. producer to grab his fist. And when the poker-loving jerk tried to punch with the other hand, it too was grabbed.

"Valant may not have been an especially skilled magician, but in Magnifi's little black book, that was acceptable as long as he was willing to dance when his strings were pulled… just like you. That's another reason why Magnifi fired me: he knew that I wouldn't bend to his will. He knew that I would eventually start to ask questions that could lead to me become as powerful, if not more so, as him… questions with answers that I have already found." Roger chuckled with a shake of his head. "Sure, Magnifi taught you and Valant how to perform your tricks, but did he ever teach you the very nature behind them- just how such spectacular feats of magic that defy the laws of nature are even possible?"

"No, Magnifi didn't. But what reason would he have to do so? After all, a magician is nothing without his secrets."

"Yes, a magician is nothing without his secrets. And for Magnifi, his secrets went so much deeper than just hidden trap doors and invisible strings. In fact, the sources behind both Magnifi and my magic are so out of this world that even if I told you about them, you would probably write me off as insane. But what do I care what you think when you're about to die?"

With that final remark, Roger caused his coin gauntlets to glow red with heat, causing Zak's playing card boxing gloves to turn to ashes. With his opponent disarmed, the television producer cooled down his gloves before delivering a powerful shove to the poker-loving jerk's chest, sending him flying back to the other side of the roof and nearly over the edge.

Luckily, Zack landed right in front of the roof's edge and was left with fewer injuries than he received from that punch earlier, but despite the fact that he was able to get back up on his feet faster, that didn't change the face that Roger was charging at him at a breakneck pace, his gauntlets having morphed into two sharp blades made of coins that resembled a praying mantis' pincers, leaving him no time to dodge.

But Roger, who was blinded by his rage and desire to win the fight, had forgotten that Zak's abilities allowed him to dodge attacks without needing to take a single step- something the poker-loving jerk did with a simple wave of his hand, causing a simple deck of cards to appear right under his opponent's foot. And sure enough, when the television producer stepped on the deck of cards, he lost his footing, causing him to lose his balance, veer off to the side, miss his target, and careen off the roof in a similar fashion to his video camera.

However, unlike the video camera, Roger didn't plummet to the ground, making a sharp breaking sound upon impact, but rather, used his magic to fly back up on the roof mere seconds after falling off.

"Ok, Gramarye, prepare for-" Roger cut himself off upon noticing that Zak was nowhere to be found. "GRAMARYEEEEEEEEE!" The t.v. producer roared at the top of his lungs, his gaze tilted upwards as he shook a wrathful fist at the heavens.

Meanwhile, as Roger was having a mental breakdown atop the Prosecutor's Office, Zak was back on the ground, scurrying into a dark, empty alley as he made his way towards his destination.

Later, after taking several twists and turns through numerous alleyways in order to keep a low profile, Zak finally found himself at his destination: The Borscht Bowl Club, where he ran into Sparks Brushel, a nosey reporter who could easily pass for the main villain in a psycho slasher film and a necessary part of his plan for the evening- well, the less important one- standing outside of the restaurant, jotting notes down on his arm as he mumbled to himself. Though upon seeing the ex-magician, a wide, toothy grin spread across the reporter's face.

"Rude Magician Requests Reporter to Meet with Him for Important Business, only to Arrive 30 Minutes Late, end quo-AH!" Brushel screamed, hunched over in pain after being decked in the stomach by a quick, yet strong punch from Zak.

"Hush, Brushel! I was delayed by an issue that was out of my control. Is that such a crime?" Zak smirked, placing his hands in his pockets.

"N-No, sir!" The reporter nervously replied before brushing his tongue and glasses with the toothbrush that he always carried around with him.

"Good to hear!" Zak bellowed with a hearty chuckle. "But even though this evening started out a bit on the rough side, I think I can say with absolute confidence that the worst of it is behind me!"

At that moment, Kristoph exited the restaurant, where his and Zak's gazes met for the briefest of moments, charismatic brown orbs meeting with calm blue. The interaction was brief- only lasting for the split second that the defense attorney spent walking past one of his arch enemies- but Zak couldn't help but wonder if the old boy remembered him. Sure, it had been seven years since they last saw each other, but based on the look of sheer devastation the periwinkle-cladded man had on his face after being fired, Zak thought that the old boy would have had at least some inkling of recognition on his face when their gazes met instead of that stoic look he was so renowned for.

But whether or not some sleazy attorney remembered him wasn't important; for on this night, Zak was on a mission of the utmost importance to set things right and to atone for a mistake that had haunted him for years… as well as some other thing regarding passing down the rights to Magnifi's rights over to Trucy.

So with determination in his heart and his master plan in the works, Zak, with Brushel following behind him, entered the Borscht Bowl to get the retribution that he so greatly desired.