| Chrom VS Zack Fair | |
|---|---|
| |
| Season | 3 |
| Overall Episode | 32 |
| Season Episode | 6 |
| Air date | September 22nd, 2018 |
| Written by | Shadow7615 |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Auron vs. Jean-Pierre Polnareff |
Next Robin (Fire Emblem) vs. Corrin (Fire Emblem) |
| “ | Fire Emblem VS Final Fantasy! Two iconic swords clash in a battle of legacy carriers, but whose mantel will weigh in the heaviest? | „ |
Chrom vs. Zack Fair is the 32nd episode of DEATH BATTLE! by Shadow7615, featuring the Chrom from the Fire Emblem series and Zack Fair from the Final Fantasy series in a battle between heroic legacy carrying swordsmen.
Interlude[]
Boomstick: They say one way to measure a man is to figure out how badass his sword is.
Wiz: But while some blades are built to impose the most threatening of fighters, some blades are a means of carrying on legacies.
Boomstick: And when it comes to these two, they carry a heavy lineage on their shoulders.
Wiz: Chrom, the Prince of Ylisse.
Boomstick: And Zack Fair, the 1st Class SOLDIER, He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick!
Wiz: And it’s our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win… a Death Battle.
Chrom[]
Wiz: For thousands of years, the sacred blade Falchion was used as a weapon to fight off many great evils in history, it endured longer than most, and has seen a notable legacy of wielders.
Boomstick: Yeah, and by the way, I’m digging this guy’s style, no pants! Talk about being ready to find that woman and get down to busin-
Wiz: Anyway, Marth became the most widely known wielder of the Falchion, and even after thousands of years, the Falchion remained a weapon that belonged to Marth’s known descendants.
Boomstick: Fast forward and we come to it’s next most known wielder, Marth’s own descendant, Chrom, you can tell he’s Marth’s descendant because of the blue hair.
Wiz: Chrom had a natural sense of justice and spent his time training and eventually came to lead the elite force known as The Shepherds, as their leader Chrom became well acquainted with the battlefield.
Boomstick: Unlike most royals, Chrom followed in the footsteps of his old man Marth and became a strong presence on the battlefield, leading The Shepherds into battle whenever he could, but he didn’t have a complete group, and he needed some kind of guide to instructing his remarkable power.
Wiz: This is where Chrom met the tactician of fame, Robin. With a tactician now aiding his every move, Chrom used his guidance to refine his elite force, but also refine skills as the leader.
Boomstick: And no leader is complete without carrying some reliable equipment on hand, Chrom carries the iconic Falchion on his person almost at all times, and being a sacred blade, it has excellent power.
Wiz: The Falchion was forged by one of the two fangs of the Divine Dragon Naga, Naga did this because she feared that Dragons would one day become a threat to the world, including themselves, and what she had predicted came true.
Boomstick: With the Falchion in hand Chrom is capable of slaying Dragons with relative ease, additionally the Falchion has the built-in healing power that can heal Chrom every so often.
Wiz: Not to mention, the Falchion has some excellent durability, as it has survived for over thousands of years and hasn’t been broken once, only natural age has required the Falchion be mended, hence why it’s appearance does not reflect the way it was thousands of years prior.
Boomstick: But Chrom isn’t solely carrying around a Sword on hand, after his promotion to a Great Lord, Chrom gained the ability to wield Lances, giving Chrom more options.
Wiz: When speaking of Fire Emblem characters, they possess skills that can attribute to deciding the outcome of a battle, completely disregarding player influence, Chrom learns a handful of useful skills, while most of his skills are for supporting his comrades, Chrom possesses a powerful skill for his own use.
Boomstick: Taking a page from the toughest of Fire Emblem Lords, Chrom possesses the mighty Aether, a powerful skill that both heals himself equal to half the damage he inflicts on his enemies and then attacks again damaging his enemies as though their defences were cut in half.
Wiz: Aether is a coveted skill, notable for its rarity, but Chrom doesn’t rely solely on Aether, Chrom can still utilize the Aether attack, a jump and then descending somersault that often catches the opponent off guard.
Boomstick: While Chrom does pull from Ike’s book of badassery, Chrom still owns it and uses it effectively against opponents, and Chrom became very respected thanks to his skill on the battlefield and his resolve as a nobleman.
Wiz: But at the pinnacle of his power, Chrom came to possess two very important and crucial pieces of equipment that would help change the course of history, just as the Falchion is a Sword, there is a Shield that accompanies the sacred blade.
Boomstick: That’s right kiddos, Chrom carries a shield, but this is not an ordinary shield, in fact, this is THE Fire Emblem, you know? The name of the franchise? You know what I mean, the Fire Emblem is a Shield that can house five jewels, and if all five of those pretty boys are assembled, Chrom can awaken Falchion.
Wiz: By performing the Awakening, Chrom can unlock and access the Exalted Falchion, unlocking its full strength, Chrom’s power reaches its peak and becomes a force so powerful he can even slay the Fell Dragon Grima.
Boomstick: And when you look at THAT thing and realize this bad boy can rip into it like paper, it’s no wonder Chrom has become such a strong fighter.
Wiz: Chrom’s greatness on the battlefield more than matches up to his potential, Chrom and the Shepherds were able to end a 15-year war, and then when another continent entirely openly declared War on Ylisse, Chrom and the Shepherds decided to invade the country and win by defeating the Conqueror who declared War on them.
Boomstick: But Chrom sadly isn’t a One-Man-Army, Chrom works best with his Shepherds in battle, and although Chrom has battled one-on-one in the past, he definitely prefers to work with his friends through thick and thin.
Wiz: Chrom is a direct and committed person, and he will unflinchingly charge forward to uphold his beliefs and values, even if it means he puts himself in unfavourable positions.
Boomstick: There’s also the issue that most of Chrom’s skills are meant to be used to aid his friends, and not himself, which does hurt his chances in one-on-one combat.
Wiz: But even in the toughest of battles, Chrom will always face his opposition head-on and battle with absolute faith and power in the bonds of his friends, paving the way to leave a legacy that will perhaps one day rival the influence of the Hero-King himself.
Chrom swings Falchion several times, Chrom then spins his weapon before thrusting it into the ground, Chrom then stands upright and looks forward.
Chrom: It was an honour to help.
Zack[]
Wiz: Science and Technology are often the keys that people turn to when the normal becomes unreliable and insufficient to succeed, even I believe this can improve humanity in these cases.
Boomstick: But for the Shinra Electric Power Company, this meant taking their idea to quite an extreme, see they weren’t just an electricity company, they were also experts in military technologies, genetic engineering and space exploration.
Wiz: And combining their previous occupation as a weapons manufacturer, Shinra eventually were able to uncover a way to harness the life energy of the planet, known as “Mako”, Capitalizing on this revolutionary energy source, the company installed Mako Reactors all over the globe, and their influence and financial gains grew by leaps and bounds.
Boomstick: But like any overconfident company with military history, Shinra initiated the SOLDIER program, which created super-soldiers through human experimentation and surgery, as well as exposure to raw Mako energy.
Wiz: While it did take a few test subjects and failures to get it right, they would eventually manage to finally start producing SOLDIERs that would operate on superhuman levels, one of these successful test subjects was the young Zack Fair.
Boomstick: As a member of SOLDIER, Zack possesses heightened strength, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes, he’s also an expert in unarmed combat because when you’re basically Captain America, you can afford to have a few fisticuffs.
Wiz: Mentored by the 1st Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley, Zack was essentially groomed to one day inherit his mentor’s mantle, as well as his rank, so Zack trained endlessly waiting for the day he would succeed Angeal.
Boomstick: But eventually his old man bit the dust, and Zack was left to inherit everything Angeal had passed down to him, including Angeal’s weapon, the Buster Sword.
Wiz: The Buster Sword is a monster of a sword, weighing 80lbs, it’s far from the average man’s weapon, it’s often speculated that the surgery operation done on SOLDIERS is the only way someone can wield the Buster Sword, due to its herculean strength requirement.
Boomstick: After inheriting the Buster Sword, Zack also got himself some more equipment, including a Ribbon, probably from that girl he met by literally falling through the ceiling of a church.
Wiz: The Ribbon allows Zack immunity to status ailments and keep him going, and he also uses Ziedrich armour, that affords Zack half damage from all elemental attacks, and also giving his power a boost.
Boomstick: Since the Buster Sword carries two slots for Materia, Zack can bring some extra power into the fray, his preferences? Firaga and Thundaga, his reliable method of using Fire and Thunder in battle.
Wiz: Finally, Zack has access to powerful Limit Break attacks, but not in the conventional sense, his time in SOLDIER training taught him how to call upon his past experiences in a battle to heighten his strength and improve his skills.
Boomstick: And these come in the form of varied Limit Breaks, if Zack’s mind wanders and thinks of his girlfriend Aerith, he can activate a Limit Break that will act like a complete recovery to his health and energy.
Wiz: He can also channel his SOLDIER allies with Limit Breaks fashioned after Sephiroth, Genesis, and of course, his mentor Angeal, but it’s important to note that these are not instinctive, and cannot be activated on a whim.
Boomstick: The majority of the time, these are triggered randomly, just as many adolescent minds would, but Zack, like any human, has varied emotions, and if he is able to think hard enough about someone, he can affect the odds of that person’s Limit Break coming in to save his ass.
Wiz: Of course, with this much power and enough training behind him, Zack has achieved some remarkable feats, he joined Shinra at only 13, and then three years later, became the youngest person to ever reach the highest SOLDIER rank 1st Class.
Boomstick: He’s managed to overwhelm the most powerful men inside a military fortress, survived a multi-story fall through a church roof, tough enough to go toe to toe with Sephiroth, and even managed to defeat his other 1st Class SOLDIER allies.
Wiz: Zack is also an excellent squatter and is reportedly an undefeated champion, but of course, and most importantly, Zack survived the clearly horrendous process of undergoing the SOLIDER surgery that grants him his superhuman status.
Boomstick: Even when Zack had to go rogue from his own Military, he was able to evade them for weeks thanks to his formal training and survival instincts, but most manly of all, when Zack finally confronted the Shinra Army, he faced them all by himself!
Wiz: The power of a 1st Class SOLDIER is extreme, but not invincible, Zack, for the most part, is naive and impulsive, and will act accordingly, additionally, his skills have a finite pool of energy before he is unable to use them, additionally, his fighting style is not as refined as you may suspect.
Boomstick: His Limit Breaks are often reliant on luck, and he might not be able to get which Limit Break he wants in time, and of course, Zack is still a human, which means he’s just as vulnerable as a man.
Wiz: And this eventually played into his downfall, after having reduced the Shinra Army down to a lone three men, Zack couldn’t keep going and was gunned down, but thanks to his superhuman traits, he was able to stay alive long enough to pass on everything he had ever known to his best friend, Cloud Strife.
Boomstick: So that’s why Cloud’s gloomy all the time… huh, didn’t think it was that bad.
Wiz: As traumatic as that experience was, it was Zack’s final wish to see Cloud carry on everything Zack has fought for, Zack’s goals would be achieved posthumously.
Boomstick: And at the end of the day, it’s hard to ignore the fact you’ll need the best of the best if you ever plan on taking this guy down.
Zack stands in front of a platoon of SOLDIER members, pacing as he speaks to them, channelling his mentor.
Zack: Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams.
DEATH BATTLE![]
(Cue Id ~ Beginnings - Fire Emblem: Awakening)
The Halidom of Ylisse is blessed with great beauty, and no matter the weather, it always invoked a feeling of safety and protection to its people, the capital, Yllistol is home to the residence of the Ylissean Royal Family, the days of war and violence had passed, and the ruler of Ylisse had been passed down from the former Exalt to the Exalt's younger sibling, it was a time of radiant peace and prosperity for the world.
Inside the comfortable home that is the Yllistol Castle, sat the new ruler of the Halidom, Chrom, who had only recently begun to realize the weight of his position, instead of sitting on a throne in the fashion of a ruler, Chrom was more familiar with standing tall and leading his people toward a positive future, fit for all people to live.
Not too far from Chrom, was his personal protector, Frederick, who kept a watchful eye over the now Exalted Prince, always waiting to be of service to the Exalt he'd known for so long, Chrom had always known Frederick was nearby, and thus he acted accordingly, but Chrom did not have too much time for respite, as his position called for him to act on decisive subjects and shape Ylisse as he believed it should be, in the eyes of his departed sister.
A young woman had also entered the room and was trying to find a way to approach Chrom without being seen, this was his youngest sibling, Lissa, who was a trickster at her core, but Lissa didn't quite get her chance, for Chrom had already seen her coming, and was able to evade her trickery just in time, whilst their contemporaries remarked that Chrom is just as he was when his sister had taken the mantle of Exalt.
Frederick stepped from his post and approached Chrom, "Milord", he greeted, bowing with respect to his ruler, Chrom cast his hand, "It's fine Frederick, You don't need to honour me every single time you talk with me, is there something to report?" Chrom responded. Frederick stood upright, "Milord, Robin has come to speak with you, it appears he may have some developments that you might want to oversee", Chrom nodded at his ally, "Very well, could you find Robin and bring him here?" Chrom asked with the kindness of a saint, "Of course, Milord", Frederick turned and departed.
Moments later, the Ylissean Tactician, and Chrom's best friend, Robin, had entered the room, "Ah, Robin, glad you have arrived, I'm told you have been looking into some activity, and have discovered something?" Chrom welcomed his old friend with open arms, but ever ready to receive the information. "Chrom, I've been investigating the Outrealm Gate, and it seems we're having an unusual phenomenon" Robin cautiously spoke.
"Anything we should worry about?" Chrom asked. Robin pondered for a minute, and finally hatched an idea "It might sound a bit troublesome since you recently became the Exalt, but would you accompany me to the Outrealm Gate to inspect the activity? It might be more effective if we were to investigate the Gate while having you nearby, since it could be the easiest way to keep enemies or Yllise away, and allies welcomed easier." Robin waited to see what Chrom had to say.
"Well, the sooner we can make allies and prevent enemies from attacking Ylisse, the better, let's prepare ourselves for a trip, Robin." Chrom quickly went back to a throne and picked up the Pedestal of Flames, an item of importance on this mission, with the Falchion already on his person, Chrom was well-equipped.
Moments later, another woman had entered the room, and she appeared to be carrying a small infant in her arms, wrapped in white cloth to keep the young child warm "Chrom!" the woman spurred, Chrom and Robin turned to the left, to see the spouse of the Exalt had approached them, Chrom had forgotten that he still had a daughter to raise in this world, and another child on the way. "Chrom, are you departing again?" she asked.
Chrom forgot that he had parental commitments in addition to his position, Chrom softly approached his wife and child, and gently held his infant daughter in his hands, "Lucina... I'm sorry that times like this are when I must disappear for a while, but I love you, and I will return home." Chrom gently kissed his daughter on her forehead whilst the young girl rested, Chrom also kissed his wife, "Don't worry, I promise" Chrom reassured his wife of his intentions.
Chrom and Robin then departed from Ylisstol Castle, and begun heading South-South West, to the lowest point of Ylissean borders, where the Outrealm Gate was located, along the way, the two travellers took a boat to reach the island where their destination resides, they slept that night whilst travelling.
The next day, Chrom and Robin had arrived on the southern island, and the two continued to trek until they had approached the Outrealm Gate, it had strong blue energy and glowed with a hue of that same colour. "So Robin, what was the unusual activity about, I suppose we haven't seen any Risen, is it not acting like it should, or is every last Risen finally vanquished?" Robin slowly approached the Outrealm Gate and inspected it, seeing if he could notice any smaller details that would suggest an event or action transpiring at this location.
Robin gently waved his hand over the structure of the Gate, feeling for anything that might have been changed, but it did not feel any different, "I'm not sure what to say Chrom, it just feels, empty, as though there's nothing here anymore" Robin's uncertainty echoed it's way to Chrom. "No more Risen? If that's the case, perhaps we ought to breathe easy knowing a major issue for Ylisse has a whole has been reduced to nothing."
Robin continued to think about the nature of this outcome, but from nowhere, the Outrealm Gate begun to spark and crackle with strikes of thunder emerging from within the Blue haze of the Gate, "Chrom, get back!" Robin quickly acted and used his own magic to counteract the violent torrents of energy from the Gate, "Robin! Robin!!" Chrom rushed forward in order to aid his friend, but a strike of energy hit the ground where Chrom was about to walk into, halting immediately, Chrom placed his grip on the Falchion and readied himself, but Robin fought against the energies, but the power began to intensify, and Robin suddenly vanished!
"Robin?! Where are you!?" Chrom looked around to see if Robin had survived what Chrom could only assume was an energy wave, but he heard no response from his companion, Chrom held Falchion weaker than usual, he felt as though Robin had been taken away from him, and the silence of the winds and trees were his only company now.
But then the energy began to start up again, and Chrom readied Falchion, holding it his side, unsheathed, ready for whatever attack may come his way, but the energies were too great for Chrom to approach, and then a white light blinded Chrom, and then he heard the shouting of a man, a voice he did not recognize when his sight returned, he looked and saw a man, dressed in black, carrying a large sword had appeared, similar to where Robin had vanished.
"Hello?" Chrom spoke up, and the man turned and saw Chrom "Where am I? Is this still Gaea?" the man was very confused about where he had ended up, Chrom unsure of what he had said, decided to take some initiation, "I am Chrom, the Exalt of Ylisse, and where you stand is on Ylissean territory"
The man looked unsure, but decided that a normal person was the least of his worries here, "The name's Zack, I was just going about my business, and suddenly I wind up being taken by this energy, and transported me here." Zack Fair looks behind him and sees the Outrealm Gate. "Hey is that uh... is that the thing that brought me here?" Chrom nodded to Zack "That is the Outrealm Gate, it's a pathway to other worlds, and it seems you're one of those beings who've ended up in this world." Zack looked and turn turned back to Chrom, "A friend of mine disappeared through here, and I'm not sure if I'll see him again" Chrom confessed, "Oh, and did I appear when he disappeared?" Zack asked, to which Chrom simply looked downward.
"Sorry about that... if I could find your friend, I would bring him back here, but if this goes to other worlds, we could be stuck facing strong enemies, if we're not able to fight, we might not be able to find him" Zack remarked, Chrom looked back up and walked a little closer to Zack, "You look pretty strong yourself" Chrom noted, "Yep, I'm part of an organization called SOLDIER, I'm part of the 1st Class members" Zack boasted, "So, you're a strong warrior, might I ask that we spar?" Chrom offered.
"I don't mind, but we'll have to make sure we can find your friend, Chrom." Zack raised his left arm and gripped his Buster Sword, Chrom gripped his already drawn Falchion, and the two men observed each other, readying for a battle.
FIGHT!
(Cue Combat - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII)
Chrom dashed at Zack, and swung his Falchion swiftly, Zack pulled out the Buster Sword and used his bigger weapon to block and parry Chrom's swings, the two briefly locked blades as the two men noted the moves their opponent was performing, the two broke off their swords, and Chrom twirl and spun his weapon before assuming a stance where the Falchion was tucked under his arm, Zack held his weapon with hands and surged forward, Chrom then bolted forward, with Falchion firmly striking outward.
Chrom's attack had proven to be effective, as it had struck Zack's clothing, and pierce straight through it, Zack's surge was stopped, but only for a moment as he felt the wind breeze land on his skin, Chrom then spun himself around, to land another attack, but Zack quickly jumped to his side, dropping onto the ground as he did, Chrom's swing was firm, but not overextending, Chrom performed an overhead swing aiming for the SOLDIER's side, but Zack quickly used his advantage to land a solid kick to Chrom's chest, taking the full brunt of the kick, Chrom's momentum was reserved and Chrom hit a nearby tree in recoil, Zack quickly got back onto his feet, Chrom brushed away the dirt and leaves from his clothing "You're pretty strong Zack, I can see how you'd fare in the Outrealm Gate" offering a compliment to his foe, Zack momentarily did a squat, "Thanks, you're pretty light on your feet" returning the favour in kind to his foe.
(Cue Rivals - Fire Emblem: Awakening)
Chrom handled his Falchion in his most comfortable stance, by his side. Zack held the Buster Sword in a stance that suited him too, held and angled slightly to North-East, once again, the two swordsmen went at each other, swords blazing, Chrom delivering a swift horizontal swing, moments from being hit, Zack leaned back, avoiding the swing, Zack using his advantage, kicked Falchion out of Chrom's hands and into the air and standing back now that he had the room to do so, Chrom looked skyward, and saw that the blade had just about finished its vertical climbing, and would soon fall, Chrom took one step back, and then ran forward, and jumped into the air, with his hands outstretched, Chrom grabbed hold of the Falchion, and then quickly turned his jump into a somersault, and landed on the ground, hitting the Buster Sword with an incredible weight of momentum, Zack felt the weight, and around his felt, there were cracks emerging from where his feet had been standing.
Zack then swung his blade to bat away Falchion, soon the two blades were clashing every second, Chrom wound even rotate himself a while 360 degrees to add more momentum to his swing, Zack when for a heavy swing, but Chrom did a short jump into the air to give Falchion more weight in its swing, to better take the Buster Sword head-on.
"You're strong and fast, that's reassuring" Zack analyzing Chrom's method of fighting. Chrom didn't want to let it get to his head, so Chrom simply kept fighting, Chrom once again assumed his defensive stance and lunged forward toward Zack, but Zack was prepared, and sidestepped Chrom's attack, and used a well-placed elbow jab to hit Chrom on his back, knocking down Chrom to his knees, Zack was about to thrust the Buster Sword, but Chrom used his arm to grapple Zack's legs, knocking him off balance and tumbling Zack onto the ground, now backing off each other, Chrom and Zack got back onto their feet, Zack brushed some dust from his SOLDIER uniform, Chrom momentarily cleaned his pauldron.
Zack reached into his pocket and pulled out two orbs, one Red and one Yellow, and loaded them into the two open holes in the Buster Sword, these were Zack's Materia, after having loaded them into his weapon, Zack stretched his hand outward, and Thunder shot out from his palm, Chrom swiftly dodged the Thundaga Materia, sidestepping the bolt of thunder with relative ease. Zack once again threw out strikes of thunder towards Chrom, but his foe continued to use his speed to react to and dodge the Thundaga where he could.
Zack quickly swapped up his tactics and ignited his palm with fiery energy, and from his palm were three sizable fireballs, all aimed at Chrom, knowing he could dodge these, Chrom sidestepped the first, and then jumped out of the way of the second, taking Falchion with two hands, Chrom performed a vertical downward slash, cutting through the fireball, but suddenly Chrom felt an explosion from behind, and the force knocked him forward, and onto one knee, Chrom thrust Falchion into the ground to hold him in place as the explosion dissipated.
Chrom looked up and saw that Zack was preparing another fireball, firing three of them again, Chrom jumped and leapt into the air, managing to evade the fireballs, that had tried to home in on Chrom's vertical ascent, Chrom once again attempted his Aether technique, aiming right for Zack, but the SOLDIER readied himself and swung his weapon to match Chrom's Falchion head-on, Zack then swung again and knocked Chrom back several feet, Zack then triggered his Digital Mind Wave, thinking through his allies, but no one struck out in Zack's mind, but he did have a power he could use, Zack dashed at Chrom, slashing two times in succession, landing hits on Chrom's outfit and his Pauldron, he further swung an additional two times, on diagonal angles, before finally, his fifth swing landed on Chrom vertically, Chrom hit the ground, and looked at himself, no cuts, but definitely feeling bruises, he also saw a sizable dent had been put into his Pauldron.
Chrom flexed his muscles, brushing off the pain he felt, but remaining as steeled as he had been from the start, Zack wondered for a moment thinking about his allies, were they okay? had they fallen victim to this as well? Zack simply didn't have the answers at this time, but the hopes and wishes of his friends remained with him, even at this moment, Chrom noticed that Zack had not attacked, "Worried about friends of your own, Zack?", noticing that he had been spoken to, Zack came back to reality, "Yeah, I'm worried something might've happened to them as well." Zack solemnly returned.
(Cue Howl of the Gathered - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII)
Zack regained his composure and continued to drive his efforts into battling Chrom, the Exalted Prince continued to battle his foe, Chrom put his Falchion into its sheath, Zack's eyes widened for a moment, as it looked like Chrom was going to stop fighting, but in reality, Chrom had reached behind his back, and pulled out a Silver Lance, and held it in a similar fashion to how he would hold Falchion "So, you got more than just your sword, good utility", the SOLDIERs words of praise carried with them an invitation to continue the fight, Chrom took his new weapon and went into battle once more, Chrom began by performing more thrusting moves, particularly with the head of the Lance, Zack suddenly noticed Chrom wasn't aiming to hit more broadly but was instead aiming to hit more fiercely, with a weapon that Zack doesn't have any experience fighting against.
Zack starts using his Buster Sword as a defensive wall to protect him from the lethality of Chrom's attacks, Zack used opportunities afforded to him to evade and dodge strikes from Chrom where he could, Zack's Digital Mind Wave triggered once again, his mind wandered and thought of his time with Sephiroth, the legendary SOLDIER of fame, and his weapon, the Masamune being incredibly long and revered as a legendary weapon in its own right, remembering Sephiroth's technique from an earlier point in his life, Zack saw an opening on Chrom, "Concentrate", a voice echoed in Zack's mind, it belonged to Sephiroth, Zack became amped up and swung the Buster Sword in rapid succession eight times, reflecting the famous Octaslash used by Sephiroth, "I'm feeling it" Zack exclaimed.
Using his Lance to defend him from every strike, Chrom eventually couldn't defend himself, and was hit by five of the eight strikes, Chrom was launched onto a tree, but the force of his knockback inadvertently caused the tree to split, and the entire thing collapsed, as Chrom was dazed by the attack, Zack once again launched Thundaga towards Chrom, but he was able to lessen the attack thanks to his Pauldron taking the brunt of the attack, but the Thundaga struck the three that Chrom had collapsed ignited and was set aflame, Chrom noticed this and quickly made a dash to get away from the blaze as possible, Chrom charged unflinchingly and thrust his Silver Lance straight at Zack, and it pierced through Zack's shoulder guard and stabbed him right on the shoulder, it felt searingly painful, but Zack wasn't about to give up.
Chrom pulled out the Silver Lance, and noticed that he had indeed drawn blood from Zack, Chrom twirled the Lance, flicking away the blood that stained the Lance, Zack took a moment to inspect his shoulder with his free hand and noticed he had definitely taken a wound from it, but the damage did not appear to be severe. Zack firmly gripped the Buster Sword and got back into the fight, ready to face his opponent seriously.
Chrom and Zack exchanged swings and thrusts of their weapons, and both of them striving to slowly wear down their opponent where they could, the tree that was ignited has begun to slowly die down, due to a lack of flammable substances to sustain the flame, the two fighters continued to match each other blow for blow, for perhaps a short while, it felt like an impasse, but Zack's mind once again triggered the Digital Mind Wave, going through his thoughts, Zack thought of his dear companion, Aerith.
He envisioned standing on a patch of grass, with the Buster Sword firmly standing beside him, "Good Luck" the voice in his head was Aerith's, wishing him luck for the long journey ahead, "Thanks!" Zack figuratively replied as he put his hands together, akin to being in prayer, two white spheres of light circled around Zack before healing him of any damage he's sustained.
Chrom recognized the glowing power that had healed Zack, he briefly looked at his Falchion, and remembered it too had healing properties, but Chrom decided that he should keep his sacred blade kept away until a time when he was ready to strike, Zack, now back in reality, charged toward Chrom, as Chrom did as well, Zack felt rejuvenated as he exchanged blows with Chrom, and Zack began to overwhelm Chrom, and Chrom noticed that every step that he was making Zack would take two instead.
Zack swung the Buster Sword upwards and knocked Chrom's guard wide open, and with a second swing, Zack disarmed Chrom of his Silver Lance, sending it to a dozen meters away from its wielder, Chrom hit the ground, and Zack approached, Chrom quickly used the ground to make a running start and dash over to his Lance, grabbing the weapon he quickly turned around and faced Zack, who had fired a Thundaga in advance, hitting Chrom in the chest armour, he recoiled back and planted his Lance to keep him stationary, which succeeded in holding the Exalt in his place.
Standing back up his two feet, Chrom once again held his Lance firmly, Zack launched another shot of Thundaga towards Chrom, but again, Chrom reacted to and dodged the Thunderbolt without much trouble at all, Chrom twirled his Lance as he made an approach on Zack, who steeled himself for Chrom's incoming assault, Chrom used both the sharp end of the Lance, as well as occasionally using the blunt bottom end of the Lance to hit Zack wherever an opening presented itself, a couple of times Chrom's improvised attacks managed to land a few hits on Zack, whether it was by hitting him on an exposed opening, or by using the blunt end of the Lance to strike Zack, Chrom's improvisation gave him a hand.
Zack memories triggered another Digital Mind Wave, this time, he heard the voice of his old mentor, Angeal, who boldly spoke ''Prove your honour to me!" with his Buster Sword on his back, Zack had a boxing pose, with his hands close together, fists upright and on face-level, "I got it!", Zack dashed at Chrom with a far quicker blitz than he has done before, unleashing a wave of close quarter combat on Chrom, Zack delivered six punches, followed by a kick, before turning away, only for Zack to then again from another angle, and deliver a series of kicks, one of which causing him to do a backflip, Zack landed a couple more punches in before putting some distance between himself and Chrom, "HIIIIYYAAAA" Zack charged himself forward, like a projectile towards Chrom, hitting his foe directly, Zack's momentum slowed down and he landed on the ground, gripping his weapon before turning around, Chrom was knocked to the ground, and his lance was also lying on the ground, adjacent to the Exalt.
Zack turned around and saw Chrom was trying to get back onto his feet, but Zack rushed to Chrom before he could arm himself, Chrom managed to reach his lance in time, but Chrom raised his Lance to shield him from the Buster Sword, but the huge weight and thickness of the Buster Sword broke through and split the Silver Lance in half "What?!", Chrom had no time to react fully, as the Buster Sword had hit Chrom on his armour on his leg, Chrom felt the armour broken, and his blood having been drawn, Chrom quickly looked to his side and noticed the spear-head of his Lance was still intact, Chrom quickly grabbed it, and used it as a blunt weapon, stabbing Zack on his torso, with both men sustaining hard to ignore injuries, Zack backed up, unable to have grabbed the Buster Sword due to his injury, Zack grabbed the spear-head and pulled it out with his two hands.
(Cue Mastermind - Fire Emblem: Awakening)
Chrom climbed back onto his feet, limping a little due to his injury, Zack rushed and grabbed the Buster Sword, Chrom reached to his waist and pulled the Falchion out from his side, he also reached to his back and pulled out the Pedestal of Flames, finally, Chrom pulled out 5 gems for a pouch, and put them all into their respective slots, Chrom's Falchion and Fire Emblem acted as a Shield and Sword, giving Chrom exactly the power he needed, the healing power of the Falchion triggered at that moment, and begun to slowly heal Chrom from the injuries he had sustained.
Zack noticed that Chrom was now more fully equipped for the battle, and without hesitating, the fighters clashed their swords once again, neither weapon showed any sign of damage, trading attacks, and dodges when necessary, Chrom once again performed his Aether somersault, hitting Zack with a stronger, and heavier attack due to the Fire Emblem's added weight, Zack felt the imposed weight and shoved Chrom away as best he could, but Chrom became more of a tank and was less likely to be sent flying.
Chrom then swung his Falchion, where he sparkled for a moment "Anything can change!", Chrom then jumped a meter into the air, and was able to strike Zack's chest, momentarily dazing him, Chrom then stood back and held his Falchion upward "Aether!!!!" Chrom with a single lightning-fast swing, struck Zack's chest again, knocking Zack onto the ground, and disarming him of the Buster Sword, Zack was shocked by the sudden increase in power and felt the slashes on his chest, Zack put his hand over his chest, and noticed that there was blood on his hands, Zack quickly went to grab his Buster Sword, Chrom was not about to let Zack, despite standing a good couple meters away, Chrom jumped high into the air, Zack quickly gripped his Buster Sword, but rolled to his side before he decided to stand up, Chrom angrily thrust his Falchion into the ground where Zack had stood just moments prior.
Chrom looked this right to see Zack was still standing but was panting a little from the battle, even Chrom was becoming exhausted from this battle, but his power increase motivated him to continue battling, Zack's memories triggered another Digital Mind Wave, and this time it was a friend from the Turks, Cissnei. Zack felt the energy and luck from Cissnei's memory and his Limit Break reflected this, Zack delivered attacks and swings at Chrom, they began to hit with critical effectiveness, with a single slash from the Buster Sword, Zack completely destroys Chrom's shoulder pauldron, noticing his pauldron was now gone, Chrom delivered another horizontal slash at Zack.
But Zack parried the slash with the Buster Sword, and landed a hit on Chrom's exposed shoulder, struggling to hold onto the Falchion, Chrom started holding the Fire Emblem like a battering ram, and smote Zack as hard as he could, feeling the might of the sheld was certainly a lot stronger than anything he'd seen before, Zack went for another attack on Chrom, but using the Fire Emblem, Chrom parried the swing of the Buster Sword, and with a single motion, Chrom stabbed Zack directly in the chest with the Falchion.
Zack felt the sword having impaled him, tried to remove the Falchion with a single hand, but Chrom ripped the Falchion out from Zack's chest, Chrom dropped to a knee, recoiling from the pain coming from his shoulder, for that thrust with the Falchion hurt Chrom too.
Zack struggled to grip the Buster Sword, but he did not let go, Zack looked at his hands, the blood-stained red of only his hands, but Chrom's Falchion and the ground where he was on his knees, Zack's mind was then dominated by the thoughts of the rouge SOLDIER, Genesis Rhapsodos, "Show me the TRUE power of SOLDIER!" Zack then began to float into the air, and with a gesture of his hand, "Mind your own business!" an angered Zack responded to Genesis's voice. Zack creates a red magic sigil under Chrom, Zack quickly gathers energy in his hand, then raising it above his head, casting powerful lightning bolts, striking from multiple angles, all hitting Chrom, dropping to the ground, and releasing the Falchion and the Fire Emblem from his control.
Zack then landed on the ground, but still holding a hand over his wounds, he slowly makes his way over to Chrom, who was laying down on the ground, and struggling to stand up, he had several open wounds, and some of the electricity had burned parts of his skin, but the Falchion and Fire Emblem looked battle-torn, and Chrom was still trying to reach for them, but his weakened arm was unable to grab hold of his weapon.
(Cue "I've never seen one fall so gracefully" - Fire Emblem: Awakening)
"Chrom, are you alright!?" Zack rushed in hesitation to Chrom, trying to help him in any way possible, Chrom looked towards Zack, and reached his hand out to him, Zack held onto it as best he could "Zack. Promise me you'll... find Robin... I know you're strong enough to find him...".
Zack became increasingly afraid and worried, "I will look for him, but what does he look like, Chrom?" Zack did everything in his power to try and keep Chrom with him, "Agh... Robin has... white hair, just like the clouds, he wears.. a dark cloak with purple on it, "I'm sure.. you'll find him, and when you do, bring him back here... Promise me..." Chrom with every ounce of effort he had left worked relentlessly to try and secure Robin's safety.
"Chrom, I promise, No! I swear on your life I will find Robin and bring him home" Zack adamantly claimed that he would do all in his power to find this lost friend, Chrom smiled with relief, as he mustered the strength to left himself up enough to look Zack in the eyes, "I believe in you Zack, I know you'll find Robin, now please... go...." Chrom's strength vanished and he couldn't look up anymore, he gazed up at the skies, Zack went silent, he knew what had happened, he gently closed Chrom's eyes, and put his arms together, and briefly handled the Fire Emblem and Falchion, putting them side by side and joining them together, to make sure they were not separated.
Zack then turned around, and saw the Outrealm Gate from where he had originally entered this world from, Zack took a deep breath, and picked up the Buster Sword, placing it on his back, and slowly walked towards the Outrealm Gate, "Well Chrom, let's go and find Robin." Zack walks towards the blue energy of the Outrealm Gate, and entered it, disappearing from sight.
K.O.!
Conclusion[]
(Cue Under the Apple Tree - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII)
Boomstick: Dang it, I didn't think it'd be so heartbreaking...
Wiz: Indeed... Chrom and Zack are perhaps two similar idealistic characters, and in any other scenario, they would have made the best of friends, which is why it's all the more saddening to see one of them go out.
Boomstick: While Chrom was an experienced leader and was capable of leading his Shepherds into battle against even the most unlikely of odds, Zack has done so by himself in the past, such as taking on an entire army by himself, without any help!
Wiz: Zack's SOLDIER training, as well as the surgery that enhanced his abilities, allow him to be not only on par with Chrom but his superior, the secret lies in the fact Zack possesses a healing factor while Chrom does not.
Boomstick: Sure the Falchion could patch him up from any damage he sustained, but Zack can access his Limit Breaks, including Aerith's, whose Limit Break alone affords Zack a complete recovery from the damage he built up.
Wiz: But, there are a handful of areas that Chrom and Zack are on par, they both possess ways of healing themselves, they both possess abilities that allow them to gain critical attacks on their enemies, and they both possess weaponry that is nigh unbreakable by the other.
Boomstick: No matter how many times they sliced it, neither the Falchion nor the Buster Sword, or even the Fire Emblem would break from simply sword swings and bashes, and that's how Chrom was able to compete with Zack for a good while, hell he could even dodge Zack's Thundaga!
Wiz: It's true, Chrom has been able to avoid thunderbolts in his own universe, the Thunder tomes, and their higher levels of power, are similar in nature to how Thundaga operates, and Chrom can dodge them without much issue at all, but Zack is not a one-trick-pony.
Boomstick: Thanks to his Digital Mind Wave, Zack's past experiences were able to help bring the match into his favour, and if you're not sure that these are reliable enough to defeat Chrom, consider the fact that Zack can use these Limit Breaks from the brain to battle Summons, like the time he defeated Bahamut Fury.
Wiz: While Chrom has been able to defeat similar beings to Summons, Chrom has often required specific weaponry or has needed the aid of the Shepherds to defeat these foes, notably, the Fell Dragon Grima, whom the Falchion has an innate advantage against.
Boomstick: Zack is also the more experienced fighter than Chrom. Like for example, the fact Zack joined the Shinra Army at 13! and by the time of his Final Stand, Zack had been in the military for a decade! Which is more than enough time to have gained enough experience to take on an opponent like Chrom.
Wiz: At the end of the day, Zack's superior strength, durability, and skills were enough to overwhelm Chrom, and secure a victory.
Boomstick: Gonna hand it to Chrom, while he was strong, he wasn't Busted!
Wiz: The winner is Zack Fair.