Chapter 3 of Burning Son comin' at ya!

Prepare yourself for a long chapter haha. Around 15K words of glorious Agni Kai goodness to be exact. I know that 3 long as hell chapters based around a single fight is kinda much, but I wanted to do some things with this fight:

- Show that my version of Zuko, even at the time of this Agni Kai, isn't some push over. I really felt like the show (while still great) made Zuko look way too weak at times, and it didn't really go all the way with showing is martial skills. Zuko here, while not being a very good firebender, is probably as strong as most lieutenants to commanders (in the Fire Nation military not all ranks are defined by strength, but most are, at least until we get to Captain and above)

- I wanted this fight to be epic as all hell, to set the tone for what you guys can expect in terms of action (and no not every fight will be multiple chapters long XD). Also, this is an important moment in Zuko's life, so I wanted to hit every little detail (I can't help it...).

- Ozai. I wanted to use this Agni Kai to flesh out more of his character and his beliefs, which both tie into why he's doing what he's doing. In the show, he was such a "blah" character; basically all we know of him is that he's a really bad dad and a douche. Here it's not so simple.

Also, I'd advise rereading the first two chapter to refresh yourself on how the Agni Kai has been going, flashbacks, and the character interactions (it has been nearly two years since I updated...). I've also, edited, and rewritten some parts of the last two chapters to make the story flow a bit better, and fix my past characterization of Ozai.

And finally a big thanks to my amazing beta, Srylanna! She's really helped me improve my writing since I first posted my story; both in terms of grammar and in how I portray the characters I'm writing. If you're in need of a beta whose both great what she's does and is extremely fast about it (when she's on her off time lol), Srylanna is who to go to. Just make sure you're not too easily affected by dry black humor XD.

Anyways, happy reading people.

Burning Son

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Avatar series. If I did, I would've killed off more people…starting with Mako.

Episode 3: Agni Kai I – Failed Struggle

A burning fist buries itself into Zuko's stomach, sending him skidding backwards, and though he couldn't be too sure, he could've sworn he had just blacked out for a split second.

Gotta create some space! The prince frantically thought. However, through his swimming vision, he could see that he was surrounded and there were too many of them for him to break through their ranks. Damn it, I can't continue like this and there are no openings…. The attacks were endless and it was quickly becoming too much to accurately keep up with.

Despite his still spinning vision, and his head pounding, Zuko was still coherent enough to hear the tapping footsteps rushing to his position, again.

No easy way around this, I'll just have to make an opening, myself!

The tapping noise soon drew near.

The right! He shouted in his head as he stumbled to his left, as the enemy quickly closed the distance and launched itself into a flying fire kick at the boy's head. He ducked under the attack, and his attacker flied overhead. Before Zuko could counterattack, he stumbled forward a bit; still disoriented.

Damn it! The enemy took this opportunity to grab his head while still in mid-air; Zuko eyes widened as the hand ignited with golden flames. Reacting quickly, he formed a large dagger of his dark fire, in his right hand, before slicing off the arm of his attacker from the elbow. As it fell down headfirst, he stepped back quickly before slashing the "blade" horizontally, decapitating his opponent; he then proceeded to repeatedly slash the body to pieces. Immediately after finishing, he turned around to locate the others, as it dispersed into gold flames at his back.

Zuko found two more rushing at him; one from the front and another from the back. The one in front attacked with a fire-powered punch and, despite his fatigue, Zuko managed to respond by throwing up a fire-powered kick; parrying the attack with the balls of his left foot. Using the hand as a foothold, he first jumped, and pushed off the fist, using his momentum to backflip over the rear attacker. As he landed, his knees buckled but Zuko wass able to lengthen the flame dagger in his right hand to the size of a sword before rushing in and plunging the "sword" into the back of the enemy he had just vaulted over. Zuko continued to push forward and was able to stab the one whose punch he used to springboard off.

"RRRAAAHHHH!" With a roar, he had put all of his weight down on his weapon and cleaved both of them in half with his fire sword still plunged in them both; golden flames dispersed all around him as the bisected bodies deteriorated.

Zuko extinguished the sword, and had nearly fallen backward before barely catching himself. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to catch his breath before being forced to jump backwards, to avoid a large, gold-colored fireball. This time he did lose his balance as he fell on his back. While he lay on the floor, he noticed that another four opponents surrounded him. Fortunately for him, those were the last of them, but his strength was fading. Zuko was really beginning to contemplate just how long he could keep this pace up.

"No…I-I gotta keep going…t-this isn't n-nearly enough to k-keep me d-down ….I won't….allow myself t-to…give up…" the prince mumbled, trying to motivate himself, as he slowly got up; rotating as he did so, to observe their movements. The last four enemies just stared back at him, unmoving. They were Fire Clones; bodies of fire, first molded and then made in the image of whatever the user wished through great amounts of qi manipulation. In this case, Zuko was looking at four identical copies of his father. The Fire Lord's control was on such a great level, that he was able to will the movements of these dolls with his mind alone.

The boy took a chance glance in his real father's direction. His eyes met the same steel gaze that man had when he had first sent these puppets at him. In fact, the Fire Lord had yet to move an inch; arms still crossed and face still neutral. He looked seemingly unfazed by his son's struggling.

No surprise there, Zuko thought to himself. He said he was going to push me. Push me to my breaking point. Expose my weakness, and then break me. He looked down at his mutilated left arm; if it could be called that considering that it seemed more akin to charred meat than an arm anymore. He grimaced as he remembered how he had received such an injury.

BURNING!

I'M BURNIN!

EVERYTHING! SO MUCH PAIN!

Zuko felt like every inch of skin of his body was lit ablaze, however this hurt like something he'd never imagined fire could feel like until now. H-how?! Zuko screamed in his mind. One second his father was right in front of him, then the next he suddenly just vanished from his line of sight and before he knew it, he was blinded and enveloped in unimaginable pain. Zuko was trapped in a pillar of fire; gold searing tongues of fire licked his skin, and to him it felt like his skin was being ripped off with every taste they took. I got to the point where his body began seizing on itself, the flames were so hot, and, to his horror, they were getting hotter. He didn't dare open his eyes, for fear that if he did his eyes would melt out of their sockets, nor his mouth to scream, afraid of swallowing the fire.

So much pain! I have to move! I have to get out of this hellfire!

Acting quickly, Zuko heated his body up, preparing his body for the Burning Spirit technique. The sudden increase of internal heat, added on to the already burning hell he was currently in, nearly brought the boy to his knees. Steeling his body, Zuko flooded his system with boiling qi and his body strengthened despite the agony he felt; he then ignited his hands in dark crimson flames. Eyes still closed, still scared that they would burst into flames if he dared to open them, despite this power boost, he blindly pushed his now flaming right hand against the dense curtain of burning gold. His knees buckled as he slowly parted the fire, and, as his right arm tore through and landed on the stone floor outside, his legs gave way.

NO! The word ripped through Zuko's mind as he forcefully threw himself into the small opening he'd just made, T-this pain! I-I-I can't- IWON'T LET THIS STOP ME! He shaped the flames around his right arm into a Dragon Claw, proceeding to plunge his "claws" into the stone floor, before pulling himself forward. He gradually clawed the rest of his body through, inch by grueling inch. His feet burst alive with more dark flames, and he formed Dragon Claws around them as well, and like an animal he clawed furiously at the wall of fire. Even with the progress he was making, Zuko was quickly growing frustrated at the slow process and the ever growing pain, which he managed to mostly block out with sheer determination alone. After what seemed like hours, he managed rip through the golden flames. He'd finally forced his upper body out of the pillar, but it only got harder as the pressure of the upward rush of flames only seemed to intensify.

On his hand and knees, and with all his strength, Zuko managed to pull out all but his left arm, and just as he was in the process of pulling out my left arm, the fire pillar suddenly superheated itself to levels at least three times the temperature of what they were while he was still fully trapped inside.

He screamed, no longer able to hold it in anymore. Suddenly, the pillar then exploded, ripping through his arm, and blowing him away.

Zuko could feel pain and hear the sound of his nose breaking as he landed on his face and proceeded to bounce of the tile floor two more times before finally rolling to a stop on his back.

Zuko was just laying there, trying to catch his breath, as well as rest a bit before picking himself back up. His ears were still ringing and his face, and the rest of him for that matter, was still throbbing. He had managed to avoid most of the explosion, seeing as, just before the explosion really managed to hit him, he was able to pump enough qi into him legs to jump forward and ride the blast. Unfortunately, his left arm was not so lucky.

Getting up was very painful, but he managed to get into a sitting position; which allowed him to get a better look at his left arm, trying to asses the damage as fast as possible. It was covered in dark, crimson red-burnt skin, charred black in some spots, from the middle of his bicep and down, with nasty tears in the flesh showing slightly charred, red muscle in some places, and steam billowed from it. The finger nails on his hand were also blown off in the explosion. It seemed as if most his nerves were burnt off too, because the pain was quite dull for such a grievous injuries; if he wasn't looking at it, he mused that he wouldn't be too sure that he'd even escaped with his arm at all. Zuko was glad though, because from the look of the damage his arm sustained, he could tell that he didn't want to feel any of it. He shook his head in frustration.

Damn…as if this wasn't impossible before… By the looks of it, his left arm was useless for the time being. The rest of his body was still red, with steam rising off as well though not as much as from his left arm. Zuko had already deactivated Burning Spirit the moment he escaped and yet he looked as if it was still active and at full power at that. Suddenly, the prince felt a large hand grab the back of his head and pull him backwards.

"Well done!" The Fire Lord's mouth was inches from his ear, as he spoke in a purposely loud voice that quickly reminded him of his current situation. "I had not expected you to be able to escape from that last attack, but it appears that you are a child of Agni…aren't you, Zuko?" The Fire Lord threw him forward, and he managed to get to his feet and stumbled a bit, before catching himself and turning to face his father. The older man looked his son up and down before speaking again. "However it seems that you are at your limits….. Are you still willing to continue, in your state? Burned and bloodied as you stand? Or will you now grovel and beg for mercy, like the weakling that you have proven yourself to be so many times?"

Zuko was silent for a moment. His hair, which was once in a ponytail, was now a tangled mess. The pants he was wearing were now tattered shorts that just reached his knees. His entire body ached horribly, was riddled with cuts, burns of varying degrees, bruises, and he could tell that his ribs were either bruised or cracked. On top of that, his left arm was useless. All that plus his previous spit lip, swollen right cheek, and black right eye…. Zuko jokingly thought that he probably looked dead on his feet. However that didn't keep him from saying what he did next. He popped his nose back into place and snorted out blood before opening his mouth to respond.

"Y-yeah, I am." Zuko's throat was hoarse from his previous screaming, but he paid it no mind, "I-I'll beat you, and prove to you that I'm not weak," and with every word he uttered, his resolve rose higher and higher. "I won't beg for your mercy…huff...heh heh...I'm afraid that I'm too prideful to allow myself to do that. So…*cough, cough* …where were we….Father?" By the time he finished saying his peace, he had settled in a low stance; his left arm still limp on my side.

The frown on his father's face seemed to deepen and his eyes seemed to get a faraway look, as if he was remembering a bad memory. After a few seconds of silence, his eyes refocused onto his son and his frown turned into a smirk. "Ah, how I miss my youth. The feeling, as if you are invincible and there is nothing that you cannot accomplish. You know so little of your limits; you know nothing of true pain, nothing of true and utter defeat, and thus as a result, you plunge in headfirst holding nothing back. It is as admirable as it is foolish." Suddenly his smirk melted into a thin line. "It seems like I need truly send this lesson home; a lesson of just how vast the abyss between yourself and I are; of difference in power between a subject and one who sits upon the Yoen Teiza; of just how insignificant you are in this great and cruel world we live in. You will continue to fight, and I will punish you. You will scratch and claw your way to me, breaking and bleeding as you do, willing yourself to continue, but I will continue to punish you even more so. Before long you will hit a wall, so unfamiliar to you; your breaking point." He suddenly spread his arms widely, summoning seven huge balls of gold flames. Zuko's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open, as he saw each fireball grow and shift into his father's shape before finally becoming perfect copies. As they moved to surrounded him, his father continued to speak. "That is when you will witness how truly weak you are; when you find yourself completely, and utterly, helpless." One of the clones rushed at his legs. He reacted quickly enough to leap over its head, but had to throw himself to the ground, and into a roll, to avoid the axe kick of another. Back peddling, Zuko warily eyed the small crater left behind by the clone's kick. "That is when I will break you."

As the last word left the Fire Lord's lips, all the clones rushed at him.

All four clones launched fireballs at him at the same time. Quickly, despite the aching in his knees, Zuko jumped into the air, using small fire explosions under his feet to propel himself higher, and the attacks barely passed under him. Though, his feet were still grazed by the attacks and burned slightly.

I didn't think they would be given enough qi energy to be able to blast me as much as they have! Two clones leaped after him; both throwing punches at him. Attacking me in the air?

The prince performed a split kick, and managed to parry both punches with his feet, wincing as their hands burned his feet. The other two clones jumped at him as well; one attacking from the front, and another from the back, like the two previous clones that he cleaved in two. He pushed himself backwards, as the clone in front of him fired a large blast of fire towards him. He formd a Dragon Claw around him right arm to shield from the powerful blast and he rode the blast to the clone coming from behind. The blast rocketed Zuko towards the other clone and he pushed off it, using the momentum of the blast to claw through the clone's arm before it could fire off its attack. Behind him, he heard the fire blast that followed him destroying the one-armed clone as he flied past it and onto the floor.

As Zuko hit the ground, he ducked into a roll to lessen the impact, but it had still taken him a couple seconds to get to his feet. Once up, he was greeted by a kick to his chest. Fortunately, these clones were much slower than their creator and he was able to parry the attack with his arm. Spinning quickly, he rolled with the kick, and got behind the clone before jabbing it in the back of its left knee with his left heel; thus causing it to buckle and lose its balance. With it now open, Zuko grabbed the back of its head in his burning hand before smashing it, face first, into a stone tile. With a burst of fire, he blew its head up and the clone extinguished. Even though his counter was quick, and simple, exhaustion and dizziness from the spinning caused him to stumble and he took a few seconds to catch his breath.

Five down….two more to g-! Before Zuko could finish his thought, a force shoved him forward harshly; a familiar burning pain was consuming his back.

Zuko had stumbled forward a couple steps, gasping in pain, before a wall of gold fire smashed into his face. The attack had sent him reeling back.

Damn…can't even catch my bre-! Again, before he could finish his thoughts, another attack blasted him forward again and then back again and then forward again.

Again and again and again.

And again and again and again.

Zuko fell to his knees, back arching and his head back as he gasped in pain; his whole body was experiencing spasms and steaming. He started to fall forward, but had managed to catch himself with his right arm and ht took in slow, deep breaths. He ignored the voice in the back of his head telling him to stay down, and slowly picked himself up.

My whole body feels like it will break if I fall…gotta get back up…and finish this…

Finally, after what felt like years, rising to a standing, if somewhat slouched, position, he raised his eyes to see two sets of 6-packs through the unruly bangs of his hair.

Well…at least they were nice enough to wait for me to get up this time…

The last two clones of his father were simply staring at him. Silence was deafening in the arena, with only his slow ragged breaths breaking it every few seconds; Zuko was too disorientated to notice, or care.

Damn…my head is killing me...

Suddenly one of the fakes punched him across the face. Stumbling back a step, he could feel the cut that opened on his right cheek where the fist had struck him. It threw another punch, but this time Zuko was able to duck, only for the heel of the other one to meet his already broken nose.

He screamed as blood sprayed from his now reinjured nose, as he was sent rolling backwards from the savage kick to his face; all the while holding his nose. Using the momentum of his backwards roll, he was able to rise to his feet again and brace himself; this time ready as the clones came rushing at him.

Zuko blocked a punch, sidestepped a kick and then spun around backhanding the first clone. The other clone grabbed his right arm and Zuko forced his left shoulder in its direction, pulling his limp left arm up high, horizontally and forcing the clone to the floor. Another punch comes at his head, from the first clone and he had to crane his neck and head back to dodge the punch. It then began throwing a fast series of fire-powered punches and kicks.

As he ducked and blocked, he tripped on a rock. Damn it! He cursed as he recovered only to step on a sharp rock. ARGH! DAMN IT! He took a right hook to the face, before he has to execute and intricate pattern of blocking, ducking, backpedaling, bobbing, weaving, sidestepping, and Agni knows which other moves. Despite his fatigue, Zuko managed to avoid or block the furious assault; many grazing and burning him, but he only got hit once. He backpedaled, again, to avoid a rather wide right punch.

Wide open! Zuko threw himself forward, head-butting the clone fiercely and sending it stumbling backwards, arms flailing. Following up his first strike, he grabbed onto one of the clone's outstretched arms as it fell back; his face twisted into a slight grimace as his hand burnt against its skin, having momentarily forgotten the clones were made of fire. Zuko's face contorted into fierce concentration before his head was suddenly engulfed in his signature flames.

As he screamed both in pain and to rally himself, Zuko yanked the clone back, into another, now flaming, explosive head-butt; blowing its head, shoulders and chest off, as well. The attack, plus his already painful headache, made him feel even more disoriented and caused him to lose his balance and fall flat on his face….and on his nose.

Ow…ow…not…doing that again… He spat out the dust and gravel that had gotten into his mouth, before trying to get up…only to fall back to the floor, the movement dazing him again.

As he attempted to stand again, a foot stomped down on the crook of his neck sending him crashing back down into the ring floor; his chin receiving a deep cut as a result.

Gah! …damn it! This thing nearly broke my freaking neck! Before he could try to fight the clone off, it began to kick him, repeatedly, in his injured ribs. Zuko gasped in pain and spat up a bit of blood. He lifted his head, pain dancing across his widened eyes, and he tried to catch sight of his father, only to see his Lord staring at him with a somewhat bored, passive look. For several more seconds the fire clone continued to stomp and kick him all over, before gradually coming to a stop; allowing the boy to finally catch his breath.

"How discouraging," Ozai drawled. "It looks like I won't need to do anything else. My fire clones seem to have been more than enough." He shook his head slowly, before proceeding to turn his back to his son. "Again, you disappoint me."

When those words left the Fire Lord's mouth, something in Zuko snapped and he had let everything he never allowed himself to think come crashing on top of him.

What do you mean 'how boring'? Here I am fighting for my life and you just brush me aside! I've been right here fighting you for the better part of an hour, and yet…and yet you still refuse to acknowledge me…!

Suddenly, Zuko felt a deep burning sensation in his stomach, like a small explosion that was steadily growing and spreading through his body and it only seemed to be getting stronger along with his anger. His already steaming body began to billow out even larger amounts of steam. All the while, the last of his father's clones stomped repeatedly on his back and head. He didn't care though; all he cared about was winning this Agni Kai and forcing this man, his father, to see him as more than just some weak boy he had been refusing to even call by name half the time.

"D-don't…t-turn your back…to me!" Zuko reached up and grabbed the ankle of the clone's foot just as it had landed on the back of his head again. "I've been right here, f-fighting you…. w-with all I have, regardless of how hopeless this f-fight *cough cough* f-feels."

He managed to get on his knees, his grip still strong despite the continuously struggling clone which was trying to get its foot loose.

Good, it looks like the fire clone has used up too much of its qi to use firebending; all it can do now are physical attacks.

"I continue to get up….regardless of how powerful you ….show yourself to be."

Zuko's skin was now a dark red color because of the sheer amount of heat he was releasing, and his hair was now blown up as even more steam exploded off his body. He felt the clone punching him in the head, but he ignored it; trying to keep his focus forward. With his body still wracked with great pain, he now felt more and more strength returning to him as more of this new hot qi flooded his system. Adrenaline and power fueled him, helping him endure.

Zuko pushed qi into his hand, and managed to let it out in a burst of his crimson colored flames. His flames overpowered the last clone, blowing it apart; its own dispersing flames blown away by steam jetting from his body. With the weight of the fire clone now gone, he now took this opportunity to pick himself up into a hunched over position and gradually settled into a sloppy fighting stance; shaking his head to ward off the dizziness caused by the extinguished clone's repeated blows. He turned his gaze onto his father. Zuko noticed that his father had already turned around and was looking at him with a somewhat surprised expression, before it settled quickly back into a neutral one.

Heh…so it's now that you see me….but I'm not done yet. Inwardly, Zuko was smirking crookedly; feeling his confidence rise higher, as his qi levels did.

"What's….with that…look, Father?" Zuko said between breaths; still exhausted despite his new power. "Are you….surprised that I've managed to…take out all your fire clones?" He pointed his finger in the Fire Lord's direction. "Well don't be! This is the same….power that you've refused to acknowledge all these years…. I've suffered….under your scrutiny for eleven years, gradually improving and getting stronger only to see myself continually fail to meet your expectations."

Zuko opened his hand in his father's direction before clenching it into a fist and igniting his arm, up to his forearm, in flames, and forming a Dragon Claw. He noticed that his flames are not only much heavier than they usually are, but even darker than usual; there were even a few thin streaks of black fire and the flames now seemed to seep from below the skin, instead of bursting to life around it, like usual. His fire was also burning his skin far more than usual too.

"You constantly….reminding me of my shortcomings; countless nights of training,….only to find out that I was nowhere closer to my goal…than from where I started…" Zuko's anger at both his father and himself had now reached an all new high; his power growing with it. Red filled his vision, and he could barely restrain himself. "That pain….is what drives me….and it's that pain that fuels my strength." He paused for a moment to catch his breath, to clear his voice so that all could hear him for once in him life.

"I will defeat you, here; in this Agni Kai! Then you'll have no choice, but to accept me…Prepare yourself!"

Zuko pushed more and more qi into the technique, causing the flames to crawl up the rest of his arm and trail off behind him. This, however, resulted in his flames getting two, maybe even three, times as heavy and he had to adjust his stance to accommodate for the extra weight. After taking a second, or two, to get his balance right, he looked up to see that his father has readied himself in a loose stance.

Silence had filled the stadium, as they both stare intently at each other from the opposite ends of the tile arena; observing the other's movements. Zuko noticed that his father had suddenly let out a bit of smirk, but it left his face just as fast as it had appeared and he rushed at the prince. It took Zuko half a second resister before he started charging forward as well.

As he blitzed ahead, it felt as if everything around him was slowing down to a crawl; including his father and himself. Zuko tucked his arm into his side to compensate for balance due to the weight of the large flame that was covering the entirety of his right arm. Even as he continued to run toward his father, he kept constantly fueling his Dragon Claw with more and more qi; Burning Spirit abandoned long ago, not only to focus most of his remaining energy into this last attack, but also to prevent himself from outright collapsing due to the strain of maintaining both techniques. This, however, again, proved to increase the weight of the flames covering his arm along with their strength which resulted in his running speed to decrease with every step he took. Looking forward, he seaw his father still charging forward; the Fire Lord going in a more relaxed, leisurely sprint in contrast to his son's labored lumbering.

Perfect. When Zuko began this straight forward charge, he was counting on this same over-confidence that his father had been displaying previously; hoping his Lord would think little of his blatantly obvious attack and challenge it head on. In Zuko's mind, thanks to his father's arrogance, the chances of his attack actually hitting him went up significantly. He was so focused on his target that his Father, and everything and everybody around him, was moving in slow-motion; he felt like he could- OUCH! Suddenly he noticed himself falling forward and to his right, as well a sharp pain shooting up his right leg from his foot.

DAMN IT! AGAIN!? As Zuko's luck would have it, in his haste he failed to notice any of the leftover rock and debris from his father's previous attacks and stomped right on another one on accident…..resulting in him losing his footing, and combined with the heavy flames that covered his right arm offsetting his balance, he fell to his right. Reacting as quickly as he could, Zuko smashed his burning hand into the floor to catch himself from completely falling down. How embarrassing… came to mind, and he could swear he heard Azula snorting in the crowd, but he pushed those distracting thoughts out of his head while pushing his body back up with his one good arm. Suddenly, he sensed a jump in temperature in front of him and looked up in time to see that his father had stopped running and had both arms fully extended in his direction…..with both hands formed into "guns"….OH SH-! Time shot back to regular speed just as he unloaded countless fire bullets at Zuko like rapid fire!

Using his Dragon Claw, he threw his body to the left; just barely dodging the first barrage. Zuko braced his landing with his feet and Claw, wincing slightly due to the impact of his wounded foot on such rough ground, before charging at his father. The barrage of fire bullets had yet to end, so he raised his giant Dragon Claw to act as a shield to protect him as he zigzagged across the field. Fortunately this strategy allowed him to quickly cross a majority of the distance between them. His father seemed to have noticed and began to change tactics, as he suddenly swiped his left arm in an arc creating a huge golden wave of fire that split the arena floor in front of Zuko, while charging another attack in his right hand; forcing him to stumble to a stop and falling on one knee, or else Zuko risked being split in two, himself. Almost immediately the Fire Lord followed up with a massive fireball, as big as his son.

Zuko realized that the attack was unavoidable…just as his father had been planning this whole time.

Damn….and here I was, mocking him for underestimating me when I was doing the same… Ozai had always been very observant, making sure to take in all aspects of whatever situation he was in. He very likely noticed the way Zuko labored the way in which he moved, as well as the lack of balance he displayed. The fire bullets were never meant to actually hit the prince…No, it was to keep me moving at full speed, but also allowing me to get into a false comfort as I realized how much distance I was closing…Zuko realized that the fire blade was then used to force him to an sudden stop, but due to his wounded foot, and the weight of his heavy Dragon Claw, it would be impossible for him to go from full speed to still abruptly, let alone cleanly, and of course he fell. Then for the "coup de grace", as Azula would say, his father would fire a final, devastating attack and, with the speed of said attack, it was not possible for him to avoid in exhausted state. All the running, was taxing on top of the fatigue he was already feeling, and thus tired him out considerably more than he already was a few seconds ago and the pain of the gash on his foot was excruciating.

Time began to slow, as Zuko watched with wide eyes as the grand fireball inched its way towards him. I'm done for…

NO! Zuko had come too far in this fight to give up so simply! He raised his flaming arm into air, as time seemed to flow normal again. With a roar, he lunged towards the massive attack as it swallowed him up and he was blown into the air by the massive explosion following soon after.

OOOHHHH CRRRAAAAPPPP!, went through Zuko's head as he flew through the air, upside down. As he flipped back upright, he saw two gold fireballs shooting to position. Thinking quickly he raised he Dragon Claw to shield from the attacks.

"BOOM! BOOM!" Zuko tanked both blasts, but as a result of the impacts he was sent flipping backwards and towards the ground. Seeing the arena floor coming up quickly, he timed himself before striking the tiled floor with his large flaming clawed arm, stopping him from crashing. Fighting against his still continuing backwards momentum, he used the Dragon Claw to launch himself forward a few feet and dropped into a roll; rising up on his feet, but falling over backwards on his backside still feeling dizzy after flipping both forward and backwards in the air, and he had to take a moment to right himself.

And I was just about to say that maybe lugging this thing around wasn't such a great idea… Zuko looked up at the clearing smoke in front of him, and managed to see his father's silhouette on the other side. He climbed to standing position, and took this chance to get his breath back; he took sidelong glance at the massive Dragon Claw, which was now dragging across the ground.

However ,despite me smashing it into the ground to launch me over Father's attack, having just saved me, and then doing so again to save myself from a nasty fall, it's been throwing off my balance…that, and telegraphing what my plan of attack is pretty stupid. Also after this latest exchange, he thought, while glancing toward his father's direction; the smoke had finally cleared up enough for Zuko to actually see his features, I can't expect him to go easy on me anymore, despite his arrogance. I've got to catch him off guard, again, if I want to land a clean blow…..maybe…I can frustrate him a bit, and cause him to lower his guard? Zuko smirked inwardly. Well it's good thing I've still got a few last tricks to play…

Zuko released his technique, grateful that this technique, when released voluntarily, allows the body to simply take back in the qi used to sustain it. He then ignited his right foot; grunting as he cauterized his wound, and extinguishing the flames again when finished. After going over the game plan once more in his head quickly, he then blitzed forward. Almost immediately, he noticed how much faster and smoother he ran without the extra weight. If the slight raising of his eyebrows was any indication, it would seem that Zuko's lack of change in tactics had his father rather perplexed.

Zuko launched himself at his father, shooting out his left foot in a straight kick; the Fire Lord responded by catching said kick in his right palm. With Zuko's foot in his hand, he pulled a mid-air Zuko towards himself, preparing to drill the boy's stomach with a straight left. Instinctively, Zuko threw up his right leg in a kick to parry the punch; managing to catch the fist on the balls of his foot. Forcing his upper-body forward, Zuko maneuvered his right foot on top of his father's fist and after focusing most of his weight on said foot, was able to step down on the outstretched arm and pull his other captured foot free. Zuko, now literally standing on the Fire Lord's arm, with his right arm tucked in, shot out a straight right punch at his father's head. Ozai quickly raised his remaining right hand to grab his son's fist, only for Zuko to open his hand and grab his father's wrist instead.

Before Ozai could react, Zuko kicked off his still outstretched left arm, while simultaneously pulling his father's right arm under his armpit. Zuko also threw a kick in Ozai's face with his left leg, which the Fire Lord dodged by craning his head and neck backwards, only to bend his left leg around Ozai's exposed neck, as well as his right leg around Ozai's abdomen, before locking his father's arm in an arm bar. With his father's arm held securely under his armpit, and his own arm wrapped around it, holding it in place, Zuko clenched his teeth and wrenched the trapped arm with all his strength.

Ozai however was resisting the hold with his own great strength; his strength being so great that he was still holding his arm up, even with his son still latched onto it. The Fire Lord's face was slightly strained, and his eyes squinted, as he fought against Zuko's attempt to break his arm.

Damn…what kind of crazy strength is this?! Zuko thought as he strained just to keep the hold in place. No choice…! Zuko suddenly began burning up and his body began releasing massive amounts of steam. Using Burning Spirit, he augmented his strength to compensate for the great difference in physical strength. However, to Zuko's surprise, his father was still resisting. Come on! Zuko began pushing a bit more qi into his technique, causing steam to blast off him in waves that even reached the front of the audience.

Using his left hand, Ozai grabbed his son's left leg that was wrapped around his neck and began to pull it away from his head and neck in order to break the hold. In response, Zuko began kicking Ozai's stomach repeatedly with his right leg; though this did little to stop the Fire Lord from completing his task and throwing Zuko's left leg over and behind his head to break the hold. Now, with Zuko only holding onto his right arm, Ozai lifted his arm and the boy's body to his level and proceeded to shoot a savage straight left at his son's head. Reacting quickly Zuko released the arm he was holding before kicking off Ozai's side to propel himself away. Zuko, still in midair, back-flipped, before skidding to a stop about ten feet away….only to flash away; once again charging at the Fire Lord.

Not done yet! Have to keep up the pressure! Zuko closed the distance between them quickly, streaking dark crimson flames as he did so, seeing as during his charge he cancelled his Burning Spirit in favor of summoning another Dragon Claw again. The Fire Lord shot three fireballs at him; Zuko junked to his right to avoid the first one, spun back to his left to avoid the second, before finally ducking low under the last shot; suddenly a shadow loomed over him. Looking up from his position, Zuko saw his father hovering over him with his right fist cocked back, having rushed in behind is earlier attacks. Time slowed down all around them briefly. Following suit, Zuko too cocked his own flaming fist back in anticipation to strike, and once his fierce gold eyes met the Fire Lord's calm ones both fighters released their fierce straight rights. However, the winner of the cross-counter became clear as Ozai had managed to dodge his son's fiery fist before laying his own across the left side of the boy's face; putting all his weight into the hit. Suddenly, the Fire Lord's eyes widened in shock as if he realized that something was off with that last exchange.

"Urgh!" Ozai's sudden grunt of pain came from the fact that Zuko had just bit him viciously on his still outstretched right arm. Zuko had the look of a mad wolf when he looked his father in the eyes and proceed to add a bit of qi into jaw before sinking his teeth even further into his father's right arm, drawing blood. Quickly, Ozai used his remaining left hand to grab Zuko's head as the boy continued to gnaw at his arm. However, the moment he grabbed Zuko's head, Zuko using his still free right arm, which was also still blazing alive with his Dragon Claw, unloaded a brutal shot into his father's left ear. Almost instantly, the grip on his face loosened ever so slightly; Zuko took notice of the slightly dazed look in the Fire Lord's eyes, and then proceeded to repeatedly unleash cruel blow after cruel blow to the side of the Fire Lord's head. A shot to the ear. A shot to the temple. Savage blow after savage blow. Sick thuds echoed throughout the silent stadium. This continued until Zuko saw the eyes of his father glaze over a bit and felt the strength of both his father's arms weaken enough for them to slacken.

NOW! Having dug deep enough into his father's arm with teeth to get good grip, Zuko then kicked his legs up, all the while wrenching back his head and neck to pull Ozai's arm forward. With his legs already kicked up, Zuko quickly wrapped his right leg over his father's arms, placing the shin under the man neck, and lifted his left leg over his father's right shoulder before draping it over his neck. After doing so, he drove his right shin into his father's throat and then doubled the pressure by also driving his left leg down on the back of his father's neck, before finally grabbing onto Oazi's head with his now extinguished right arm and pulled down. All of Zuko's weight on his head and neck, plus his disorientation, resulted in the Fire Lord collapsing forward, on his knees, and him being locked within Zuko's current submission hold: the gogoplata, or the shin choke hold.

Zuko had already released his father's arm from his jaws before another chance to catch his breath, for what Zuko thought had to be the hundredth in this fight. No question about it….I gotta work on my stamina…and fighting with one arm…certainly doesn't make things any easier. Zuko looked down, to the crown of his father, as he felt the Fire Lord begin to stir. However, it seems like everything is going according to plan….

During the last exchange Zuko purposely initiated the cross-counter with his father not only to help in closing the distance, but also to get within his father's guard. Knowing that he, given his fatigue, compounded on with the numerous injuries that riddled his body, had no hope of winning exchange, the prince then focused entirely on a neck spin. A very difficult boxing technique to either effectively neutralize the power carried behind the blow, or avoid the hit entirely is timed properly. Zuko purposely did the former. While it was mostly due to the fact that Zuko was not physically able, as a result of all his accumulated damage, even if he was 100% Zuko would've elected to do the same. Zuko waited until the very last moment, when his father's fist connected with his left cheek, before instantly spinning his head and neck with the punch. He had to make it look and feel has if he'd taken the hit fully, so that he could get the Fire Lord to relax long enough for him to take advantage. Given his battered body and his exhaustion, Zuko was only capable of this feat due to the unknown boost of power he was still under; it increased not only his amount of qi and the potency, but also increased his physical attributes, which included his reflexes. The end result of all this is that Zuko was able to apply the gogoplata, or the shin choke hold, on his Father.

Zuko was brought out of his thoughts when he felt his father stirring within his grasp. Not so fast… In response, Zuko proceeded to pull his father's head down, while simultaneously grinding his right shin into the man throat area. Normally, a grapple of this caliber would be able to choke out the average person in seconds, but as the Fire Lord has proved repeatedly, both in past battles and as this match progressed, he was far from average. Still on his knees, Ozai slowly positioned his legs so that he had both of the balls of both his feet gripping the arena floor, and with his arms crossed across Zuko's chest, still pinned down by the boy's right leg, he grabbed Zuko's right shoulder with his right hand, as well as the left shoulder with his left hand. Zuko had already responded to his father's movements and continued to apply more pressure, but it was if his father had a neck of steel.

First he forces his way out of my modified flying armbar, and now he's powering his way out of my gogoplata?! Any other man would've lost consciousness! Hell, with the amount of pressure I'm putting on his throat, any other man's would already collapsed! Zuko's eyes widened when he felt his back ever so slightly get lifted from the cracked, heated tile floor. WHAT?!

The Fire Lord's toes made deep grooves, digging into the stone tiles beneath them, as he slowly, but surely, lifted his son up, despite the boy's tight chokehold. Acting quickly, Zuko released his grip on the back of his father's head, as well as his left leg, and proceeded to reach across the back his father's neck to grab a hold of his right foot. This resulted in the Fire Lord's head and neck still being trapped, with Zuko's right shin pressed into the throat of his father, and his left leg draped on the back of his father's neck and head, but with now double to triple the amount of pressure being applied due to Zuko now pulling down his left foot. However, even with Zuko's modifications, the Fire Lord was not to be impeded in his progress; slowly, but surely, he got to his feet with Zuko's submission hold still in place.

Th-this is insane... went through the prince's head. While the Fire Lord's upper body was still hunched over and bent forward due to his son's hold, the fact that he managed to get to his feet with such a dangerous hold on his throat was nothing short of shocking to Zuko. A firebender's strength stems from one's breathing, which we improve on with constant meditation. However, when a firebender is cut of from their supply of oxygen, like a flame in a closed jar, the person's flames quickly begin to weaken in power. Not only that, but as the flames fade away so does the physical and mental strength of the bender... Father's strength should be gone! Hell, he should've lost consciousness long before now with just my attacks on his temple!

The Fire Lord suddenly roared as he forced himself into a full standing position, and as a result lifting Zuko high above his head. Zuko's eyes were now wide, comically so.

Before Zuko could even finish uttering the word, he was interrupted by a savage roar, that nearly deafened him, before he was brought down with great force and speed, before finally being power-bombed viciously onto the hard stone tiles below.

Zuko landed head, neck and back first onto the floor and laid there stunned as a hot sting of pain shot up and down his body. The boy's eyes had rolled to the back of his head and his body convulsed a bit...however, he did not relinquish his hold around his father's throat. Zuko was barely hanging onto consciousness, and as a result, he could hardly feel his bruised back being lifted off the now cracked stone tiles. Soon Zuko was once again raised high into the air, and again he was smashed into the stone tiles below. This time Zuko's body left an imprint in the arena floor and he lost his grip on his left foot, greatly lessening the pressure of his hold on his father's throat. However, his legs were still locked in.

Wha...? What's happened? Ironically, the last slam seemed to rouse the prince back to consciousness. He looked down, through hazy eyes, to see his father still locked in the gogoplata... but just barely. D-d-damn it...what ridiculous strength... With just these two slams...it's like all the energy has been sapped from my body, even though I know that that powerful qi is still flowing through me. I can't...I can't take another hit like that again. Zuko tried moving his right hand, but found that took far too much effort just move his fingers. I see...this power...it-it doesn't keep my body from feeling exhaustion...no...it increases my attributes, but at the expense of exhausting the body even more than usual... I gotta end this soon...really soon, or eventually I won't be able to move at all, and it'll be due to my body being broken rather than exhaustion.

Shortly after those thoughts floated through his head, Zuko felt his father's grips on his shoulders tighten from his awkward within the prince's submission hold. For a third time again, Zuko was lifted high up above his father. Here we go... Zuko flooded his legs with qi, before setting them a blaze!

The gogoplata already cuts one's oxygen supply severely...but if combined with Dragon Claws on the feet, it's practically a death trap as a result of the fire eating up all of the surrounding oxygen. Almost immediately, Ozai began to stumble around due to the complete lack of said oxygen. With an opening now presenting itself, Zuko this time flooded his right arm with hot qi, forming another Dragon Claw, and proceeded to smash his claw repeatedly onto the top of his father's head. This continued a bit until Ozai's body began glowing with a bright gold light. "What the he-!"

A explosion of gold fire ripped through the middle of the ring, sending debris everywhere. Zuko looked to see what his Father was up to, but the light from the explosion was blinding; so much that Zuko had to turn away. He was blasted away and crashed into the ground 15 feet away from the where the explosion originated. The light lasted a few more seconds before dying away. When the dust cleared from his harsh landing, one could see that his still functioning limbs were still covered in his dark flames, and were embedded into the tile below him; clearly having used his Dragon Claws to catch and brace himself from the impact.

Zuko was breathing heaving, and was sweating heavily as observed the huge cloud of smoke before him, through messy bangs of hair, for any sort of movement from his father. "Da-... d-damn..." he muttered to himself, "This... isn't...hah...isn't good... To be forced ...to have to...have to...feed qi...into my limbs just to...just to move them!" Sweat dripped off his body, with each drop sizzling when it hit the stone floor. "Look at me...heh heh to be...to be... sweating like this...! This qi...is really taking...taking it's toll on me..." A fit of coughing and wheezing from the dissipating smoke interrupted his breaths as he tried to make some sense of the situation.

Directly ahead of him, a hazy-eyed Fire Lord stumbled out of the dissipating smoke. The Fire Lord, whose skin is noticeably tanner than that of the average Fire Nation citizen, was almost white. Blood also stained almost the entire left side of his face, which was made even more prominent due to the contrast of the red substance against his now pale skin. His throat, which Zuko locked his chokehold onto, was bruised and from the dried blood around his mouth there was clearly some internal damage. The man stumbled a foot out of the smoke, on shaky legs, before falling to his hands and knees gasping for air like an addict.

It was quite a shocking sight to behold, so much so that Zuko for a second couldn't believe what he was seeing was actually happening. For about a minute and a half, but for what seemed like eternity for everyone else, a fit of coughing and gasping was the only thing that broke the silence. Zuko continued looking ahead stunned.

So...this is what happens to firebenders when ...when they're deprived of oxygen for a long period of time... Even after laying there ...for as long as he has...he can't can't even bring himself to his feet. I've read records of battles that took place...during the beginnings of the war...about how the first few battles ended in humiliating defeat...for the Fire Nation...because of the airbenders' ability to manipulate the air. Even Fire Nation generals were left...whimpering on the battlefields. All soldiers weakened to the point that they could be taken prisoner without any struggle... However to see such thing up close, and to Father of all people...

No! Zuko shook his head, which only served to make his hair appear even more wild and unkempt. Now isn't the time to be thinking of that! Not when my opponent is so vulnerable!

Zuko tried to move forward, but his body was having a hard time responding to his commands; his legs shook at the tremendous strain it took for him to get to hunched standing position...before falling back down into a crouched position. Zuko began to grit his teeth in frustration and he glared harshly at the ground. NO! He flooded his limbs with more qi. This is my ONLY chance...hell, with the way by body is shutting down...probably my last chance... The flames on his right arm and legs grew larger, and his skin burned bright red; steam billowing from his form in torrents. He looked up at his Father, and saw him glaring right back at him, but still catching his breath before suddenly coughing again. When The Fire Lord looked up again he came face to face with a large, crimson-flamed fist.

Acting on instinct alone it seems, Ozai managed to roll to his right, just as the crimson Dragon Claw destroyed the tiles he was kneeling on moments earlier. Getting to his feet quickly, he jumped backwards just in time to avoid a flaming left roundhouse from his son. Zuko hung in the air, still in the process of spinning after his kick and as he completed his cycle, he created a small explosion at the end of his elbow, plus his momentum, to send a missile-like right straight into his father's chest. However, the Fire Lord was also able to bring up both his arms to guard against the heavy blow, before being blown off his feet from the force of it. The Fire Lord was sent bouncing off the tile for a few feet before landing on his feet and skidding to a stop. The momentum he stopped, Zuko was already behind him landing hard shot into his father's right kidney. Ozai arched his back in recoil, and grit his teeth in pain, before the left side of his head was engulfed from the flames of Zuko's left leg.

Zuko roared as his left leg smashed into the left side of his father's head and as a result the right side of his face into the tile floor with such force the stone beneath his father's body cracked. With Ozai once again down, Zuko raised his burning left leg straight up and swung it down on the Fire Lord. However, in mid-swing, the ground beneath his right foot suddenly exploded and golden flames erupted forth.

Not again! Not wanting to relive the painful experience from before, Zuko halted and extinguished the flames from his left foot and in the same breath ignited his right foot before blowing himself backwards and away from the growing column of flames. Unfortunately, the fire pillar morphed into a head of a dragon and lunged at him at extreme speeds.

"Wha-?!" was all Zuko could say before the dragon head engulfed him, instantly evaporating all the sweat that poured off of him, and drilled him into the ring floor. Pain assaulted his senses, and while not as excruciating as the Shounetsujigoku his father had trapped him in before it was still more than enough to stun and force him to his knees in agony. Then suddenly the flames that covered him vanished, as if they were never there. Zuko, still shaking from the pain, looked around shocked by the fire's sudden disappearance, but very thankful at the same time.

"U-u-ugh...what...happened...?" The prince then turned to where his Father was, only to see pull his arm out of what seemed to be a hole in the ground; it clicked in Zuko's head what had just occurred. So when I kicked him into the ground he must have punched a hole into the ground the moment he hit it. Zuko shook his head as he slowly got back to his feet. Damn, I was so hasty that I missed it and now I've lost all my momentum...and I'm really cutting it close...soon I won't be able to move anymore...

"There we go..." Zuko turned towards his Father to see that he had successfully pulled his arm out of the hole. Man...to be able to punch a hole through stone so easily... Is what went through his head as he watched the Fire Lord stretch his arm a bit, before facing his son.

"Impressive, Zuko. For a second there, I thought I was a goner." Though he said this, the look on Ozai's face was almost nonchalant and the lack of any real damage to his body only proved to emphasize the sarcasm that dripped from his voice. Zuko, despite his labored breathing, just glared right back. "Hopefully, you didn't think it would be that easy did you?" Ozai blurred out of sight, and reappeared before a surprised Zuko; a vicious grin adorning his face now. "I mean, I haven't even broken a sweat yet!"

Ozai laid a haymaker of a left fist into the earlier blackened eye of Zuko, before he could react and with such force, that it quickly began to swell, compromising the prince's vision from the right side. Ozai shot a punch with his right arm to follow up his previous attack, catching Zuko in the chest this time and blowing him backwards a bit. To his credit, Zuko endured the blow and recovered quickly enough to sidestep a left kick. Zuko then attempts to grab on to the outstretched leg, only to get backhanded, which he ducked under.

"I'm afraid that there will be no more of those annoying submission grapples." Ozai said to his son in a somewhat irritated manner, to which Zuko responded with a smirk. That smirk soon vanished, as he had to bob and weave in between three fireballs that were shot in his direction, and managed to jump over a right punch. His left landed on his Father's fist, and proceeded to launch a fiery fist of his own into the Fire Lord's face. When Ozai raised his left arm to block it, Zuko activated Burning Spirit briefly, in order to blur behind his Father's head. Still in mid-air, Zuko wrapped his arm around Ozai's neck in a chokehold and ignited his arm in order to eat up all the available oxygen.

Fire Lord quickly responded by jumping high into the air, with Zuko's chokehold still applied, and then raised his hands upwards to release a blast of fire to shot him back down into the ground; back first. Realizing what his Father was trying to do, Zuko quickly released the hold before kicking himself off of this Father's back just before they hit the ground; leaving Ozai to crash on his own, only for him to bounce back up to his feet instantly. Zuko was already on top of him however, swinging his already blazing right fist.

It connected, blasting the Fire Lord's head snapping back , and before he could recover Zuko punched him in the gut, causing Ozai to hunch over, which left him wide open for another punch. Zuko managed two more shots, before his Father caught his fist in right hand. Uh oh...

"Enough!" Ozai exclaimed loudly, and pulled back Zuko's right arm, causing Zuko to spin to his right. Zuko using the momentum of his spin to his advantage responded with a roundhouse kick using his left leg; however, Ozai reacted quickly and grabbed hold of the leg using his left hand. This exchange left Zuko being held in the air by both his left leg and right arm, with his back turned to his father. With Zuko turned around, Ozai proceeded to repeatedly head-butt Zuko in the back of the head until he was to limp to struggle, and then tightened his grips. "Again, I must say I'm impressed. Unlike earlier, when your martial skills are lacked precision, your speed, instincts and reflexes have become rather impressive and seem to improve even further because of this boost of strength. Not mention that it seems that your ability to read my movements is increasing as well, the longer this match goes on."Ozai's small smirk soon reverted to a neutral line. "However, this level of ability still lies exceedingly below my aspirations of one I would name my heir. The game is now over."

Finally coming to, Zuko tried to break free, but couldn't break his father's iron grips. Come on, come on! Zuko thought as he struggled, but stopped when he suddenly felt a sharp increase in heat behind him. He turned his head around to see his father taking a deep breath, while slowly leaning his head back. As Ozai's back arched back, his chest began to puff out more and more, as well as glow a bright red, and his cheeks puffed too; all of which caused Zuko's eyes to widen quite comically for a few seconds. Not good...but not completely not according to plan...

Realizing that his right leg was still free from restraint, Zuko focused qi into his foot. Okay…got time this just right... Dragon Claw at the ready, Zuko tensed up and waited for the right moment to strike.

3…2…1…

NOW! The Fire Lord had just finished his inhalation of a very large amount of oxygen, just as the buildup of densely compressed fire in his lungs reached its apex. Ozai then leaned forward, proceeded to lessen the pressure on the internal flames and began to exhale and it was at that very moment that Zuko chose to make his last desperate attempt at victory.

Zuko kicked his leg backwards into his Father's chest, in order to disrupt his Father's concentration with controlling the condensed flames in his lungs. Unfortunately, Ozai read his son's movements, and parried the kick with his right knee. With Zuko's, seemingly, last hope to counter the attack thwarted, the Fire Lord leaned in and was about to unleash a torrent of radiant onto his son when a hand suddenly forced its way into his mouth.

"Heh...gotcha..." Wedged into the Fire Lord's mouth was Zuko's left hand, which was previously thought to be incapacitated, and if those burns that scarred the arms were believed to be real then by all means it should have still been non functional. Yet, to the Fire Lord's shock, here it was forcing his jaw to open farther than it was supposed to...and holding back the highly pressurized flames; keeping them trapped in his throat. Zuko could feel the pressure of those flames continue to build with its exit now blocked by him. He craned his neck backwards to see the look on his Father's face, and couldn't help himself from smirking a little, when he saw the proud Fire Lord's eyes widened panic as he to felt the pressure build up within his chest.

Now to win this damn fight. The mirth on Zuko's face shifted to resolute determination, and he proceeded to force qi into is destroyed arm. It was a slow process, and an extremely painful one at that; blood dripped down Zuko's chin as a result of him biting it to keep himself from screaming. At that point, Zuko hated the burning nature of his flames more than at any other moment in his entire life. The agonizing silence continued for nearly a minute, only interrupted by the Fire Lord's occasional sounds, until Zuko finally managed to gather his qi at his fingertips.

He then snapped his fingers.

"Bang."

The reaction was instant. Zuko's tiny blast of fire was enough to shatter whatever small amount of control that his Father had over the pressurized flames. Flames as shining as bright as the sun erupted from the the mouth of the Fire Lord, and into the sky the lava of an angry volcano, blowing Zuko away several feet.

"Argh! D-damn it!" Zuko cursed as he held his left arm. The sudden surge of his Father's searing hot flames came too fast for him to react, and as a result, his arm, which already sported grievous burns and wounds, was now much worse. Looking at his hand, Zuko could see that much of the skin was burnt off, and especially so around his fingers; every attempt at moving them only resulted in a slight twitch, and crippling pain that made him double over. Blinking away the tears that clouded the only eye that wasn't swollen shut, the prince looked over to see how his Father was fairing. His left eyed widened at the sight.

The Fire Lord had fallen to his knees in screaming agony, and he clawed at his chest as if trying to rip into his own chest and remove the flames that burned his heart and lungs. His head was facing straight up, and his were eyes darting around in madness as we watched has the torrent of golden conflagration shot up several feet into the air. The flames swirled and twisted, as it climbed higher and higher, the top blooming not unlike golden fire lily. The light that poured off, bathed the entire arena, creating long and dark shadows that contrasted with the almost blinding light.

If you could ignore the screams...such as a sight could be considered beautiful... Zuko mused on his knees, as he looked the shining blaze in amazement. His gaze then fell to the crowd; Iroh was looking at the scene as if he'd seen as ghost and Azula's eyes were wide in terror. He then turned his eye onto the figure of his Father, who had now stopped clawing at his chest, his arms hung lifelessly at his sides, and stopped screaming in pain; his eyes glazed over, in a perpetual stare upwards. A few seconds later, and the geyser of fire finally began to die down gradually. Zuko slowly lifted his body up to its feet, and let his left arm fall to his side; the action sending waves of pain and dizziness that had him stumble a bit. Taking a second, or two, to focus his senses, Zuko regained his balance and began to take steps towards his Father's still kneeling form. No more fire spewed from his mouth now, and his hung forward; eyes transfixed on the ground.

After crossing the 10 feet of space the separated them, Zuko now stood before his Father. The energy that fueled him earlier was now almost completely gone, resulting in a great sense of exhaustion and fatigue settling throughout Zuko's battered, and bruised, body. Zuko started at the form of his Father silently, his left eye half closed; as if he was about to doze off an any moment. He then noticed something at the corner of his eye, and saw the right hand of the Fire Lord begin to twitch. Instantly, Zuko's right arm erupted with red-orange flames; a sign, he realized that his strength was running on empty.

Ozai's hands twitched again, and, in response, Zuko unloaded a savage hook to his Father's head ...and then followed up with a backhand, and then kick that knocked the man onto his back. The prince wasn't finished, as he then mounted the Fire Lord and continued raining blow after blow; on his face was anger, and fury, as if Zuko was unleashing all his anger and frustration in this attack. Six punches later , and the flames that covered his arm died away in mid-swing. Zuko then pulled himself up and away from the prone body of his Father, and stared down with tired eyes at his work. A beaten Fire Lord.

"I win..." Zuko breathed out, then closed his eye, and simply stood there, breathing and exhaling in silence. The silence of the crowd continued until a shocked gasps from the audience made him snap his eye open. He stared confusingly as he saw more and more people begin pointing to something behind him.

"W-what...are they...?" Suddenly a soft thud could be heard behind him, as if something, or someone, gently landed from the sky. He slowly turned around.

It's probably just the referee...of course it is...it has...to...be... Zuko just stared ahead wide-eyed, as his thoughts trailed off, at the figure that now stood before him.

His Father. The Fire Lord.

Ozai merely stared right back, stoically; his calm, cold eyes unblinking. What unnerved Zuko the most was the lack of anything that one would associated with that of a broken and beaten man.

"But I...but I..." Zuko was slowly succumbing to the fear that had grasped his heart before. He closed his eyes and shook his head, and looked up again only to see his Father still standing before him. The prince then grit his teeth; anger once again boiled within him.

"NO! What are you doing there! I beat you! See?! Right ther-!" Zuko turned to and pointed to the prone body of what he thought was his Father...until he noticed the figure began shifting and...dissolving into gold particles. Gold flames. The clone, as it turned out to be, dissolved into fire before swirling up into the air and into the now waiting hand of its master. The flames condensed into a tight shining ball of light before the Fire Lord clenched his fist and reverted it into qi before absorbing it. The Fire Lord stood before his son, looking practically brand new; the only hints of combat being the old battle scars that littered his body.

Zuko's body suddenly felt numb.

"I must say..." Ozai finally spoke to Zuko. "...that was quite a performance you put on." Fire Lord then began to circle his son, looking him over a bit before continuing. "I knew you had some sort of plan when you rushed at, after failing to hit me with that Ooinaru Dragon Claw. However, I didn't take into consideration how extensive your martial skill was." Ozai allowed himself a small smile, which ended up looking a lot like a smirk to Zuko.

"As I'm sure you are well aware of, the best way to incapacitate a firebender with near 100% certainty is to cut off his, or her, oxygen supply." Ozai then brought a hand up to his neck, and it was then that Zuko noticed a slight bruising. "Firebending is greatly dependent one's breathing. Without it, we cannot create our fire and more so than other humans we are made completely helpless; not unlike rag dolls. Your grappling skills caught me off guard, and that gogoplata of yours really did a number on me. Unfortunately, I've through much worse and, while your attack was effective, my will would not allow something so simple stop me. And despite how hard you tried to make me lose consciousness, you knew that as well. That when I realized that merely choking me to submission was your aim." Ozai stopped and point at Zuko's ruined left arm. "The point of your relentless attacks was to get me to truly believe that you could no longer use it, and then catch me off guard with crippling blow like you did my clone. Now of course I didn't know this at the time, but after escaping your chokehold I was far too out of it to take unnecessary risks. So I 'retreated' in a sense."

Zuko looked at his Father in confusion. Retreat? Where t-? Zuko then noticed that his Father's was now pointing to the sky, and turned his gaze up there as well. What?! The sky? But how? Zuko then remembered one of his training sessions with Azula. He remembered when Azula wanted to show off that she learned how to use her firebending to "walk", or "hop" in the air by releasing a powerful, but concentrated blast of fire from one's feet at the same output. Too little and one couldn't get any lift; too much, and one could risk rocketing themselves into a wall, or off a cliff. Azula could only do it with one leg at time, which is why she ended up looking like he was "hopping" around, and she could only do it for about a minute max. The only reason Zuko could come up with as to how his Father could get so high that Zuko could notice him, even with the clone distracting him, and sustain his "flight" was that his qi and firebending control surpassed anything that he had ever dreamed himself ever achieving.

But how could he get up there without me no-! Zuko was still looking up, so he didn't notice when his Father blurred in front of him, fist cocked back, and blasted Zuko in his stomach. The punch was so hard that Zuko vomited whatever breakfast he had that morning on the hot stone tiles below him. He fell forward, and his Father sidestepped his body and the prince ended up falling face first into a small puddle of bile and what, he assumed were, the scrambled eggs Xīwàng made for him that morning.

He looked up to see his Father gazing back at his pathetic form with a nonchalant expression.

"One of the basic principles of battle is to never lose sight of your opponent Zuko." The Fire Lord said to him, and that was when Zuko realized that his Father must have used the blinding light of his explosion to cover his movements. Seeing the realization on his son's face, Ozai continued.

"Before I moved, however, I left an enhanced clone behind to fool you into think that I was incapacitated" He mildly registered Zuko's grunt of frustration. "Once I reached a satisfying height I invoked Inbijibururisuku to mask my presence, and proceeded to attack using my clone to continue the fight while recuperated and, hopefully before managed to beat my clone, draw out your trump card."

Zuko tried to lift himself up, but a suddenly burning pain on his right side sent him back to the ground. D-damn it...that punch...that punch...it must broke those cracked ribs...I definitely can't fight anymore now... Zuko growled low in frustration. He got me...with a fucking gloried parlor trick...

"What happened to fighting me seriously, huh?!" Zuko yelled at his Father; he grunted a bit, as talking seemed to hurt just as much as moving now. "You gotta rely on stupid tricks and shit to win, huh?!"

The Fire Lord merely looked at his son with a blank look, before reaching down and lifting the young prince to his feet...via pulling his hair.

"Yaaarrgghh! Damn it!" Zuko felt as if every inch of his whole body was being stabbed. He realized that his Father had pulled him up high enough to be eye level. Zuko glared back at him best as he could, given his physical state.

"You understand nothing do you?" Ozai then dropped Zuko on his feet, and he wait for his son stop stumbling over himself, and steady his legs enough to somewhat stand, before continuing. "An Agni Kai. It's something that I greatly appreciated. Do you understand why?" Ozai looked at his son, waiting for a response, but when he got nothing but a look of confusion, he sighed in exasperation. "An Agni Kai, while simple enough, serves as a perfect metaphor of the world we live in. The strong and the powerful live on to bring their ambitions or dreams to fruition, while those not up to task are left behind and die." Once Zuko heard "die" he remembered again where he was and what he was participating in. He looked at his Father with wide eyes, and his body began shaking in fear.

H-he's gonna...gonna... At that moment, Zuko recalled the very first Agni Kai he ever witnessed. The Agni Kai between his Father, Ozai, and his grandfather, Azulon. He remembered the look on his Father's face when he dealt the killing blow to the previous Fire Lord; nothing. Ozai was stone-faced, completely nonchalant, as he drove his blazing fingers through Azulon's heart, and equally as apathetic as he watched the light die within the old king's eyes. At that moment, Zuko thought that he was going to die. By his Father's hands, just like so many others before him.

Zuko took a fearful step back.

"An Agni Kai is a fight to the death, and in a fight to the death nothing is off limits. Otherwise, you die a foolish death, a death with regrets. You die not realizing your true potential. You die not seeing your dreams or ambitions come to life. Once you die, it over; you can't accomplished or love anything ever again. It's very much like life: you must be willing to do whatever it takes to survive, to keep whatever it is you hold dear alive. ...And if those you care you end up being sacrifices, in the end, you must keep going and never look back. Never, until you the fire that is your life has extinguished." As his Father looked him in the eyes, to Zuko it was as Father was looking through him rather then at him; as if this wasn't just a lesson to his son, but something he continued to force himself to believe.

"Now, let us continue."

W-what...?

"That ferocity that which you attacked my clone, was something that I was pleased to see." Ozai suddenly settled into a stance. "It showed me that you held some potential to survive in this world after all. That if I were to die some day, that I wouldn't have left some pathetic wretch to take my place as Fire Lord. That you were worthy of the flames you were born with, and not just lucky to be born with them. That once I've accomplished my ambitions, that you could possibly, one day, take my place in keeping them alive."

Zuko's mind was going crazy, and his increasing fear wasn't helping him. He tried to lift his arms, and his legs, but his body refused to move. It seemed like his body had given up. Now this wasn't unexpected, Zuko had been expecting this outcome the whole time, but after hearing his father speak the way he did, and the look of such resolution in his eyes, all Zuko wanted to do was run far away.

B-but...I can't...

"What are you waiting for Zuko?"

I...can't...

"Prepare yourself."

"I-I can't..." Zuko whispered back in response; he kept his head down in shame.

"What was that?" Ozai asked in a loud commanding voice, straightening up his posture as he did so.

"I can't..." Zuko repeated again, louder; tear began swelling from his eyes, and began falling to the stones tiles bellow.

"What do you mean you can't?" Ozai responded, a twinge of irritation apparent in his voice now. "Did you not hear what I just said? An Agni Kai is a-!"

"I SAID, I CAN'T!" Zuko yelled at his Father before dropping to his knees. He no longer had the strength to stand. "I-I give up...I can't f-fight you anymore...m-my body...I've got nothing left..."

Ozai looked down at his son blankly. "You've got your life don't you?" Zuko looked back at his Father stunned. Ozai continued. "This is an Agni Kai, you can't simply surrender. As long as you are alive, and breathing, you have to do whatever it takes to win. Whatever power you have left to win. Even if that power is but dust in the wind or if it means borrowing power that you, yourself, do not have. Only death awaits the loser. "

Gasps could be heard coming from the audience.

"He can't be serious?!"

"That's his son, his heir!"

"This...this is too much..."

"Agni..."

"And this is why Agni Kai's are...agh...so unforgiving."

"Poor child..."

Zuko heard so many voices, and it only proved to emphasize how small he felt.

I going to die...Father is going to kill me...I'm going to ...die... Zuko then did something he thought he'd never see himself ever doing. He laid his right palm on the ground, bowed his head down and begged.

"Pl-please Father...I can't fight anymore...my b-body is barely following my instructions...and I-I can no longer...call my flames...I was wrong to have disgraced you...I can't...please...I-I give u-" Zuko was cut mid speech by and large hand suddenly enclosing itself around his neck, in a vice grip, and lifting his head up. Zuko was now face to face with his Father; his pleading, crying eyes to the Fire Lord's cold and unfeeling eyes.

"You must think little of me if you think that you disrupting my war meeting is the reason behind this Agni Kai." Ozai's grip tightened and he raised his right near Zuko's face. Heat began emitting from the appendage in waves; slowing getting hotter and hotter. "You must think little of me, if you think that groveling and begging for mercy will get you any from me." Zuko tired his best to move away from his Father's right hand as it began glowing now, but with his body as weak as it was then, he had no chance of breaking away from his Father's iron-like grip. Shining like the sun, the Fire Lord's hand burned his skin already, without the need for contact. "What disgraces me, is watching you waste away the life that I saved those four years ago." Ozai then reached forward, towards his Zuko's face. "What disgraces me, boy, is having a coward for a son."

"No Father, plea- AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" His own blood curdling screams was all Zuko could hear, and the blinding light from his Father's hand upon his face was all he could see. The heat only continued to build, and the pain with it. Zuko felt his body spamming and convulsing sporadically in response to pain he couldn't even imagine. He imagined his fingers breaking, a shoulder dislocating, an ankle twisting; it felt as if everything shattering. His mind and sight went black.

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped; the pain, the searing heat, his screaming. Everything stopped, and he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.

Zuko could feel anything, nothing but the dull heat that lay upon the left side of his face. His conscious began to fade, and as it did, Zuko managed to make out the words his Father said to him.

"You must learn the ways of this world, with pain and suffering to be your teachers."

And I'm done! FINALLY! *The Rock voice*

Author's Notes:

Anyways, there we go the end of the Agni Kai and Zuko's time as crown prince for about...5 years, or so.

At this point, you can probably tell that my specialty/ calling card is action. Really detailed and somewhat realistic action. I try to make every action that takes place clear to the reader; too many times have I read an action scene in which I can't tell what's going on, so hopefully i managed not to do that my self. Give me some feedback; tell me if my overly detailed writing is a good or bad thing lol. I am, however, going to practice in bringing a more fantastical element to bending tho; it's not my forte, but I'll try to improve.

However, after all that punching and burning , it's time for a break from all that; the next 1, or 2, chapters will very likely have little to no action scenes. I gotta push the story forward at some point lol. Next two chapters will focus on:

- Zuko's recovery from the injuries he received from the Agni Kai, and how he comes to terms with his banishment.

- The introduction to several new characters. As well as 3 new flame types from those descended from Agni.

- Other people's reaction to the Agni Kai.

- A bit more Ozai back story/introspective.

- Ozai's restructuring of the Fire Nation military ranking and his preparations for the continuation of the war.

- Zuko's departure.

So yeah, sorry for the long wait; if you've been on my profile page then you have an idea of why this took so long. Chapter 4 should probably come out late July to August; reason being that I'm planning on starting a two more stories.

A Batman fanfic that focuses on Jason Todd's time as both Robin, a Young Justice member, and eventually Red Hood.

A Legend of Zelda fanfic that shows Ganondorf's life as he goes from young king who strives for salvation and peace for his people to a demon willing to cover the world in darkness. Lots of characters from previous games make an appearance, but some in a different light.

I go into more detail on my profile page, which is updated every once in awhile. I'm probably gonna start on that Zelda story next.

Firebending techniques:

Shounetsujigoku - A pillar, or column, of flames that acts as a prison on whoever it's used on. The name means "burning hell", which I think speaks for itself. The prison is usually activated through the ground, to catch opponents off guard, and, if dodged by the target, can be controlled and used to chase them down.

Dragon Head - A technique in which the users shoots forth a blast of fire that resembles that of dragon (think a no-limbed Shenron, but of fire), whose path can be controlled. There is no limit to the length that the blast can stretch to, but of course that depends on the skill of the user. This technique can be used as a follow up to Shounetsujigoku as seen in the chapter. Extremely skilled users can use this technique as a mode of transportation, for either themselves or others.

Fire Clones - Puppets made up entirely of fire, which can be shaped to look like anyone the user wishes. Levels of control vary based on skill, but masters of the technique can make their puppets seem as lifelike as any regular person, and even speak; this requires an insane amount of mental and emotional control to do however. The power they wield, as well has the amount of damage that they can sustain, is dependent on how much qi is used to create them.

Mollis Demulceo Regalis - "King's Gentle Caress". Think Burning Finger, form G Gundam, but Shining as well. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to YouTube and search "burning finger" or "shining finger"; it's so much awesome. Ozai used this move to kill his father, Azulon, and what he used to burn Zuko.

Tsuranukitoosu (to enforce one's will) techniques:

Inbijibururisuku - Translated as "invisible risk". This is an application of the principle of Zhēngfú (subdue; conquer, vanquish), which is the suppression, or concealment, of one's qi to mask their presence or skill level from others. This technique take that principle to the extreme, however, in that the user suppresses their qi to the point that their very existence cannot be sensed whatsoever; if used in the middle of combat, one can easily catch an opponent completely off guard is used and timed right. The risk comes from the fact that one's qi is severely suppressed, and suppressed qi leaves the user defenseless and this technique only emphasizes that fact. For example, someone of Ozai's power could be killed by something as simple as a small child throwing a pebble at them; qi determines the durability of the body, and to repressed one's qi to the point that one's existence can't even be felt is the equivalent to reducing one's skin to something a kin to wet paper. It's a high risk, high reward technique that only the most skilled can master, and, even then, the thought of using it in battle doesn't cross the mind of even the most insane; usually reserved for infiltration, escape, assassinations or recon.

Flames of Agni/ Shénshèng Huǒ(Sacred/Divine Flames):

In this chapter, Zuko displayed what is basically a rage/desperation/second wind state that descendents of Agni can achieve is the situation is dire enough, and their emotions strong enough. Most can't achieve this power until adulthood, but the wielders of the dark crimson flames, Mièwáng, are an exception. This state however comes with a risk: after its use, the user temporarily loses the ability to conjure flames of any kind. Prolonged usage can make this last for days, and how long one can stay like that is dependent on the maturity of the user's body. Zuko's flames reverting to the standard red-orange flames was to show how his fire was slowly dying out. More details of this state will be explained later.

Anyways, that's it for now. If you can, please leave a review, and be sure to check out my profile every once in awhile to see any news on this story or my upcoming ones. Also, I'd appreciate you guys checking out my other stories when they come out, if you feel inclined to do so.

Until next, people.