「Kaijudo Generation Arc: Team Zeta. 008 - Apprehending the Fugitive!」


"This one's mine." Heidi said with eyes forward.

"I hope you know what you're doing." CJ said from beside her. "She beat Dylan so she's no pushover. This will be dangerous."

"Danger's my middle name."

"Can you not be stupid about this? The girl's a freaking sociopath."

"I got this, CJ. Trust me." Her deck case flashed and a miniature Astrocomet Dragon appeared on her shoulder.

"We got this." Bolt emphasized and Heidi stepped over to Tafiya, whose dark eyes and posture made her look like a tensing cobra.

Tafiya splayed her palm and blue energy surged upward and began to construct their dome. Heidi opened her hand awkwardly, there were a few red sparks and then she managed to stream her K-waves too. She looked up in wonder as they interacted, red and blue rolling over each other to make purple. CJ stepped backwards as the dome closed up. Tsume appeared on his shoulder to watch. As the duel tables appeared both girls took their marks.

"Oh man..." CJ glanced at the surrounding pedestrians who were peering over. Some nightwalkers going home from clubs turned onto the street and froze at the strange spectacle. Someone from across the road pulled out their mobile and started filming. Others began curiously venturing closer.

Tafiya charged mana followed by Heidi. The older girl sized up her opponent - a brute-over-brains fire player, even if she was short. Outsmarting her shouldn't be too hard. Even so Tafiya knew not to underestimate the speed of fire cards, having not forgotten her recent loss at the hands of Jamie. She charged her Marching Motherboard and passed the turn once more.

In return Heidi also studied the other girl. She had clunky plastic jewelry on her wrists and her stomach folded uncomfortably over her skirt. Like she'd heard the others saying, Team Zeta was severely lacking in self-awareness. None of them had been quite in touch with reality. Not Jeremy with his weird bragging and ridiculous hair. Not Collin with his poor social skills and inability to see that by taking the wrap for his pregnant girlfriend he was letting a monster walk free. And then there was Tafiya herself, who'd never be able to provide a decent life for that child no matter how much she'd secretly wanted a baby.

"I summon Mini Titan Gett!" Heidi's two mana cards turned. A kid fighter on roller-skates skidded across the pavement between them.


Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Sound Duel 1 - 05. Yusei Fudo


Mini Titan Gett

Civilization: Fire

Power: 2000+

"Not so fast, fire player. I cast Spiral Gate." Tafiya was cool, calm and collected as the spell activated in her hand with that watery glow. A whipping vortex of liquid lashed at the humanoid, flinging her high into the air. Heidi's card bounced off the table and she scowled. Tafiya smiled with fake sweetness "Your turn."

"Alright… this time I summon Totto Pipicchi!" A blazing sparrow flapped its wings before her, a pair of goggles falling into place.

Totto Pipicchi

Civilization: Fire

Power: 1000

"I cast Eureka Charger to boost my hand and mana." Tafiya responded with yet another spell.

CJ looked nervously between the two.

Heidi drew forcefully "You're not the only one with some spells! I cast Crisis Boulder to remove the mana you added." The orange sphere-tank raced on the spot, picking up dust before taking off and crashing into Tafiya's table. That charger spell landed in her graveyard. "Heh. Totto Pipicchi, shield break!" With a happy cheap the bird soared into a glass panel.

Tafiya

Shields: 5-4

"I end my turn."

"I summon Scout Cluster." Tafiya said louder. The blue-domed blocker crab-walked on mechanical legs.

Scout Cluster

Civilization: Water

Power: 4000

The turn went back to Heidi and she hesitated. Summoning Mini Titan Gett would be pointless if its compulsory attacking effect meant she'd just lose it to Tafiya's blocker. Heidi simply charged mana and passed her turn.

"I evolve Scout Cluster into Fort Megacluster!" A blue evo-crystal shone, enveloping the creature as it grew in height. It became a translucent crustacean mecha.

Fort Megacluster

Civilization: Water

Power: 5000

"That's the creature." CJ spoke with anger on the sidelines. "That's the one she used to trash that seven-eleven and kill six people."

"All my water creatures now have a tap effect." Tafiya explained. "By tapping it I get an extra draw." She turned her card then reached for her deck. "I end my turn."

"You're gonna regret that! I summon Bolzard Dragon and thanks to Totto he gets speed attacker!"

Bolzard Dragon

Civilization: Fire

Power: 5000

The silver-armored dragon emerged from a pool of lava. At Heidi's order it opened its mouth and a heat-beam shot through the cyber cluster. As it dissolved it fired a laser in retaliation, cutting its attacker in two.

Bolzard Dragon: 5000

Fort Megacluster: 5000

"You lose mana when he attacks!" Heidi pointed and another card flicked over into Tafiya's discard pile. The fire bird readied itself. "Totto Pipicchi, shield break!" It became a thin line of fire that tore through another panel.

Tafiya

Shields: 4-3

"I summon Tekorax and Zepimeteus!" Tafiya spoke louder still. Her undulating squid swam in, blinking huge snail-like eyes. It was followed by another sea hacker with the blocker ability. "The former lets me see your shields!"

Tekorax

Civilization: Water

Power: 3000

Zepimeteus

Civilization: Water

Power: 2000

Heidi's shields darkened from her end and Tafiya felt a little better now she had this advantage. Two shield triggers, little landmines she now knew to avoid.

"My turn!" Heidi yelled with another passionate draw. "And it's time you meet my new partner! Sear your victorious image into the sky like a blazing sun! Astrocomet Dragon!" It swiveled its serpentine head, armored in red and hissing breaths of fire.

Astrocomet Dragon

Civilization: Fire

Power: 6000+

Bolt turned to look back at his master "What was with that line?"

"I dunno, I thought it up. It seemed so cool when Team KG did it." Heidi scratched the back of her head before putting her game face back on. "So in case you've forgotten, Totto is still making my dragons speed attackers! Go Bolt, double break!"

"You got it!" His long neck flexed before unleashing a stream of fire.

"Zepimeteus blocks!" It swam up and was fish food in minutes.

Astrocomet Dragon: 10,000

Zepimeteus: 2000

"Totto Pipicchi, shield break!" Another happy cheap before it blasted through glass. Tafiya looked an inch away from losing it, but she was still holding onto something, CJ could tell.

Tafiya

Shields: 3-2

"I summon Aqua Surfer and bounce Astrocomet Dragon back to your hand." The liquid person surfed in on a wave, arcing his board aside while Bolt was blasted up out of the battlezone.

Aqua Surfer

Civilization: Water

Power: 2000

"Tekorax attacks your pesky bird and I end!" A long tentacle plucked the sparrow from the air and with a panicked cheap it burst into feathers.

Tekorax: 3000

Totto Pipicchi: 1000

"Grrr… I summon Astrocomet Dragon again and end!" Heidi slapped the card back down.

"Not so much a problem when it's slowed down, is it? I summon Emeral and replace a shield with a card in my hand." The amphibian cyber lord wore a controller headset, holographic screens projected around it.

Emeral

Civilization: Fire

Power: 1000

"Then lastly I cast Spiral Gate and bounce Astrocomet Dragon once more!"


Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Sound Duel 1 - 29. Izayoi Battle


"Then I summon him back again!" Heidi yelled adamantly. The watery vortex was still in the process of dispersing as the big dragon entered play a third time.

Bolt shook his head "I'm getting dizzy…"

"She's not attacking yet… I don't like this, Heidi!" CJ yelled from outside their energy dome. "She's seen your shields, planted one of hers and dragged this out with removals! With all those cards in her hand she's definitely planning something!"

"You're too late…" Tafiya gave a wide grin that showed all the cunning of the water civilization. She dropped her ninth card into mana and they all turned. "I cast Divine Riptide! All our mana is sent to our hands!"

"What!?"

An incredible geyser blew upward like a reverse-waterfall. One after the other mana cards flew from the table into their owner's hands. Heidi was now holding eight cards and Tafiya twelve.

"Tekorax, Aqua Surfer and Emeral break her shields! Center one and the two on the outside!" At Tafiya's command they flew into action: hitting, slapping and blasting their way through. The glass pieces glittered around Heidi as she huddled up, then they fell and she was left with her two trigger shields.

Heidi

Shields: 5-4-3-2

"It's over. I predict you'll be finished in two more turns." Tafiya crossed her arms, satisfied.

From outside CJ cupped his mouth, then let his arms hang loose at his sides. A man in shades stood next to him and CJ immediately knew he was a DCA agent. That was fast. CJ turned but Yukari's gap must have closed up without him noticing. Several other pedestrians had walked right up to the dome now and were peering in.

"As if we didn't already have enough work to do after Scrivener's stunt. Now you're kaijudo dueling in public, in the middle of Lower Manhatten."

"Look, the person in there-!"

"Tafiya Damji, currently among the DCA's most wanted. We know."

"Then you're welcome. It's not like any of you were doing a good job tracking her." At that remark those silvery shades turned to CJ's face, but he wasn't about to take back what he said. If agents were here it meant Tafiya had nowhere to run. He could only hope that Heidi wouldn't end up seriously injured from this duel.

They resumed watching.

"It's not over!" Heidi yelled. That strange red energy cloaked her body and she drew. "I cast Fists of Forever! Now every time Astrocomet Dragon wins a battle this turn he untaps!"

"What did you say!?" Tafiya's eyes widened in outrage. "That spell costs only one!?"

"Yep! Go, Bolt! Attack Tekorax, Aqua Surfer, Emeral and then break her last two shields!"

Her dragon roared, energized by the red glow. He spewed torrents of fire, one after the other, eliminating Tafiya's line-up of attackers.

Astrocomet Dragon: 10,000

Tekorax: 3000

Aqua Surfer: 2000

Emeral: 1000

Then it blew apart Tafiya's final defenses, her frizzy hair blowing in the storm of wind and glass.

Tafiya

Shields: 2-0

The trigger she planted assembled, as did another.

"Spiral Gate to bounce Astrocomet Dragon! And Aqua Jolter comes out as well!"

Heidi's poor dragon was flushed off the field a third time. A liquid person with turquoise arm-spikes landed and took a fighting stance.

Aqua Jolter

Civilization: Water

Power: 2000

"Your turn." Heidi said coldly.

Tafiya drew and stared across their battlefield, her eyebrows pinching with agitation. She charged mana.

"Aqua Jolter attack the shield on the left!" It sprang out and lashed its blade.

Heidi

Shields: 2-1

"Shield trigger! Crisis Boulder!" That mechanical boulder whirled but Tafiya had already picked up her lone mana and tossed it in her graveyard. The only reason she'd charged it at all was to avoid having the spell destroy her creature instead.

Heidi charged her second mana "I summon Mini Titan Gett!" The roller-skating kid swept back into play. "I end."

Mini Titan Gett

Civilization: Fire

Power: 2000+

Tafiya drew and her eyes widened at the thirteen cards in her hand. Particularly she was looking at her fourth and final Spiral Gate. Since she could only charge one mana this turn she didn't even have enough for the cheap removal spell, meaning she had no way of stopping Heidi's attacker. Tafiya had two copies of the one-cost Zepimeteus blocker, so the other one must be in her remaining deck.

Tafiya looked up, the shock melting into anger "Aqua Jolter, break her last shield!" It darted out and stabbed its arm through Heidi's last shield, then jumped swiftly back.

Heidi

Shields: 1-0

"Shield trigger, Tornado Flame!" The blaze whipped up, swept across the field and scorched Tafiya's remaining creature. "This ends now…"

"Don't hurt me! I'm pregnant!" Tafiya clutched her stomach so the bump was visible through the sweater. She willed the fake tears to start running.

"Sorry, but you've killed eight people already and we can't let you escape again. Mini Titan Gett, direct attack!" She twisted the card decisively and the human rolled out, pulling its fist back and punching her in the chest.

Tafiya fell on her back against the walkway, her pregnancy jutting upward. The energy dome receded and CJ ran over. A couple of agents beat him there and started checking her all over for cards, a Spiral Gate or anything she could use. Then she was sat up and her wrists were cuffed with those futuristic shackles. Sunglasses guy was trying to keep everybody back, saying whatever he could.

Then he went to the two teenagers and thanked them gruffly "For keeping the city safe twice tonight, good job."

"That was a good duel." CJ said to his partner. "For a few turns there I was sure she had you beat."

Heidi reached over and pinched his arm. He swatted her hand away.

The air was warming as daybreak was only an hour off. CJ and Heidi were exhausted. They waited for their escort home and felt like they were both going to sleep twelve hours. It was just lighting up outside their bedroom window blinds when their heads crashed into their pillows.

At mid-afternoon the next day CJ did a visit. Collin sat at a table in a white room, hands over his mouth as he processed the information. CJ had been given clearance to talk to his classmate. They were getting more out of Collin by using a former friend than they were with any other interrogaters. As the shrimpy guy started to tear up it gave CJ some pity to go along with his satisfaction. He was satisfied that he'd helped Collin out of this and learnt the big mystery behind him being fall guy. Collin as the culprit had never felt right.

"Why couldn't you just let me do this?" Collin finally spoke, pressing his hands together as the first tear rolled down his face. "It was my one oppertunity to not be such a fuck up."

"So what, I should've let you throw your life away for something that wasn't your fault? The guys out there said they would've figured it out even if Tafiya hadn't busted you out. They had the coma witness. Not to mention forensic evidence at the crime scene."

Collin wiped at his eyes and snotted. He pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes scrunching.

"I know Tafiya was... bad. But what's going to happen to the baby?"

"Your parents and hers have been filled in. If nobody takes the baby the DCA is going to help with the adoption process to make sure it gets the best life they can give it."

"That'd be good for Delilah." Collin said, still wiping his face and snotting. He caught CJ's glance and explained "Tafiya was always certain she was having a girl."

And the day after that Team KG and Heidi were chilling at a playground park on the weekend. It was a small one that most walkers passed right on by, though a pair of young siblings were spinning each other on a merry-go-round. There was a little chain bridge, the tunnels and bars were all painted in primary colours. Heidi was sitting on the narrow steps, pushing around the bark with her shoes.

"How is your wrist supposed to heal when you're doing that?" Karon said to Dylan who was swinging across the monkey bars.

Jake cleared his throat and went into leader mode, stepping up to congratulate his old friend.

"First Robert and now you take down Jeremy before he goes nuclear and wipes out the city. I knew you were the one we wanted for Team KG."

"Karon did most of the work this time. Tsume and me were just the ones that got to finish it." CJ answered.

There was still a strain between them. CJ hadn't forgot Jake's secret mission during the Survivor incident. He also considered Jake's last statement, and imagined what it would've been like if Jeremy's K-waves hadn't been so negligible. He pictured Jeremy as Team KG's nature player, and himself still in California getting on with life none the wiser. But no, it would've never worked out - Jamie would've killed him.

"What?" Jamie said and CJ realised he was smiling at her.

"Nothing." He dropped his gaze.

Dylan made it to the end of the bars and flung himself off. He straightened up "Heidi, do you want to see who can knock the other off the teeter-totter first?"

"No..." She sighed.

"What's wrong?" Bolt appeared on the step beside her, hidden from outsider view.

"Now that we're finished here I'll be going back to Gensokyo any day now. I wish I had a team like you guys. Even my phoenix Mars doesn't actually talk. I wish I could take you back with me, Bolt."

"I knew our partnership wouldn't last. But that's just how it is." Her Astrocomet Dragon said.

"I got it! Jamie can keep you for me!" Heidi lit up.

"Um, I already have Blaze."

"I wouldn't mind." Her creature's voice spoke from her deck case.

"Come on, think about how cool you'd be with two synced creatures! It would beat having an evolution one anyway!" Those were the wrong words to say, as evidenced by Jamie's glower.

"It's a moot point." Jake raised his hands to placate them, still in leader mode. "You can't just give your synched creature to somebody else."

"It's true Heidi. I'll probably just rejoin the armored dragons in the creature world, until some other new recruit syncs with me." Bolt said.

"Yeah... well it was cool while it lasted."

"The fact you did sync with me means you would've made a fine agent if you'd been born here instead. A fine member of Team Kaijudo Generation too, I bet."

Heidi looked up at the surrounding five faces and could see agreement in all of them.

After that Karon invited them back to TCG towers and suggested they get food delivered. Their parents and Jamie's brother were still much too busy with everything to notice what time they were coming home and what they were eating. In other words it was probably safe for them to chill in some backroom and order pizza. That was if Karon's parents were up in his beautiful penthouse on the top level.

"I'll come. But I got something to do first." CJ said.

When the others asked he wouldn't say. Instead he waved them off and made his way down to the subway lines.

It seemed like NYC had only just battled through the survivor incident and now it was taped up again, cranes and building crews around to fix up the damages. Schuka was working to erase memories while teams of tech-savy operatives took down footage and message boards online. Miss Frediano and the snow faerie faculty at Fiona High kept up with their teacher duties, acting as always like nothing had happened. The incident was being handled. Gas leak and earthquake were thrown around before the excuse settled on terrorist attack. As for Dr Scrivener - his photo showing a bald and sweaty stump of a man - he was going to be shut away in the secretive lower cells of the DCA headquarters for the rest of his miserable life. All of his incomplete research on the Omnistrain got confiscated for future study, of course. It seemed that hurting people hadn't been Dr Scrivener's main intention, nor had he wanted to overthrow the DCA like others before him. Even so his ambition was too great and he was far too careless, inadvertedly causing the death of his nephew and many others. There was a rumour spreading that they might even throw Dr Scrivener into the creature world and be done with him.

When CJ got off at his stop he walked through crowds and took the steps quickly. He'd purposely made sure to miss the funeral, but he walked a few blocks to the cemetary. It was a wide grassy field with a few lone trees, thick stripes of opulent acacia and rose bushes. The plant-life was too lush, grass bright-green and flowers overabundant, as if this whole place was an affront to the idea of death. CJ found the fresh grave where Jeremy was just buried. His slab was a glossy pink marble with gold engraving. A sad little poem, and a promise he'd be forever missed. It felt weird knowing someone in his own class who'd died. It was a little too close to home. Kids their age weren't usually confronted by such a sobering concept, and CJ hadn't even grown up knowing the guy. He didn't say anything and neither did Tsume. Instead he mulled over the sad situation for a while until it was time to go. He went back the way he came to meet the others at TCG towers.

"About time." Dylan said when he saw CJ walk through the sliding doors.

He waved him over to a storeroom and CJ followed the cheesy scent to a huge half-eaten pizza. The others were hanging out, Jake and Heidi playing a shooter game on a dusty Xbox that was stashed away in here. Karon was poised and watching; Jamie was typing away on her phone. CJ helped himself to a room-temperature slice and squeezed in-between them.

Since Heidi would be returning home to her strange dimension soon, her and CJ went to see the Statue of Liberty. It cost them under $20 each and they had to walk over a hundred-and-fifty stairs from the pedestal to the crown's viewing deck. When they finally got to the top Heidi was disappointed. There wasn't much to see through the small windows and it felt cramped, of course CJ had already told her this. They stood quietly for a few minutes.

"So Earth's got big bridges and a green statue that doesn't even have a nice view." Heidi said.

"Earth also has pyramids." CJ replied.

"You mean like the shape?"

"Maybe you're just not a sight-seeing kind of person."

"Yeah, maybe. Also I don't get the hype since I didn't grow up here. All these monuments are just really big and really old."

"Is there anything you did like about Earth?" CJ asked with a laugh.

Heidi thought "Star Wars?"

"Let's go get those ice-creams." CJ went to the stairs.

"Wait! I know what I want to do before I leave." She said and at his questioning glance "I want our rematch."

"We could've just dueled at a terminal before leaving TCG towers?"

"No, I want a proper duel. I don't know why I was able to recall your name when we met. We probably met before in some kooky trans-dimensional way. And if this is the last time I see you in possibly forever I want our rematch to be epic!"

CJ closed his mouth and started to think "Okay... I suppose there's the training facility at the DCA headquarters?"

"Hmm I got a better idea."


⟨author's note⟩

What the heck am I doing? Why am I writing instead of studying? Welll exams are still almost two weeks away. I can do both that and this, plus they're online. I'm pretty sure I got a handle on this and can do without the judgement okay? But yes anyways this will wrap up next chapter after all with a CJ and Heidi rematch then we can move along to that Twilight Kingdom arc. Suppose we didn't get a Heidi vs Jamie but who needs to see two mono-fires dueling each other anyway? I'm just happy I gave everyone in Team KG a duel. And there are still loads of match-ups that weren't canonically seen in Shuriken's stuff. Like Jake vs Dylan, CJ vs Karon, Jamie vs Dylan etc. etc. This has been fun to write!