【32 - Temptations Break Chinks into Armour and Resolve! A Critical Moment!?】


"Well this time we caught ya!"

The angry mob hiding in the back of the electronics store held up clubbing implements.

"Run!" Diego shouted and the three teens fled back to the corridors while the men yelled and gave chase.

Heidi couldn't help feeling bewildered at just how fast Amira could run while fearing for her life. The hooded girl went straight for the escalator, cleared it and flipped over the glass barrier edge before powering down the walkway.

"Amira!" Heidi raced up the steps to keep up but she was already tired after reaching the top of the escalator. Her side still hurt from the car accident and she stopped to catch her breath.

Diego had continued running along the first floor and taken half the men with him. Heidi turned her head to see the guys pursuing her. The fire duelist readied herself before charging toward them, jumping and slamming two feet into the nearest guy's chest. He swore and fell back, they all toppled like dominos. Heidi hissed in pain and clutched her hip. She climbed to her feet with the rail and limped up, she started making her way around. She stepped over the legs of an unconscious group in the walkway.

"Amira!" Heidi shouted but it was no use. She'd once more been separated from the other chosen, that being twice in one day. "Amira!"

She looked over at the men as they started to get up, grabbing their pipes and bats. Heidi walked as quickly as her limp allowed and vanished deeper into the store. She passed a ruined bookshop, a grimy butchers and a shoe store. Heidi limped around the bend and scanned the faces of everyone she passed. Withered, wrinkled or dirty faces – hopeless faces.

There was a television store that showed a stack of bulky blocks with no colour. The screens were fizzling static half the time but a group sat by the outside bench, smoking and sniffing as they gazed into the flashing images. They looked brainwashed by it. Heidi stopped when behind them, looking through the glass as four rows of screens depicted a news report. Who knows what's going on with the rest of Aurellia since we've been here? Heidi squinted to make out the headlines beneath a strident newswoman.

'Unprecedented gang violence in the coal province. Mass shoot-outs occurring all over the city. Police unequipped to handle the situation. City on total lockdown as government fears the violence spreading. Augus military set to intervene.'

When she was an outsider, Heidi had never known how bad it really was here. After walking a mile in these people's shoes she understood it was a huge failure of the public system. Not only that, but it allowed their inter-dimensional enemies to go about their mischief undetected as they prepared for their assault on the whole world. Social justice hadn't considered the issues of this place trendy enough to address yet. Maybe it was because coal was bad for the environment, or maybe they had trouble sympathizing with a people corrupted by filth, drugs and crime. Now that the rest of the continent had reason to fear for their safety, the rug was finally getting peeled back and everyone could see what this city had really become without sufficient aid. Apathy, greed and elitist selfishness had caused this. It was ugly, it was dark.

Heidi moved on, her eyes drooping as the tiredness began to overwhelm her. She'd been searching for Amira for an hour before spotting the abandoned cinema. The mental image of carpet and comfortable-backed chairs lulled her. She staggered tiredly towards it. The front-desk was long-deserted and there were old movie posters advertising the classics, many ripped and faded. She could almost feel the ghosts of well-dressed customers with furs, pearled necklaces and feathered caps. It smelt sickly sweet, like the soda machine had stained puddles on the linoleum. Heidi walked the dark hall and passed the toilets, the men's was missing its door while the sound of a couple rutting could be heard behind the women's. Heidi walked further along and the voices climaxed loudly behind her. She pushed open the door to cinema two and it was dim with a flickering light. Heidi walked down then turned to face the chairs and with relief saw nobody in there. With tired feet she began to climb steps illuminated by floor-lights. When she was mid-row she slinked along then pushed down three of the seat-bottoms so she could curl up. Lying like this had her hidden from anyone who might walk in. Heidi felt her eyes close, the flickering light playing against her eyelids before she finally zonked out.

She woke up hungry. Heidi turned herself right side-up while wiping crust from her eyes, the other seats swung upward without her weight on them. In the week she'd spent at Mr Barrow's shop she was used to spending her day hungry. At Ms Snaketail's residence she'd had bigger meals, it was a shame the information broker was now dead. The gangs were currently running wild all over and even caught media attention from outside. The whole world would have its eyes pointed their way. Heidi stood and tried to work the kink from her neck, she walked her way down.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."

She whipped around at the reedy voice. The cinema was still empty. She looked up to where the projector was flickering. Crouching with his knees out was the freak with the deformed head, his lips opened in a smile over crooked teeth. Heidi sprinted down and around, gunning for the double-doors. He landed in a crouch before her, facing away as his coat flapped. Heidi aimed a punch and his leg blurred back and sent her crashing into the wall. She growled and came back, he ran up the narrow space and flipped over her. She elbowed back and he cursed, clutching his nose. Heidi burst out the cinema and piled on the speed.

She made it all the way back to the ticket booth when he flew into her and she was knocked over the counter. Heidi rolled and hit the floor. He flew over and stuck out his legs and arms, coat hanging down as he was lodged overhead like a bug. Heidi rolled backwards and he dodged her feet. Once up she was hurled into an old popcorn machine and the mass of yellow spilled onto the floor. Heidi barged him into the register and it pinged with each repeated shove. He turned and threw her down, Heidi went back to avoid his stomp. She got up and those long fingernails went for her face. She stepped away, but it was hard in this cramped space. Heidi rolled up on the counter and over. The man jumped up in a crouch and sprang.

"Wait!" Heidi held up her hands and he stopped mid-punch. She pulled out her deck "Duel? At first I was worried when we were up-close and fighting there… but what I was feeling in your coat pocket…"

The freak reached in and pulled out his deck "very well, chosen. I've been trained in dueling by Genjin. You will be stopped here."

Two hands ignited with red energy. They both stepped back to where the ceiling was higher and when ready their tables misted into view. Crystalline shields projected and their game began.

Heidi set her usual fire while he charged darkness-fire. Then she played "Mini Titan Gett!" her roller-skating kid flipped up before aiming its arm-blaster.

"I summon Bloody Squito," the few hairs on his misshapen head blew as the 4000 blocker landed on six legs, wiggling that sharp needle.

"Cocco Lupia!" Heidi then scowled, knowing she had no choice but to attack because of Gett's effect "Ike, my Titan!" The humanoid rocketed forth while weaving its legs.

"Squito blocks!" as per its effect the brain jacker also died after sucking the life from her creature. The spiral light inside its glass abdomen dimmed and it sagged. The freak proceeded to draw "I cast Slash Charger and force you to send Supernova Mars Disaster to your graveyard!"

"What!?" Heidi stared as that white ooze stretched out and wrapped around her table, a wicked face chomped into its edge.

"You didn't think I'd agree to duel you if I didn't have something up my sleeve, right? When the DMA was hacked we got access to your dueling information. With this deck I'll be able to discard all your phoenixes and armored dragons before you can draw them. So discard Mars!" He pointed a long fingernail.

Heidi grimaced, then searched her deck before extracting her chosen phoenix. She dropped him in the graveyard and the freak added the spell to his mana. Heidi seethed before continuing "Even if you know how I dueled back at the academy you still don't know the cards I've added since then! Like this one: Ambitious Dragon!" It had metal over its wings and orange armor. "It gets an extra 2000 power for every fire bird in the zone so now it's a 6000 double-breaker!" It grew to a moderate height, emitting a sky-rip roar. "Lupia breaks your shield, ike!" the crowned fire bird looped before smashing through a panel.

"Shield trigger, Gigabalza! You randomly lose a card from your hand!" The 1000 chimera reared up, mis-matching limbs all over its body. A card flashed purple and Heidi dropped it. The freak continued "I summon another Bloody Squito! Gigabalza suicides with Lupia!" Mutant hands flew as it ran, trying to catch the orange bird before it collided with its attacker in a ball of flame. "Your dragon is now equal in strength to my blocker, turn end!"

"Not quite! I summon Totto Pipicchi and Joe's Toolkit!" A flaming sparrow with goggles flew in and was joined by her bouncing xenopart. "Now he's back to 6000, what do you think of that you freak?"

He looked appalled "are you making fun of my disability?"

"What? N-no I-"

"Cause that'd be really fucked up."

"You were watching me sleep! And you tried to kill us!"

"And is that the fault of all deformed-looking people?"

"Well no, but-"

He was shaking his head at her "I thought you were supposed to be the 'good guy'."

"I am the good guy! Stop trying to distract me! Ambitious Dragon break his shields, ike!"

"Bloody Squito, block the girl who hates disabled people!"

"I hate you…"

Her dragon cut through the blocker with its twin knives. He drew and started his turn "I cast Miraculous Meltdown. If you have more shields than me then you now lose the same amount I have!"

"That's one shield. So what?" Heidi snappeded.

"And you can't use triggers," he smirked before dropping the rainbow spell on his table.

Heidi crossed her forearms as a series of bladed chains splintered a panel. The shockwave made her stumble back. It was now her turn and she tried to get it together, adding her useless trigger Cannonball Sling as mana "I summon Disturbing Chuusa!" A speedy mouse wearing a pointed helmet zipped into play with 2000 "while he's tapped we can't play spells. Ambitious Dragon, double-break! Ike!" Her new dragon flew and with quick knife-work dispatched two of his shields.

"Proclamation of Death!" the freak revealed another trigger. "Choose a creature to destroy."

Heidi bit her lip "Joe's Toolkit." Her xenopart blew into pieces. Her fire returned "Totto break a shield!" Those goggles strapped tight before the sparrow blazed into a line of fire, shards tore into the man's coat as he jumped back on deft feet.

"I cast another spell. Blizzard of Spears to wipe out Totto Pipicchi and Disturbing Chuusa!" Volcanic arrows fell from the sky and Heidi's smaller creatures were slain. "Turn end!"

"Your freaky deck hasn't helped you at all, you're down to your last shield!" Heidi yelled.

"Tell me, chosen, is it because my chimera looked a bit funny that you decide to call my deck 'freaky'?"

"Shut up!" she yelled. "I summon Express Dragoon. Ambitious Dragon breaks your last shield, ike!" Glass flew and the man smirked before drawing.

"I summon Cursed Pincher and Pierr, Psycho Doll." Two slayer-blockers answered his call. "Then I cast another Slash Charger to wipe out the Eternal Phoenix, Phoenix of the Dragon Flame that's hiding in your deck!"

"Why are you still going after the cards in my deck!?" Heidi yelled but only got another obnoxious smirk from her opponent. She grabbed for her cards and flicked through before discarding another phoenix, shuffled and slapped the deck back down again. Heidi glared at his pair of ugly darkness cards before drawing "Alright, I have to attack… Express Dragoon todomeda!" Her purple tyranno drake lunged.

"Pierr, block the attack!" his murderous doll intercepted the attacker with its whirring chainsaw.

"Ambitious Dragon, todomeda!"

"Cursed Pincher blocks!" The grizzly contraption was prized apart before the dragon was lethally injured by exploding shrapnel. "And now it is my turn and if my memory serves me correctly you have no remaining creatures in your deck that can stand up to five figures. You also have no remaining cards in your hand…" his ugly smirk deepened "I summon Necrodragon Izorist Vhal!" He played the last card he was holding. A huge gloomy serpent whipped out and its unravelling tail swept a path of wreckage through the surrounding wall, making the room quake. "It gets 2000 for every darkness creature in my graveyard so is currently on 10,000." As the menace loomed down Heidi grit her teeth, unless she drew a speed-attacker soon she was likely to lose.

"Smashblow Dragoon," it was an unlucky draw, her fiery animal-hybrid landed and swished its tail. "Turn end."

"I evolve my creature into Super Necrodragon Abzo Dolba!" The darkness coalesced and expanded, tearing into the upper storey and causing the weak structure to cave-in around them. This being was skeletal and fleshy, with pale-blue fur and multiple tails. Its power felt different to anything Heidi had ever experienced before.

She stared up in awe "w-what is that?"

"Abzo Dolba also increases in strength by the number of cards in my graveyard. As you see it now, my necrodragon has 21,000 power!"

"Twenty-one… thousand…" Heidi murmured with her eyes magnetized. Her opponent started his evil laugh while remaining unaware of the internal processes going through the teen's mind.

Heidi's adventure as a hero had been demoralizing so far. Futile, without any slimmer of hope. On looking back the times she enjoyed the most was after summoning her phoenix, basking in the overwhelming magnitude of controlling that much power. She remembered boosting Mars to 19,000 power and holding back the attack orders on a defenseless opponent, full of righteous vengeance. Those memories weren't happy per se… but they were intoxicating, addictive and euphoric. After facing against Bolshack Cross NEX she'd thought her 19,000 stunt would be the closest she'd get to experiencing that much power first-hand in a Kaijudo battle.

Even though Abzo Dolba might be about to kill her, she gazed upward with silence that was almost reverent. Her pupils widening not from fear, but secretly in wonder as she tried to imagine what holding all that power would feel like. It was her hero's weakness: Heidi was power-hungry. After opening her mental connection with Mars she'd started to feel how eager her phoenix was for battle. Mars was a warrior. After all the trauma and suffering she'd endured, it occurred to Heidi that if it were truly impossible for her to be the hero… what would tempt her to be the villain was the promise of power. Embodying all the power and experiencing greater and greater highs. Her being wreathed in glorious golden fire.

"I like that look on your face, chosen!" the deformed man laughed again, "triple break her shields, ike!"

The necrodragon's skull snapped open, its talons reaching as it made for its attack. The collision caused as much destruction as when the creature was summoned. Heidi's feet left the ground and her back hit a slab of floor from the level above, she bounced off and staggered. After blinking through dust she saw a glowing red card floating before her.

Heidi grabbed it "shield trigger, Express Dragoon!" the tyranno drake landed beside its comrade and they gave each other friendly jaw-snaps.

Heidi walked back to her table. She drew "You may have wiped out Mars Disaster and Eternal Phoenix, but now I evolve my two creatures into my third phoenix!"

"Your third phoenix…!" his eyes widened.

"Asteroid Gauss, Flame Comet!" The next giant was all red, holding intricate blades while fire broiled like a molten sun beneath it. Feeling its 11,000 power soothed Heidi's craving somewhat but it wasn't enough. Facing Abzo Dolba had changed something inside her. Now that her secret desire had been exposed to her conscious mind she knew she could bury it later, but she'd never forget. It would always return. "I don't have power like that, you're right… but someday…" she remembered the phoenix she'd dreamed of the day she first met Lieutenant Kaido. She remembered having the same dream while being held prisoner at the scientific prison-base. A fire phoenix that wasn't Mars. "Someday I will." She turned the card "ike todomeda."

The phoenix screeched before fanning its blades, sending waves of fire to her terrified opponent. His silhouette was swallowed by an inferno, he reached out with long fingernails and gave a dying shriek within the blaze. As the fire retracted their creatures vanished, her opponent lay as a charred corpse on the ground. Heidi was solemn as she slid her cards together. The next instant her table disappeared and she looked around at the desecrated space. Loose planks and bricks fell onto rubble. From above squatters ran and peered down the hole at what'd happened. Heidi turned and jogged from the scene, wincing as she went. A group of people ran past in the next hallway but they ignored her. Heidi slowed to walking pace while wiping excess dust from her sleeves and pants. There were rectangle windows overhead and she could see it was dark outside, but she felt wide-awake. The city was slowly making her nocturnal.

At the next sight of escalators she made her way down to the first level. It didn't seem likely she'd find Amira or Diego in this crowded space. She'd have to check it as best she could and if there was still no sign she'd only have to hope they made it out okay. In the meantime she asked every straggler she passed that didn't look too dangerous "Excuse me, have you seen either of my friends? I'm looking for a…"

"Yeah I seen him," a scraggly man kneaded his gross beard. He nodded as Heidi had her hand up, trying to describe Diego's height. "I saw a kid like that in a patched jacket, walking quickly by himself at the old carnival part, that leads to the big Ferris wheel, you know?"

"Thank you! Can you tell me where that is?"

"Further down that way you'll find a map. It's right beside the ol' joke shop."

Heidi thanked him again before running off. She found the map against the wall and charted a path in her head before setting off to find one of her friends. Amira was most likely to get away and probably wasn't in the megamall anymore. Diego on the other hand may have spent most of his life in that apartment building and away from these street-side lowlifes. He had nowhere to go now and no chance of finding Mr Barrow's shop, a place he'd never been to. Heidi ran along for several minutes while making all the turns. There was a growing fear that she'd gone the wrong way but soon enough she spied the joke shop. A big plastic clown was waving and smiling above 'Jojo's Joke Shop'. The light-up red nose was missing and there was only a series of hanging wires instead. Heidi peeked in and saw people lying around, one was flat on the counter. It was interesting to see how many household appliances and commercial toys were being used when proper tools weren't available. When someone looked over Heidi turned away and entered a wacky building labelled 'the Funhouse'.

It was dark in here. She could hear her breath and make out pinball machines and other arcade games. It was spooky to imagine how bright and colorful everything was supposed to be. Full of laughing children and happy families. Instead everything was broken-down and empty. Like a ghost-town. Heidi reached an opening and entered, she was too nervous to start calling Diego's name. Someone else might hear her. Suddenly a shadow was in front and Heidi stiffened before relaxing. It was a mirror. She continued on and realized she was walking through a hall of mirrors. One seemed to have what looked like a bloody handprint. Heidi started walking faster. A clown-doll was supposed to come alive and scare her, but instead of cackling it gave a faltering chuckle. Its eyes flickered and Heidi moved even faster through the confusing labyrinth.

She reached an ending. There was a wide room that looked blocked off, aside from the big crawl-tunnel ride. It had a rope and slides that led to a ball pit. Several punctured balls were scattered in the corners of the room, along with beer cans and other rubbish. Heidi took a breath before going to the rope, hauling herself up and then climbing into a big tube. It didn't look like an ideal situation.

Heidi called "Diego!" Her voice travelled down the tube but she got no response. She waited and there was a distant shuffle.

With trepidation Heidi began to make her way down. The tube curved like a giant snake, there were a few openings but Heidi followed it along until she came out in a random hallway and blinked at the absurdity of it. Turning around she saw faded letters saying 'kids entry'. She felt herself droop with disappointment. There was a bonfire several metres to her left and a few of the squatters looked at her but didn't get up. If her friend had gone through this way he could be anywhere by now. When Heidi could see that none of the sitting hobos resembled Diego she turned the other way and continued walking.

It felt like another hour went by before Heidi found herself in an area that looked familiar. A group of people were having a discussion and the man facing away from her looked remarkably clean. He was wearing a dark uniform, a policeman? Heidi jogged over and the man turned around.

"Hello Heidi," General Urobach said. "I'd heard you were in the area."

She skidded and almost fell over "Y-you! What are you doing here!?"

"I'm here to set the final phase of my plan into motion" he put his gloved hands behind his back.

"And what's that!?"

"It's called an Atomic Bomb. When it explodes it will cause damage as far as twelve kilometers away and result in the eventual death of no less than one million people."

"A-a what?" She couldn't process what he'd said. "You're going to set off a bomb like that?"

"No, Heidi" he was amused. "You are. Or at least, your people. Humans. You see I provided the technological means to do it and handed the weapon over to your own government. Since the triads here have overwhelmed everyone with their new firepower the only way for the government to stop them will be to use this bomb. And after it's used it will strike fear in the hearts of every civilian on Aurellia. The people will protest and there'll be an uprising against your own leaders. When everyone finally looks into what life was actually like here there'll be one of your human rights scandals. It will sow enormous discontent and destabilize the balance of power. Aurellia will be changed forever and it will be even easier for me to begin take-over."

"This was your plan…?" Heidi's eyes widened in terror as a memory flooded back to her. It was when she woke up for the first time in this city. The kindly hobo warming his hands by the bonfire as he told her: I'm sure everyone outside would wish we just went away permanently.

"I'm not ready for everyone to know we exist yet," Urobach continued "After all there's only eleven of us on this planet. It's better you humans continue to fight against each other while we work from the shadows."

"You bastard!" Heidi jumped forward and he caught her punch in his gloved hand. The stragglers around her jumped into action and pinned her arms behind her back while she struggled. "Why are you helping him!?"

"We're going to be spared… right General?"

"Of course. I can't say the same for everyone else in this building," he added and Heidi stopped struggling. "It is the heart of this city after all. The bomb is inside and rigged to blow in about… seventeen minutes. Even if you found your way to a car you'd never escape the blast-zone."

"You can't! You can't do this!" she fought desperately "One million people! Are you a maniac, a monster!? These people only wanted to survive, they didn't want to live like this! They were left here because nobody cared enough to do anything! Let me go!"

The scarred Urobach leaned forward until there was only an inch between them "the last time we met I told you there was still time for you to come to a decision. That ultimatum has now ended. You can swear your loyalty to me and the Gatekeepers of the Outer Path right here and now… or you can die here with the rest of this miserable city."

Heidi was shaking with rage. She opened her mouth and spat on his face.

The surrounding squatters gasped and the General leaned back, wiping the loogie off with the back of his glove. Then he punched Heidi and her head snapped down, blood dripped from her lips as a back tooth was knocked loose. Her vision went cloudy and she groaned.

Urobach massaged his wrist and spoke to the others "I want to make sure she can't cause any trouble. Doris!"

The fat woman on her motorized scooter looked over with a mean smile. She started whirring over; the people around Heidi pulled up the sleeve of her jacket and when she realized what was happening she tried fighting against the blur "no… no!"

A needle was jabbed into her arm, the blue contents injected into her blood stream. Heidi was then shoved into the main food court with all the sleeping bags and blankets everywhere. A few early customers were already thrashing about druggily but it wasn't yet packed in here like the other day. Heidi stumbled, she turned and tried to run but her balance left her and she tripped. The room was beginning to distort, she was losing all focus on everything.

"She can thrash about here with these other filthy humans," Urobach's voice seemed to be coming from all directions. "When we leave here I plan to sit back on a chair with one of those stiff human drinks and when I hear the first boom before the mushroom-cloud I'll know that's two chosens gone and their phoenix cards incinerated…"

Heidi fell backward onto a blanket. There was nothing she could do, no way she was going to save anyone. She blinked at the roof and began to hallucinate.


AN: Dammit, kids and their drugs! Aren't you supposed to be a shonen protagonist, Heidi? Pick yourself up for gods sakes! Well I think it's safe to say that with an imminent nuke about to wipe out the city my story is toast. Yep. Bye bye everyone, we had a good run. So I must give thanks to Azure, Shuriken and Acuma who are still reviewing my story! My last chapter hasn't had feedback as of this moment, but this chapter was pretty important from a plot and development standpoint so I wrote it anyway. Maybe Heidi would make a good underling for Shishima after all, aye Acuma? Just juice her up on some powerful cards and she might snap and give in. I don't see her as being the subservient type however.