Chapter 56: YoungChazz Never Broke Again

(Alexis Rhodes POV)

"Hey, glad you could make it over here, Aster! I don't know who that goateed guy was, but he seemed pretty strong." Alexis said gratefully, meeting his blue eyes with a nod as the Destiny duelist made his way over to the allied position. "We need all the help we can get right now. Thank you."

Aster looked long at her, a grim expression on his face. After a stilted pause, he said, "There's no need to thank me. I was doing my duty to this planet and the human race, the same as you were. That's all there is to it. We do it because we must, not because of personal wants. That's what it means to be a hero."

"Gee, this guy's a real barrel of laughs. Nothing like Jaden, that's for sure." Alexis thought wryly. "But I can tell he has a good heart."

"Well, uh, thanks anyways. By the way, have you seen Jaden around? If he dies, we'll have to give all of his screen time to Syrus." Alexis shuddered at the notion.

"No need to worry about that, at least for now. He used that weird portal trick to find Sartorius. They must be dueling far away to avoid collateral damage." Aster briefly informed her.

"Collateral damage?" Alexis questioned. After all, they were just playing a card game, albeit one with world-ending stakes.

"Trust me, it's for the best. I know how strong Sartorius is. The duel energy the two of them are putting out could probably sink this island beneath the waves if they misdirected it." Aster explained. Pausing, he went on to add, "Of course, I could easily do the same thing if I wanted to! I just don't want to."

"Right…" Alexis trailed off, not quite convinced as Aster turned to duel another enslaved student. "Now, speaking of screen time, who isn't accounted for here?"

"I haven't seen Chazz or that Anderson guy lately. Not to mention my brother and Mackenzie. They got split up from us earlier, but I should be able to see them at least…I don't like letting those northerners out of sight. Hopefully Mackenzie and Atticus have the situation under control!"

"Chazz…" Alexis' mind drifted briefly to the black-haired rogue. The thought of him roused complicated feelings in her…although attraction was not one of those emotions. "I can't believe he felt that way about me. I never would have guessed. People have all of sorts of hidden secrets to them.". She barely knew Chazz, and what she did know wasn't particularly endearing. "I sure hope you aren't stabbing us in the back right now…"

(Jesse vs Atticus)

"So, when Princeton says jump, you ask how high, is that it?" Atticus accused Jesse.

"It ain't like that. We're friends, and what happened to him was wrong. She really did steal his duel spirit. It happened right after the exhibition match between North Academy and the American Duel Academy last summer. Why else do you think Chazz hasn't used Light and Darkness Dragon since?" Jesse tried to explain, but he was increasingly sure his efforts were falling on deaf ears.

"There's no way that could be true. I never got a bad vibe off of Mackenzie! I think your friend Princeton is just salty she kicked his ass on live television." Atticus stubbornly replied. "And would you please take off that cowboy hat? It's a bit distracting."

Indeed, Jesse's ten-gallon hat seemed to stretch infinitely skyward without ever teetering once. "I'm keeping this here hat where it is, it's hotter'n a billy goat with a blowtorch. Anyways, it's not my place to convince ya, but I can't let anybody interfere with Chazz's fight. It's an honor thing, ya know?"

"Then let's duel! If I win, you have to drop that fake southern accent!" Atticus yelled. "Oh, and you have to leave Mackenzie alone."

"I don't know why people keep saying it's fake, it's not!" The teal-haired Scandinavian was affronted as he drew five cards. "I'll start by playing the spell Rainbow Bridge! This lets me add a Crystal spell or trap from my deck to the hand. Now, I'll activate the field spell Ancient City – Rainbow Ruins!" The deep forest of the surrounding area cleared away, and the two duelists were standing in an open, Roman-styled coliseum with a vivid rainbow flying overhead. "Then, I'll summon Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth (1700/1600) in attack mode!" Jesse's first monster was a dark grey elephant with four curved tusks and a honey-colored amber stone embedded in its head.

"Then, I'll set a card and end my turn." Jesse finished.

"Well, no offense, but I'm not exactly intimidated by your deck's theme." Atticus said drolly.

"I get that a lot." Jesse was unflappable. "Go ahead."

"Alright! This is how we do it in the islands! I summon Black Dragon's Chick (800/500)." Peeking out from a cracked crimson egg was a newborn dragon, spurts of flame rolling form its maw. "I can sacrifice this monster to summon its older self! Let's go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!" A plume of lava heralded the arrival of Joey Wheeler's legendary ace monster, a powerful dragon with a deadly attack.

"Nice, a Red-Eyes deck! I can't wait to see what it can do! You must have been a fan of Joey Wheeler growing up." Jesse said enthusiastically.

"He's awesome. He's got that underdog spirit that just makes you root for him. And he never gave up, even when his opponents had huge advantages over him. There's a rumor he even beat Yugi once, after the Battle City tournament." Atticus smiled, and for a moment the boys bonded over their admiration of the champion before they remembered they were supposed to be foes.

"And now, you're gonna feel the full force of Red-Eyes' power! I cast the spell Inferno Fire Blast!" Red-Eyes charged up a concentrated energy sphere the color of smoldering magma. Bypassing Jesse's mammoth, the blast struck the crystal duelist head-on, knocking his cowboy hat off and smacking him to the ground. (Jesse 1600/Atticus 4000)

"Hehe, you're really not playing around. I better get serious!" Jesse smiled.

"You're just like Jaden. He has that same attitude in a duel. Makes me feel bad about doing this. How come you're helping out Chazz anyways? The guy seems like a real pill." Atticus asked, bemused.

"Didn't I already say it? We're friends, and he's in the right here. For what it's worth, I think you islanders are alright, but I'm not gonna turn my back on my buddy. That's all there is to it. So don't take it personal when I win, okay?" Jesse beamed.

"I was just about to say the same thing. I set a card and end my turn." Atticus said.

"Alright…let's have a looksee." Jesse felt his duel spirits standing behind him, supporting him. "I cast the equip spell card Crystal Release! This boosts Amber Mammoth's attack points by 800, putting him at 2500." A rainbow aura ensconced the mighty elephant. "Now, I'll summon Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle (1400/800)." A proud gyrfalcon descended, its wings inlaid with light decorative gemstones that did nothing to impede the bird's speed. "Now, I'll attack!"

Amber Mammoth charged, successfully tackling the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and destroying it with curved horns. Atticus's white coattails flared as the attack kicked the dust up. (Jesse 1600/Atticus 3900)

"Follow up, Cobalt Eagle!" Jesse followed up, the hawk scratching at its adversary with navy blue talons. (Jesse 1600/Atticus 2500)

"Great job, guys! That ends my turn." Jesse congratulated his monsters, causing Atticus to quirk an eyebrow.

"Huh, you really can see duel monster spirits…" The realization caused Atticus to hesitate. This meant that Jesse really could tell if the Light and Darkness Dragon card had a spirit within it. Maybe he was just lying to help his friend Chazz get petty revenge. But from he what saw of the man, Atticus didn't think Jesse the type to go for something like that. Not unless he really did have good cause for going after Mackenzie…

Mackenzie was kind to him, and she had helped Jamie rescue him from Sarina back in Domino City. Atticus had seen no evidence she wasn't a good person. But she wasn't an islander – she was a foreign exchange student, and when he reflected on it he knew almost nothing about her past. Mackenzie revealed very little about her family or her personal life to anyone, unless someone on the island knew something Atticus didn't. Jamie Lancaster acted weirdly around her for some reason, and he wasn't sure why. Of course, Atticus knew that Jamie was more than capable of keeping secrets, as evidenced by the rather risky trysts he engaged in with Alexis. Not that Atticus minded that particular detail – quite the opposite, but still he knew that Jamie was far from an open book. Did he have some dirt on Mackenzie, or vice-versa? What did Kaiba know – surely Jamie was informing him to some degree.

"This whole situation is getting stranger and stranger." There was the battle between good and evil, but Atticus knew there were webs of intrigue on both sides. He wondered if he rushed into this duel too hastily. "I need to figure this out, but since I'm in a duel now, I can't doubt myself!"

"Alright, I draw. First off, I'll play Red-Eyes Wyvern (1800/1600)." The ensuing monster resembled a smaller, less mature version of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. It didn't have four limbs, but rather had bulkier legs and wider wings with webbed talons at each end. "I'll set another card face-down before I attack your Cobalt Eagle!"

The smaller dragon let loose a volley of fireballs that felled the eagle, although a hard navy jewel remained on the field in Jesse's spell/trap zone. Jesse gasped in pain as some of the flames grazed him. He could have used Amber Mammoth's effect to draw the attack towards it instead, but Jesse wanted Cobalt Eagle destroyed. (Jesse 1100/Atticus 2500)

"I activate my continuous trap card, Crystal Conclave! When a Crystal Beast is destroyed, this lets me summon another one from my deck. Go, Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (1800/1200)!" A majestic white steed took the field, its jeweled adornments a lighter blue than the eagle's. "When this card is summoned, I can place a Crystal Beast from my deck into my spell/trap zone as a continuous spell!" A round red gem appeared next to the cobalt stone, signaling that Jesse added Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle to the spell zone.

"And that's not all! With every crystal beast in my spell/trap zone, my Rainbow Ruins field spell gains an effect! With one, the field spell can't be destroyed by card effects. With two, I can halve the battle damage I take once per turn." Jesse further explained. "The longer this duel goes on, the stronger my deck becomes!"

"He's right, I'll need to finish this as fast as possible. I end my turn." Atticus muttered, focused in lieu of his usual breezy demeanor.

"Draw! I'll first play the spell card Rare Value, allowing me to send a crystal beast continuous spell from the field to graveyard to draw two cards." Jesse pitched Cobalt Eagle. He felt immense power from the second card he drew, and for good reason- it was Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder.

"Sweet. If I play my Sacred Beast at the right time, I should have no trouble closing this match out fast." At this point, Jesse felt fairly comfortable handling the faux-god card, although utilizing it still required a higher standard of care than other cards he had. "You're like an ornery steer, Hamon." Jesse thought, eliciting a hostile growl from the Sacred Beast's spirit. The teal-haired boy laughed. "I wonder if Rainbow Dragon will be as difficult to handle." He hoped that the blast would uncover the legendary boss monster of the Crystal Beasts, but no such luck. Jesse hoped to find it someday nonetheless.

"Alright, here goes! I'll use the second effect of Crystal Conclave. I have to send it to the graveyard, and I also have to return a crystal beast from my field to the hand. However, I also get to return one of your monsters to your hand. I'll return the Red-Eyes Wyvern." By returning the Ruby Carbuncle in his spell/trap zone to his hand, Jesse cleared Atticus' sole monster from his field.

"Now, I'll attack your life points directly with Amber Mammoth!" If this assault worked, the rest of Atticus' life points would be depleted, but of course it was never that easy.

"I play Negate Attack!" Atticus cried, the ensuing shield blocking all attacks for the rest of the turn.

"Darn, I almost had ya there. I tell ya what, you're tougher than a two-dollar steak!" Jesse complimented with a 'charming' southern idiom. "I end my turn."

Atticus chuckled. "So level with me buddy, is that accent actually real?"

"Well now that depends, is that Sonic the Hedgehog impression you're putting on actually real? You sound just like him, though I bet you don't run near as fast." Jesse countered.

"Touche." Atticus laughed. "Kids, there's nothing more cool than playing card games with someone you like. But if someone tries to touch your life points in a place or in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, that's no good! Here's what you gotta do: First, you draw a card for turn, then you activate Red-Eyes Fusion!"

Atticus thumbed through his deck and withdrew two cards, Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Warrior Dai Grepher. "Red-Eyes Fusion allows me to fusion summon a Red-Eyes monster by sending the materials from my deck to the graveyard. However, I cannot summon for the rest of the turn."

Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared on the field, but on top of the dragon's scales laid tightly fitted indigo armor, with sharpened blades positioned on top of the dragon's spines. "I summon Red-Eyes Slash Dragon (2800/2400)!" The wind blew Atticus' hair about as he raised a fist skyward. The armored dragon roared at Jesse, whose smile had disappeared.

"Heh, this is gonna be tougher than I thought…" Jesse chuckled grimly.

(Chazz vs Mackenzie)

"So, you really don't care about stopping Sartorius? You'd rather pursue meaningless vengeance?" Mackenzie asked patronizingly.

"I need a planet to live on, so of course I care about stopping those Light wackos. Fuckers make the Westboro Baptist Church look sane by comparison. But at the end of the day, I care about getting my dues paid more. I'm going to free my friend, and prevent you from backstabbing the others at the same time." Chazz explained with faux-patience, as if he were talking to a slow-witted child. "This is just one more step on my road to becoming the most famous duelist of all time!"

"The most famous duelist of all time…is this the sum of your ambition? Why pursue strength for something so meaningless as a title?" Mackenzie questioned, genuinely curious. Despite herself, she found Chazz somewhat interesting, if only as a showcase for how banal most people's little dreams could be.

"Because I can. Because I want to see their faces when they have no choice but to accept that I will be the new King of Games. I want to hear it from the kids, the men, the women, the elderly. I want to hear it from every single duelist in the world." His fingers coiled into a fist. "I'll prove indisputably that I am the strongest, and then each and every one of you will have no choice but to admit you were wrong! You're all wrong! You, Jaden, Lancaster, Aster Phoenix, all of you are wrong about me! If you think otherwise, then come kill me if you can!" Chazz beat his fist against his chest.

"A request I am only too happy to accommodate. I'm disappointed, little prince. Even now, you know little and have learned less. You have some strength, but you don't have the vision to aid in my mission. This time, I will finish you for good. I draw." Mackenzie said coldly. "I set three cards and summon Bountiful Artemis (1600/1700) in attack mode. That ends my turn." The oddly-proportioned mechanical angel floated stilly in the air.

"Draw." The three Ojamas appeared behind Chazz, striking Tokusatsu poses. "Let's go, you guys!" Chazz bid.

"Git er done, boss!" The Ojamas cheered.

"I activate the spell card Lightning Storm! When I control no face-up cards, this spell lets me cast one of two powerful effects. I can either destroy all of your monsters, or all of your spells and traps. I choose to blow away your spells and traps!" A wave of thick yellow lightning rolled along the ground towards Mackenzie's set cards. Lightning Storm was an extremely powerful card going second, but after that it was almost useless since the likelihood of Chazz not having any face-up cards was minimal. And if he didn't, then he was probably so far behind in terms of card advantage that he usually couldn't come back anyways. Now was the perfect time to use this card.

However, Mackenzie had a contingency in place. "I activate the counter trap Rebirth of Parshath! By revealing a counter trap in my hand, I can discard a card, pay 1000 life points, and negate your card, shuffling it into the deck. From there, I can summon a Parshath monster from my deck or extra deck!" Mackenzie batted aside the oncoming electricity, her hand coated with bright white energy. (Chazz 4000/Mackenzie 3000) From there, she thumbed through her extra deck. "I summon the synchro monster Avenging Knight Parshath (2600/2100)!"

From a pillar of light emerged a mighty, angelic centaur with gilded wings and skin that seemed to gleam like diamonds. Above its head, it raised a thick and solid blade with a handguard styled like white wings. "She got new cards from the blast too…" Chazz muttered while Mackenzie drew a card off of Bountiful Artemis' effect.

"Alright…" Chazz didn't have the best starting hand outside of Lightning Storm, but it was workable. "I summon Dodger Dragon (1900/1200) in attack mode." His monster was an extremely slim, flexible eastern-style green dragon. "This monster's summon can't be negated, and his summon prevents counter traps from being activated for the rest of the turn!" Chazz explained confidently, although he didn't have much to follow up with. "I'll set two cards and attack your Bountiful Artemis!"

The slippery dragon slid through the air, coiling around the metal fairy before suddenly constricting and crushing it. "…I end my turn." Chazz finished, knowing he was likely in for a bruising next turn. (Mackenzie 2700/Chazz 4000)

"Hmm, well if that's all you have, I suppose I ought to fight back now." Mackenzie drew. "I activate Avenging Knight Parshath's effect, allowing me to change your monster to defense position. As you might expect, my knight can inflict piercing damage. Now, attack!" When his dragon was skewered, Chazz felt as though the blade was piercing him as well, though it was only an illusion…of sorts. The pain was real – this was a shadow game after all. (Mackenzie 2700/Chazz 2600)

"Though it appears she's keeping the theatrics to a minimum in order to fool that simp Atticus." Chazz nearly laughed at the absurdity of the situation. With a cringe, he supposed that if Alexis reciprocated his advances, he would have to deal with Atticus on a frequent basis. "I guess I don't have to worry about that." A self-pitying chuckle. "She wouldn't piss in my mouth if my teeth were on fire." Chazz never considered that she could have rejected him so roundly. He was the number one duelist at North Academy! He had power, money, and status – what else could she have possibly wanted?

Realizing he needed to focus, Chazz registered that Mackenzie was ending her turn. "Do you need a moment?" She asked mockingly.

"Don't get cocky!" Chazz drew. "I'll start by casting the Instant Fusion spell, allowing me to summon a level five or lower fusion monster for the cost of 1000 life points!" Chazz sharply drew breath as the life point cost sapped him of his energy. A small instant ramen cup appeared in midair. "I summon Darkfire Dragon (1500/1250)." A minor dragon made of writhing flames popped out of the cup. (Mackenzie 2700/Chazz 1600)

"Ah, but it cannot attack, and will be destroyed at the end of this turn…unless you mean to use of these newfangled summoning methods." Mackenzie surmised.

"Heh, that's right! I normal summon the tuner monster Delta Flyer (1500/900), and I'm not talking about the airline!" The next dragon was even smaller, zipping around the field like a hummingbird. "This monster's ability can increase the level stars of another dragon on my field. So I can increase Darkfire Dragon to level five. Then, I'll tune the level five Darkfire Dragon with the level three Delta Flyer!"

The tuner's body transformed into three floating green rings, while the five level stars of the other dragon lined up and threaded the circles. From the ensuing pillar of light came a jet-black dragon with raggedy wings and a giant, leering face on its midsection. "I synchro summon the level eight Dark End Dragon (2600/2100)!" Chazz declared with a cocky smirk.

"Ah, I see you've been able to master the new techniques as well…but don't think this is going to shock me." Mackenzie interjected.

"Good thing I'm not looking for your approval! Now, I play A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon! Since I control a dragon with a level higher than five, I can bounce all of your spells and traps back to your hand!" A heavy gale of wind removed the obstacles from Chazz's path, leaving only Mackenzie's knight on her field.

"Our monsters have equal power…will you really use all of those resources in order to destroy both of our synchros?"

"Not a chance! Now I play Dark End Dragon's special ability! By reducing my dragon's attack and defense points by 500, I can send one of your monsters to the graveyard!" By giving up a piece of its own strength, Dark End Dragon dissolved the angelic paladin with a cloud of black smoke. "Now, I attack directly with Dark End Dragon!" The weakened dragon was still more than capable of shooting a blazing stream of dark fire at the enemy.

Mackenzie shrieked in pain as the flames launched her backwards. She slammed hard into a tree, sliding down to the ground limply. Her clothes were frayed from the intense flames and heat, and her face was marred with soot. "Damn it…this shouldn't be happening!" She spat. (Mackenzie 600/Chazz 1600)

"Heh…I can get past your defenses now, Mackenzie. If I don't know any better, I'd say this island has made you soft. No surprise." Chazz chuckled, looking every bit a villain to an ignorant onlooker. "Soon enough, I'll see the rest of this pathetic school groveling at my feet!"

"Aw yeah, the boss is writing necks and snapping checks! Er, wait a sec, I think I got that twisted…" Ojama Yellow cheered, then faltered.

(Jesse vs Atticus)

"Oh no! Mackenzie, are you alright?" Atticus cried as he saw her engulfed by the dark flames. He could hear Chazz's gloating, and the words seemingly confirmed Atticus' negative suspicions. "I knew it!" He turned to glare at Jesse. "You northerners are nothing but bullies and brutes!"

"And you islanders are prone to misreading things." Jesse replied, exasperated. "That's odd…his duel energy just shot up! Don't you feel that, Ruby?" The teal-haired boy thought with worry as his duel spirit paced around him. "Is it because he got angry? I sense something darker in him…is it demonic, like Mackenzie?" The notion occurred to Jesse that Atticus wasn't being fooled by Mackenzie at all, but that they were actually in league, and the demeanor he was displaying now was a façade. "It seems these islanders are skilled at dealing in deception and lies…"

The key exception seemed to be Jaden, who was nothing but sunshine and kindness in Jesse's experience with him. Perhaps that was why Jesse found himself so drawn to him. Although he made a few overtures, Jaden either ignored them or seemed not to recognize them. Jesse hoped it was the latter, but really he had no idea. With Sartorius after him, Jesse hoped that Jaden would stay safe. For now, he had to focus on getting through his own battles.

"I'm not holding back any more! Red-Eyes Slash Dragon attacks!" Atticus had dispensed with the banter and was now shooting for the kill. "When this monster attacks, I can equip a warrior from my graveyard to it. This increases Red-Eyes Slash Dragon's attack points by 200. Also, when a card of mine is targeted, I can send equipped cards to the grave in order to negate the targeting effect."

Jesse briefly saw Warrior Dai Grepher sitting atop the dragon as a rider before the beast sliced apart his Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth. Jesse stood tall, his knees wobbling as he took the damage. Nevertheless, he could feel his strength waning as his life points lowered into the red zone. (Jesse 600/Atticus 2500)

"Urgh…since my Crystal Release spell was sent to the graveyard, I can place another Crystal Beast from my deck to the spell zone." Jesse placed Emerald Tortoise alongside Amber Mammoth in the spell zone.

"Heh…I bet next turn will end it. I set a card and end my turn." There was no mistaking it now – the dark aura Jesse could sense around Atticus was growing further. As his vision blurred from the pain of the continuous attacks, Jesse could have almost mistaken Atticus for David Rabb.

"Darn it…I can't afford to lose. I won't let these evil forces do whatever they want to!" Jesse vowed. "I draw!"

Jesse called forth a mighty resolve as he mentally prepared for his next move. "I play the continuous spell Crystal Tree, only it's not going to be here long. Now that I have three continuous spells on the field, I have everything I need to play my strongest monster!"

Wind screeched through the trees as the leaves rattled. The vivid blue sky darkened to an ugly dark grey, and before long peals of thunder rumbled above them. Across the clearing, Chazz and Mackenzie paused, taking notice of what was to come.

"This power…it must be like what he summoned at the exhibition match." Mackenzie grunted as she struggled to pick herself up.

"Do you see it? This lightning will serve as the perfect backdrop for the North's ascendance. Go get em, Jesse!" Chazz encouraged his friend, albeit in his own arrogant way.

Every ounce of Jesse's concentration was fixed on controlling the massive energies of the summoned creature. The beast's chaotic nature struggled mightily, but was eventually mastered by Jesse's superior discipline, and agreed to follow his commands. "By sending Crystal Tree, Emerald Tortoise, and Ruby Carbuncle to the graveyard, I summon Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (4000/4000)!" The ghastly shadow of the Winged Dragon of Ra let out an unearthly keel as it made its return to Academy Island, its old prison.

Atticus' eyes widened in disbelief. And yet, for reasons unknown to him, he felt a familiar stirring, a recognition of the beast. "That thing isn't nearly as cute as your other cards." He commented. Within him, Atticus felt devilish powers rising, growing. But there was little he could do to control them, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"I'm sorry. This is gonna hurt. But I don't feel I got much of a choice." Jesse's apology was sincere, but he wasn't sure if Atticus would take it that way. Jesse had never been one revel in victory and battle and bloodshed. "Hamon, attack his Red-Eyes Slash Dragon with cerulean skyfire!"

The yellow-scaled dragon unfurled its translucent wings as electricity crackled within the webbing. With a high-pitched cry, Hamon unleashed a torrent of lightning strikes that roasted the Red-Eyes Slash Dragon in its armor. Atticus was blown backward, sliding along the sandy soil after hard landing. Not only did he take 1000 damage from the attack itself, but Atticus took an additional thousand from Hamon's effect. However, Red-Eyes Slash Dragon's effect allowed Atticus to summon any monster that equipped to the dragon from the graveyard. Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) silently took the field in defense mode. (Jesse 600/Atticus 500)

The thick stench of ozone permeated the air. "They can probably see this everywhere on the island." Jesse surmised. He hadn't had any opportunity to summon Hamon during his duels against the brainwashed islanders. Per Chazz's instructions, Jesse deliberately went after the weakest of the Slifer Reds in order to preserve his strength for a potential battle against Mackenzie. Now that he summoned it, Jesse realized that Hamon dwarfed every other monster on the island by a tremendous margin. "Well, there's no helping it." Jesse muttered, his face drenched with sweat. "Shit, I hope that didn't kill him."

That proved to be the least of Jesse's concerns, as he sensed the dark power lurking within Atticus before had surged to the surface. As the smoke cleared, Jesse realized that Atticus was standing straight and tall, as if the attack had been only a light breeze. Not only that, he seemed to have gotten a wardrobe change as well. Gone was his white and blue accented Obelisk Blue uniform. Now, he wore a billowing charcoal black cloak.

Furthermore, Atticus now wore a masquerade-style mask on his face, black with solid green irises and faintly draconian in design. "So, this is one of the Sacred Beasts Kagemaru was after…I can see why he would desire them."

Jesse narrowed his eyes. "What's with the new look?" Then, the sheer abyssal energy the man exuded overwhelmed Jesse's senses. Against his will, the teal-haired boy shook as chills ran over his flesh. His teeth chattered as the balmy island winds suddenly felt colder than even the wintry gales of the North. "This…this is nothing like I even felt from Mackenzie or David…what is this!?"

"Heh…this is darkness itself. But you can call me Nightshroud. You've yee'd your last haw, cowboy."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxX

(Chazz vs Mackenzie)

Mackenzie chuckled as she picked herself up. "Ah, how curious. It appears Atticus had some hidden depths to him after all. This darkness…this energy is delicious." It seemed to give her energy somehow, and she looked utterly unworried as she looked at Chazz again, once more looking down on the would-be king.

Chazz could not deny the sheer depths of energy he was now feeling from Atticus, or whatever the demon that was inhabiting his body was called. "I'm convinced this island is cursed! Is there anyone here who isn't possessed by some satanic shit or what?!"

"This is enough to bother you? I have seen things that would melt your simple human brain into a grey puddle, Princeton. The universe has many wonders and treasures, but for every one of those there is horror, chaos, and death galore. That is why I laugh at your proclamations. King of games…you have no hope of conquering even this little world, much less the countless dimensions out there that you couldn't even conceive of!" Mackenzie laughed long and loud. To her surprise, however, Chazz joined in.

"Oh really? That must be why I'm winning this duel." Chazz folded his arms, his grey eyes matching the hue of the storm clouds. "I know my limits. I'm not the strongest yet. I once thought I deserved to be the king of games due to my family's wealth and my prep school pedigree. But now I know that a duelist is measured by the adversity they have faced. I'm not afraid of defeat, because with each one I'll grow stronger and stronger! And I'm strong enough to beat you now! You should have finished me off when you had the chance!"

Silently, Mackenzie drew. He had a point – perhaps she should have found a way to make him disappear sooner. Taking his dragon should have neutered him, made him too weak to ever be a threat again. That was proving to be a mistake, but not one too late to correct. "I activate Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. This continuous spell allows me to special summon a fairy monster from my hand if I control no other monsters. Come forth, Archlord Kristya (2800/2300)!" The majestic white angel seemed carved from stone, while its red wings flowed like silk ribbons through the air. "While this monster is on the field, neither of us can special summon monsters."

Chazz knew that a great deal of his plays were locked down now. Before he knew it, Kristya was upon his weakened Dark End Dragon. "Destroy his monster with celestial rage!" Between its ivory palms, the angel charged a concentrated sphere of sunny yellow duel energy. Slamming it into the enemy monster, the dragon's hard black scales cracked before giving way, the blast vaporizing the beast entirely. (Mackenzie 600/Chazz 900)

The aftershock of the attack launched Chazz face-first into a mud puddle. Although he fortunately managed to avoid getting any dirt on his duel disk, Chazz's face and hair were smeared with dark brown. Mackenzie laughed at him. "Ah, so this is the future king of games. I doubt Yugi would allow something so humiliating to happen to him. But his turn will come, once I have dealt with the two sides of Ma'at."

Chazz frantically rubbed the silt from his eyes, his face burning in embarrassment. "The two sides of Ma'at…I have no clue what that is, but one of the sides must be Light and Darkness Dragon. That would explain why she wanted the card for herself. But what about the other side?"

Suddenly, Chazz recalled his last battle against Jaden, during the school duel. There seemed to be some odd interaction between his dragon and Jaden's Winged Kuriboh – for some reason, Light and Darkness Dragon refused to destroy the furball. It was the only instance he could think of that a monster spirit of his actually refused a command during a duel. And it happened in a televised game, no less! Luckily, he still managed to scrape out a win due to a lucky Magic Cylinder.

Still, he could not deny there was some weird connection between Winged Kuriboh and his dragon. "I have to find out more later…even if that means I have to work together with Jaden. These Americans want both of us dead."

For now, he had to find a way to win this duel. "Come on, heart of the cards…help the Chazz out!"

Picking up his next card, Chazz began to piece together a potential plan. "Alright, time for you to get Chazzed!"

"Uh…what exactly does that mean? Because it sounds…weird." Mackenzie scrunched her nose.

"You'll see! I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us to replenish our hands! Then, I'll play Soul Exchange – in return for not being able to battle this turn, I can offer up one of your monsters as a sacrifice!"

Despite the lockdown imposed by Kristya, Chazz was still allowed to tribute summon. Indeed, he used Kristya as a tribute to summon Armed Dragon LV 5 (2400/1700) to the field, the paunchy dragon lugging tis heavy fists along the ground. "Then, I'll set a card and end my turn."

"Hmph. During your end phase, I'll activate my set quick-play spell, Fires of Doomsday. This summons two doomsday tokens (0/0) to my field." Suddenly, two sprites made of black flame flickered to life, a glowing blue serpent's eye in their center.

"I admit you've grown stronger, Chazz. But you have learned nothing, and the idea of someone like you taking a place among the true elite is intolerable. Bear witness to a creature of true power and beauty, wielded in more deserving hands! I sacrifice my two doomsday tokens to summon Light and Darkness Dragon (2800/2400)!"

The dualistic dragon wept as it descended from the sky, deeply saddened at being forced to fight its true master and friend. Much like how both of its sides seemed to struggle against each other, the dragon itself struggled against Mackenzie's yoke.

"Well, what do you think? It looks far better serving me, doesn't it?" She smiled with a falsely pleasant demeanor.

A new well of anger sprung up in Chazz at the audacity of his opponent. "Damn it…I won't let you get away with this!"

"Oh dear, you won't let me. How terrifying. Light and Darkness Dragon, destroy his Armed Dragon for me." With shining darkness, the dragon was forced to strike down Chazz's monster, the black-haired duelist barely holding onto his footing as he dug his heels into the soft dirt. (Mackenzie 600/Chazz 500)

"I'll make sure this next attack ends it." Mackenzie intoned as dark energy began to leak from her, shadowy tendrils slithering through the soil. "Perhaps you can try to be king in hell, little Chazz."

(Jesse vs Atticus)

"You seem surprised, Jesse Anderson. Surely you could sense my energy within this host body from the beginning." Nightshroud's voice was a lackadaisical drawl that belied deep power and devilry.

"I did…but I had no idea it was due to demonic possession." Jesse replied slowly. "But you're no ordinary demon, are you?"

Nightshroud chuckled. "Perhaps your powers of perception are keener than I realized…though I suppose it is to be expected from someone capable of leashing Hamon. Allow me to make you an offer. Relinquish Hamon to me, and I will allow you to live, regardless of this duel's outcome."

Jesse scoffed in return. "Oh, because you just want it for your collection, right? You wouldn't use it for any nefarious purposes? I've found it's a bad idea to make pacts with demons."

"Well, the first order of business would be slaughtering these Light cultists, including the apostate Aster Phoenix. Perhaps you can agree we have a common enemy in this regard." Nightshroud explained calmly.

"Somehow, I don't think you would be offering me these generous terms if you were winning this duel." Jesse deflected. "Like I said, the word of dark spirits generally ain't good for much. I'm not interested." He knew nothing about Nightshroud, but Jesse knew to trust his instincts. And his instincts did not like the idea of granting this spirit any additional influence.

"How unfortunate. It would make more sense for you to submit to me, for eventually everything will return to darkness. Stubborn resistance against the inevitable seems to be a common quality in humans. Good thing I don't mind doing things the hard way! I draw!"

Nightshroud seemed unaffected by the damage Atticus' body had incurred, which made sense as he was essentially operating the boy's body like a puppet. "I activate Cards of Consonance – by discarding a dragon tuner with less than 1000 attack points, I get to draw two more cards."

"Then, I'll summon Kidmodo Dragon (100/200) in attack mode." A rather cute orange salamander appeared on the field. "However, it won't be here long. You see, by banishing this dragon from my field, I can special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (2800/2400)!"

In a plume of magma, the small lizard was replaced with an utterly vicious-looking and evolved version of Red-Eyes. Not only was the dragon clearly stronger than Red-Eyes, it was covered in bright chrome plating with orange accents, their edges sharp and hot.

"Darkness Metal's effect allows me to summon a dragon from my hand or graveyard. I choose to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The beast's original form crouched next to its mechanical counterpart.

"Now, I'll sacrifice Red-Eyes Black Dragon in order to evolve it to a new form! Behold, an igneous creature imbued with the essence of a volcano and augmented by the night's magics! I summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (2400/2000)!"

It was odd, seeing what was essentially two of the same monster in terms of appearance stand next to each other. Darkness Dragon looked identical to Darkness Metal but for its black scales being in place of chrome plating.

"Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon gains 300 attack points for every dragon in my graveyard! Since I have six, it gains 1800 points, putting its power at 4200!" Purple smoke built around the dragon's frame as its strength grew.

Jesse didn't account for anything being able to swing over Hamon in battle, but it turns out having a bigger number is all a duelist needs sometimes. Nightshroud cackled as Jesse braced himself for the attack. "I switch Warrior Dai Grepher to attack mode. Then, I'll destroy Hamon with Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!"

A torrent of dark flame engulfed and overpowered the Sacred Beast, the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon keeling in victory as the yellow imitation went down. Jesse struggled to stay standing in the face of the intense heat. (Jesse 400/Nightshroud 500)

"It's been fun, but this is the end, boy. I am surprised to find someone with such prowess at communicating with the spirits. Your powers will make a fine addition to my collective." Nightshroud thrust a hand forward, bidding Warrior Dai Grepher to strike the finishing blow.

However, the swordsman's blade was halted by an impermeable green energy shield that had manifested around Jesse's weary frame only a moment before. The force of the attack rippled around the barrier before it was absorbed. When it was released, the energy healed Jesse rather than hurting him. "I discard a card to activate Rainbow Life. This trap card makes it so that instead of taking damage this turn, I gain the equivalent life points!" Jesse hoped that Nightshroud would attack with Darkness Metal first so he could gain more points back, but regardless, Jesse was going to survive another turn. (Jesse 2100/Nightshroud 500)

The masked man seemed annoyed for a moment, but his calm visage returned soon enough. "It won't be enough to save you. Next turn, Darkness Metal will let me summon even more dragons to the field. You could have 8000 life points and it wouldn't be enough. So draw your last card!"

"Heh, all I need is one life point and I can keep fighting! It's not about how much life I have – it's about mustering up enough force to take you down. A duel isn't over until the last card is played!" Jesse said with unwavering hope.

(Chazz vs Mackenzie)

"A duel isn't over until the last card is played…" Chazz grumbled, the phrase reminding him of Jaden. Of course, the phrase was indisputably true, but it was in the naïve way it was said that annoyed Chazz said. And yet, he found himself drawing on the well of hope as he began his next turn.

"I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn." Chazz's move was simple.

"Going out with a whimper, eh? That's really too bad. I draw. Now, this duel is over! Light and Darkness Dragon, attack him directly!" Mackenzie bid, and the dragon had no choice but to comply.

I activate my face-down card, Rising Energy. By discarding one card from my hand, I can increase the attack power of a monster on the field by 1500. I'll boost Light and Darkness Dragon." Chazz flipped over the trap, knowing that Mackenzie would have no choice but to negate it with the dragon's effect.

Sure enough, the negation effect of Light and Darkness Dragon was mandatory. The beast produced a yellow light barrier that ironically dispelled the strength-boosting magic. "Now, I'll chain two effects!" Now that Light and Darkness Dragon was negating his trap card, Chazz was free to chain other effects. "First, the card I discarded was Ojamagic! This spell allows me add Ojamas Yellow, Black, and Green to my hand!" Chazz bolstered his hand with the lovely little cherubs. "Then, I'll flip over my other trap card, Call of the Haunted! This allows me to summon a monster from my graveyard back to the field! Come back, Dark End Dragon!"

The hard-scaled black dragon rose from the earth, baring its fangs in an approximation of a cocky grin. Since Light and Darkness Dragon negated an effect, its attack points were reduced by 500, down to 2300. This now made Dark End Dragon the strongest monster on the field.

"This is absurd! How are you getting so lucky!?" Mackenzie was now looking distinctly rattled.

"Yugi Moto wasn't bullshitting when he was going on about the heart of the cards. When I trust my deck, it gives me the cards I need! Maybe you ought to ask yourself why your deck isn't doing the same for you." Pausing, Chazz rose one fist into the air.

"I'll tell you why – it's because you're a lowlife thief, and I'm the real deal! The king in the north! The Chazz!" Chazz cackled.

"Don't count your dragons before they hatch! I set two cards and end my turn!" Mackenzie slapped the two cards down and finished with a huff.

"I have no need to worry about her face-downs. If she activates any effects, Light and Darkness Dragon will negate them. That's what you get for using a card without knowing how to play it!" Chazz drew. "Eat this! Dark End Dragon, attack!" Sure enough, the black dragon's tail swipe successfully connected with Mackenzie's stolen monster, causing her to reel back as if struck herself. (Mackenzie 300/Chazz 500)

"I set a card and end my turn." Chazz finished. "Don't sweat it, Mackenzie. After all, you are dueling the next king of games!"

Not dignifying the statement with a response, Mackenzie drew. "It's fine. I had no true need of the monster anyways. It served its purpose. I would rather finish the duel with this monster – my ace monster! Using Hall of the Fallen's effect, I special summon Splendid Venus (2800/2400) in attack mode!"

The golden seraphim brought with it intense sunlight, causing Chazz and the Dark End Dragon to shrivel back. Unfurling four white wings, the angel waved an ornate scepter about, magic energy emanating from the amber orb at the center. "Now, all non-fairy monsters on the field lose 500 attack and defense points." Sure enough, the Dark End Dragon weakened to 2100 attack strength as Mackenzie spoke. "Furthermore, my spell and trap effects can no longer be negated. Now that your dragon has been weakened, my next attack will be more than enough to end this duel for good! Now, vanish in the sunlight!"

Splendid Venus shot a concentrated beam of light energy at Chazz. A moment before the laser reached its target, Chazz's side of the field was rocked with a sudden explosion. Although momentarily startled, Mackenzie still believed the attack struck true. "There…it's done."

As the dust settled, Mackenzie felt pain and exhaustion catch up to her, her breath gradually easing. "You have taught me a valuable lesson, Chazz. After today, I will no longer allow an enemy to walk away from a fight once it's started." She straightened, preparing to turn off her duel disk. Now it was time for her to go deal with Anderson and discover the secret behind Atticus' hidden spirit.

"A lesson learned too late!" Chazz's annoying voice shouted from the smoke. A gale of wind cleared the obfuscation to reveal Chazz was still standing, although he was clearly nearing his limits as well. Although his dragon was gone, somehow the duelist survived the attack. "I used my trap, Defense Draw. This card reduces the damage from your attack to zero while letting me draw a card."

As Mackenzie's expression contorted into rage, Chazz smirked. "What, did you think I was going to roll over and die from an attack like that? Maybe the old Chazz would have. But the blast has made my deck so much stronger. It's like God wants The Chazz to win!"

"If I have to hear one more egocentric monologue I'm going to lose it…take your turn." Mackenzie now just sounded tired.

"Gladly!" Chazz knew he was definitely on his last legs now. "One more chance…let's go!" His draw didn't disappoint.

"I activate Card Destruction! This spell forces us both to discard our hands and draw new ones. I'll discard the three cards in my hand to draw three new ones." Pitching the three Ojamas to the grave, Chazz got some new resources.

"Excellent! I now cast the spell Tri-Wight! This lets me summon three level 2 or lower normal monsters from my graveyard! Come forth, my three Ojamas!" Chazz bid.

"~trololololololololol~" The Ojamas sung as they cartwheeled onto the field.

"Ha! Those monsters may be easy to summon, but that's only because they're so useless! Even if you have Delta Hurricane in your hand, there's no way you can damage my life points with those." Mackenzie felt the need to point out.

"That's true, but with this new style of dueling these little critters have their uses. They could be overlaid for an Exceed summon…or as materials for a synchro summon! I normal summon the tuner monster Dark Tinker (1000/1300)!" Joining the Ojamas on the field was a black tick-looking creature with multiple thin, sticklike arms. "Now, I'll tune the level two Dark Tinker with my three level two Ojamas for a level eight synchro summon!"

"Aw yeah! A new way to help the boss! I'm excited!" Ojama Yellow joined hands with Black and Green, circling higher into the air as Dark Tinker formed the green rings characteristic of a synchro summon. Chazz's duel energy formed an aura around him the grey color of concrete. "I summon Light End Dragon (2600/2100)!" The other half of Light and Darkness Dragon was opaline white in color, with a gold carapace fitted to its head. Like Splendid Venus, four white wings flapped behind its serpentine frame. Since it was a dragon type monster, Splendid Venus lowered its attack to 2100.

"It would have been too weak, even without my monster's effect." Mackenzie felt safe for the moment. That feeling of security wavered once Chazz ordered the dragon to attack anyways. "What are you doing?"

"When Light End Dragon battles, I can lower its attack points permanently by 500 in order to reduce the attack points of your monster by 1500. So now who's too weak?" Light End Dragon's attack points lowered to 1600. However, its effect reduced Splendid Venus' strength to 1300…which was exact lethal. "Attack with shining sublimation!"

Mackenzie tried to find some card or effect she could activate in response, but found none. In a blinding flash of light, the legendary planet was vanished, and the battle was over. (Mackenzie 0/Chazz 500)

Chazz's labored breathing began to morph into laughter. "Ah…ha…haha…yes….hahahaha!" Raising his head, he bellowed loudly. "Ha! I am the strongest!" As always, the king in the north was gracious in victory.

"Uh, boss, do you know what's going on over there?" Ojama Black jabbed Chazz in the cheek with one finger while pointing to his fallen opponent with the other.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Chazz blessedly ceased his gloating long enough to take notice of his surroundings. He saw that the last attack had broken Mackenzie's earring, and shadowy black tendrils were trailing from the shattered jewelry. Mackenzie, although clearly weakened from the battle, looked just as shocked as Chazz was.

The tendrils began to join at a single point, forming a cage that began to enclose around the blonde girl. "The darkness is swallowing her up! Hey, don't go! You still need to give me back my dragon!" Chazz began to run towards Mackenzie, although his soreness impeded his speed.

Chazz briefly caught a look at Mackenzie's face before the shadows took her completely. She looked…scared. Confused. Even apologetic. It confused Chazz, and for some reason caused him to feel guilty as well. The moment passed, however, and she was gone form his sight.

Two blank white eyes and a jagged mouth brew visible in the black sphere. "Well done, little prince. The blast made your cards much stronger than I anticipated. It appears I will have to reassess my plans. If Earth survives past this day, that is…" The voice sounded oddly familiar to Chazz, but he could not place it.

"Who are you? And why did you want my Light and Darkness Dragon so badly?!" Chazz questioned, though he didn't really expect an honest answer.

"The truth lies in the past, in the bloody history of the Millennium Items. I have already gathered the necessary energy from your card, so it, and by extension you, are no longer of use to me. I'm afraid your victory was pointless, Chazz. All I need now is the other half of Ma'at." The black shadow taunted. "Now, go be a good boy and fight the good fight against these Light cultists. After all, by saving the world you're saving me as well…"

"What do you mean? It wasn't pointless!" Chazz refused to believe his efforts were meaningless. Hell, he wasn't even sure what the demon meant by that. Changing tack, Chazz demanded, "What are you going to do with her?"

"My daughter has lost a shadow game, and will pay the appropriate penalty. It is no longer your concern. In fact, pray you never cross my family again…the day you do is the day you die!"

With that, the black shadow disappeared, taking Mackenzie with it and leaving Chazz with a chilling portent. Where they might have gone, Chazz had no idea. "The other half of Ma'at…I'll have to warn Jaden, as much as I'd rather have nothing to do with the slacker." Chazz was increasingly sure that there was something special about that Winged Kuriboh. Of course, everyone had much more pressing matters to attend to at present.

Coming back to his surroundings, Chazz noticed a card laying on the ground where Mackenzie had been. A genuine, heartfelt smile broke out on his face as he retrieved it. "Finally…it's good to see you again, my friend."

The spirit of Light and Darkness Dragon appeared in front of him. Despite its fearsome appearance, Chazz could tell the dragon was happy as well. "Thank you, Chazz. They took a lot of my energy, using it to power some sort of ritual. But I'm alright now. I can still fight at your side – just say the word."

"Personally, I'd rather jump into a hot bubble bath than a fight right now." As much as Chazz wanted to rest and revel in his victory, such feelings were mastered by worry for his other friend. "We should probably go see how country boy is doing. Please be alright, Jesse!" Chazz worried as he made his way over to his friend's duel.

(Jesse vs Nightshroud)

Jesse nervously drew his next card. Even if he found some way to defend from battle damage next turn, he knew that Red-Eyes decks had many strong burn options available to them. And for all he knew, those options had only enhanced with the advent of the blast. "I'll need something really good to win!"

He looked upon the card and chuckled. "Well Nightshroud, sometimes its better to be lucky than good, eh?"

"That depends on what your card is. I've found there is little purpose in gloating before victory is assured. In fact, it tends to be rather embarrassing more often than not, although I grant you it's far from the most reprehensible trait human exhibit." Nightshroud pushed up his mask as if he were a smart anime character adjusting their glasses.

"For someone who claims to be without emotion, you seem to have plenty of the bad ones. Just none of the good ones. But you have a point. That's why I'm ending this duel now! I summon Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat (1200/600)!" Sleekly, a cat of pink coat pounced onto the field. Around its neck hung a gold brooch with its namesake gem in the center.

"Ha! With that few attack points, what could you possibly do? One of my dragons has 2800 attack points and the other has 4200!" Nightshroud was still stuck in the mindset of placing too much value on big numbers.

"Uh, well, Amethyst Cat's special effect lets me attack directly, so long as I halve its attack points. You don't mind taking 600 points of damage for me, do ya?" Jesse picked up his hat and tipped it towards the adversary. "I know it's real anticlimactic but not every duel has a dramatic finish. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all, actually. Only a fragment of my true being is within this vessel. You haven't seen the last of me! Hahahaha, ouch!" Nightshroud went out rather pathetically, the cat merely scratching at him a few times before he fell over. (Jesse 2100/Nightshroud 0)

"Wait, hold on! Tell me what you're really after!" This was all new to Jesse, and he was just as confused now that the battle was over as he was when it began.

The masked man, still aground, raised his head to gaze cruelly upon Jesse. "I merely seek to hasten the natural course. To prepare for the future, embrace nothingness. Or fight on. It matters not if Light or Darkness wins on this day. All of your efforts will eventually fail. All of your works will return to nothing. Everything in existence will become a part of me in due time. Nothingness is eternal…I AM ETERNAL."

Then, the mask and black cloak began fading back into shadowy vapor, their essence absorbed into a card that had fallen out of Atticus' duel disk. Before long, Atticus was back to normal, albeit unconscious. At his feet, Jesse saw the card and knelt for a closer look.

It had the coloring of a normal monster, but no text or stats. Its image was the black mask, with grey mist and taut chains in the background. Pulling his sleeve over his hand, Jesse picked up the card so fabric separated the cursed item from bare contact with his flesh. Even so, he felt a pervading emptiness from it, feeling as if he were fasting. The crystal beasts hated the card and urged it to be destroyed.

"I must find a way to safely destroy this. Could Pegasus know a way to do it?" Jesse wondered. Before he could think further, he noticed Chazz arrive out of his peripheral vision.

Chazz smiled sincerely at him, the expression so pure that Jesse was caught off guard. "I won. My spirit is back." Was all Chazz said, but Jesse knew this moment must mean the world to him.

Knowing that Chazz would disdain an emotive response, Jesse just smiled back and said, "That's great, man. I'm glad for you."

"I couldn't have done it without the support of the north, or without you." Chazz bit out the sentiment, as it seemed to make him uncomfortable. "I'm grateful."

Jesse just nodded. Even saying this much was more than he ever expected from Chazz. "I won as well. Despite the complications."

"I'm surprised Atticus was harboring such dark powers. He hid it well."

"I don't think he was hiding it, Chazz. It seems to be something he couldn't control. After I attacked with Hamon, it must have weakened him enough for the demon to come out. It didn't feel like any duel spirit I've ever felt, that's for sure. This thing was on a different level. Sadly I got more questions than answers. It looks like the spirit is sealed within this card. I'll keep it close until the battle's over. Then, we can bring it to Pegasus. He'll know a way to destroy it." Jesse showed Chazz the card.

"I know what you mean. I have more questions than answers as well. It's the same story with Mackenzie. Some crazy demon is possessing her and her family. She got away, but that spirit seems to be fixated on my dragon and Jaden's Winged Kuriboh. Somehow, they're two halves of a whole." Chazz sighed, knowing his supernatural entanglements were far from over.

"They're going after Jaden? No way, I won't let them!" Jesse blurted out, impassioned. Collecting himself, he tried to correct, "I mean, I guess we should probably warn him."

"You can warn him. After all, you've been hanging around him all the time since we've arrived." Chazz smirked knowingly.

"W-well, just…you know, I was just trying to get information." Jesse lied poorly.

"Dude, I don't care if you're friends with Jaden. But my impression was you want something more than friendship." Chazz said, dropping the smarm to level with his friend.

Jesse didn't feel as embarrassed as he thought he would have. In fact, he felt as though a weight had lifted from his shoulders. "Was it really that obvious?" He said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"Well, let's see…you have better hair and hygiene than anyone I've ever met, you wear poofy sleeves, you play crystal beasts, and I've never once seen you show interest in a girl. Hell, I didn't even realize you were trying to hide it." Chazz chuckled. "Trust me, I don't care one bit if you're gay. I knew it from the first day we met."

Jesse's heart soared. He was never quite sure how Chazz would react if he knew…but the fact that he knew and accepted him as a matter of course made the teal-haired boy very happy. "Well, do you think Jaden would…?"

"Jaden's love life is the least of my concerns. I really don't know the guy that well, and I would rather keep it that way. Frankly, he doesn't seem the type to pick up on hints. You'll probably have to spell it out for him, and I mean that literally. But what do I know? My love life's shit." A pang of bitterness crossed Chazz's visage. "I hope you find happiness, Jesse. I'm not interested in the details of whatever you two get up to. Just make sure you warn him about the demon."

"Right." Jesse said bemusedly, finding the insensitive remark much truer to Chazz's character. "Well, we have bigger problems to worry about. Now that we've completed our mission, we ought to get to the coast. That's where the fighting's thickest. Plus, we have to find help for Atticus. We can't just leave him here."

Chazz looked as if he was actually considering the option. "I'm nearly out of energy. I'm sticking to picking off the weaklings. We're here to fulfill a contract, not play hero. As for Atticus, I hope you have an idea because I don't."

"I'm just about gassed too. If I had more energy to work with…ah, I can't risk it. He looks alright, just unconscious. Let's leave some of our spirits here to guard him. They can notify us when he wakes up." Jesse called forth Emerald Tortoise for the task while Chazz did the same with Light and Darkness Dragon. The duel spirits vowed to keep the Obelisk Force officer safe until they returned or he woke up.

"Alright, ready to go?" said Jesse.

"Ready to go get destroyed by Kaiba? Sure, why not. I'm just glad I got my dues paid before this planet goes bye-bye."

"Oh, you never know. Someone might have managed to beat him. Maybe that Lancaster guy pulled a miracle." Jesse countered mainly to tweak his friend.

"Yeah, pull the other one. Lancaster…he'll have his turn someday, if we all survive this. In fact, I hope he beat Kaiba. That will make my conquest of him and his pathetic Obelisk Force all the more noteworthy!" Chazz declared, Jesse rolling his eyes as they marched out of the forest.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXXxXx

(Jamie Lancaster POV)

Rage festered within as I swatted aside the brainwashed students, switching between my fake deck and my Melodious deck in order to keep them off guard. I barely registered their faces, their names. Even the moves of the duel seemed to come instinctually while my higher processes played back every excruciating moment of my second defeat at Kaiba's hands.

At my back, the Kaiba brothers battled as well, easily mowing down the opposition. No other outcome was possible – they were just kids fighting against true duelists. Even still, the walls were closing in. There was just too many of them, they outnumbered us four to one, and the lower-ranked Obelisk Blues just weren't able to keep up. Seto, Mokuba and I were exhausted, having wasted our energies fighting amongst themselves. Jaden was off somewhere dueling Sartorius. Aster and the rest of the seated Obelisk Force officers, including Jasmine to my relief, were holding their own. But how long could they last against a tide of hundreds?

It was not useful to think of how bad the odds were. It was also useless to dwell on my defeat, but the resulting anger gave me a seemingly endless well of energy. I could feel Sonata's look of disapproval, but did not care.

"Keep going, everyone! Believe in yourselves and each other!" Alexis called out supportively.

"STAND AND FIGHT, YOU COCKSUCKING MAGGOTS – STAND AND FIGHTTTTT!" Kenzan took a different approach, seeming a tad riled up. Could be the Dino DNA I've heard so much about, though I suspect it's mainly testosterone.

Defeating another Ra Yellow, I took a step back only to bump up against Seto – it was easy to tell because, rather embarrassingly, we were the only ones without shirts on. "Watch it!" I snapped.

Kaiba laughed, in-between opponents himself. "Someone's a little tense. You ought to relax, Lancaster. It's only the end of Earth."

"I won't die. I refuse to die. I have unfinished business." I bit out. Yubel was still out there, and Kaiba…my wish to beat him in a duel was turning into an obsession.

"We all do. Death is rather final, while life is full of possibilities." Kaiba said, almost jovially. As our eyes briefly met, he cocked his head in recognition. "Yes, good. Use your hatred of me to grow even stronger. Let it give you focus. Let it sharpen the blade of your ambition."

Well, the cat's out of the bag, I suppose. "I will defeat you one day. I will!" My voice was hoarse.

"That's what I'm counting on. Now keep fighting!" Kaiba smiled at me before turning to face his next adversary.

"What?!" I was baffled by the cryptic response, but before long I was absorbed in another duel as well, against a Slifer Red.

"Jamie, what has gotten into you? I don't like where your head's at lately." Sonata said with concern.

"Now is not the time, as you can see." I replied coldly.

"Don't just brush me off, I'm serious! You need to get your priorities straight! Don't you realize you're becoming just like him?" She pleaded. "Come on, this isn't you. You need to rise above this!"

Suddenly, the flames cooled. Kaiba was just as obsessed with beating Yugi as I'm getting about beating him. And that certainly never made Kaiba any happier, despite the fact that he was richer and arguably more influential than Yugi in other respects. "Wait a minute, could that have something to do with what he just said?"

"The true test of whether you've been following a mentor or manipulator will occur when you surpass him. Until then, don't lose your sense of self." Sonata warned. "You don't want to model yourself after him. You don't need to define your sense of self in relation to him. You care too much about earning his respect."

"My sense of self…in this life, I've only ever found it through dueling. In a fight, the truth always seems to come out. What do I really want out of life? Can the answer be found in a duel?" Regardless of Sonata's words, I vowed to continue my quest for the summit.

"Rise above…"

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

Having a wide-scaled battle like this, I really wanted to take the time to give the side characters shine, and I personally quite enjoy writing Chazz-centered chapters. This time, I elected have Chazz's deck focus more on dragons like it does in the manga, although the Ojamas came in clutch. Jesse gets another chance to show off Hamon, although he ends up cheesing out a win with amethyst cat. Jesse also has the card that holds the spirit of Nightshroud. Good thing Jesse is not particularly prone to demonic possession...oh wait. Chazz has his dragon back, but who knows what became of Mackenzie? Tragodeia is not finished by a long shot. Not much to say this time, other than thank you all for your continued readership and support.