【45 - A Stand-still Between Chosens! A Need For Recovery!?】


YouTube: 4K Jungle Sounds - Exotic Birds Singing - Tropical Forest - Relaxing Nature Video - Ultra HD - 2160p


Heidi thought she could hear him. Were those her breaths or his? Her feet padded through thick grass and ferns, she crashed through big leaves. When her tiredness overwhelmed her she slowed, stooped over and tried to catch her breath. I could've sworn he was close… When her breathing returned to normal she straightened and looked around the wild jungle. There was rustling around her, prompting her to think up images of wild boars or exotic tigers. She looked around, not remembering the way she came in.

"Dammit… Kanoa!" Heidi cupped her mouth. "Kanoa!"

She stepped tentatively forward "it's okay, Heidi… we're fine… We're not going to fail this time. We're not going to get used this time. Kanoa needs a little convincing but he'll come round… he has to…"

Heidi blinked at a loud rustle from overhead branches. What she expected to be a monkey was instead a huge yellow hornet. It was bigger than her hand, yellow-black, and with a stinger that could take out her eye. It hovered in place with wings humming, she could see its sidelong jaws working open and closed. Heidi turned and ran.

Her breath was rising into panic as she crashed through walls of green. She was imagining it right behind her, stinger aimed and ready. Her foot got hooked by a root and she fell forward until someone caught her shoulder. She looked to see Kanoa's stoic expression.

"Big bug…" Heidi said lamely.

"A tropical hornet, and you almost kicked its nest." Kanoa sighed as he helped straighten her "come on…"

Heidi felt relief as they followed his innate sense of direction. He wasn't happy but Heidi was glad for the opportunity to be alone with him. There was a lot to talk about and Heidi didn't even know where to begin. Minutes of silence went by. They passed a cliff-face covered in hanging vines, water was making a zigzag path down its side. One vine slowly crawled upwards, revealing itself to be a lime-green snake. She looked at Kanoa's back and blurted the first thing that came into her mind.

"You're not really my age are you?"

"I'm sixteen."

"But you're bigger than Dominic. And have muscles. You're like a hundred kilograms of pure dude." Heidi didn't get a response from him as they continued "...though I've seen the other men here. You islanders get big."

"You shouldn't have followed me into the jungle by yourself," Kanoa looked over his shoulder.

"Hey," Heidi stopped and pulled his deck from her khaki shorts "Here. We need to talk."

"..." Kanoa took his cards back "I'm not quite ready to show my face back at the village. Come on, we're almost there."

Heidi curiously followed her guide and soon they were climbing boulders. Heidi had her sneakers while Kanoa was barefoot. They got to the top of a wide ledge overlooking a ridiculous view. Rolling jade mountains and hills of untamed wilderness. She saw the ocean's edge to one side.

"This island is bigger than I thought…" Heidi confessed as Kanoa went to find a spot and sit down. He'd wanted a quiet place to brood in solitude. Heidi went over to him and sat down nearby. They were quiet for another minute.

"So…" Heidi began "Jupiter?"

"That's where you want to start?" he remarked.

"I don't know where to start. I didn't rehearse what I was going to say to you…"

"Well. It's as you saw. Jupiter has begun to reject me as his chosen."

"...I didn't even know the phoenixes could do that." Heidi pulled out her deck and started rifling through it for Mars. "Do you know why…?"

"No. If I knew why I could try to redeem myself."

"I thought… you'd be able to feel it… or something? I can feel Mars, though it's not like we really communicate. What do you feel?"

"...anger. Frustration. Distance…"

"Well that's not good…" Heidi stated and felt like she was adding nothing to the conversation.

"Jupiter and I had a very close working relationship. I put a lot of time and effort into mastering our connection. The bond we had felt stronger than I thought possible. His mind was clear to me and I was able to channel his abilities with ease. I could bless entire settlements with richer productivity. Nowadays I can barely make a flower bloom."

"What changed?"

"My powers and our connection gradually began to fade. I don't know why…"

Heidi stared at the view while their words were swept away by a tropical breeze. She barely felt like she'd scratched the surface of her connection to Mars. Yet she'd never felt like he was unsure of her. The phoenixes were more complicated than she realised.

"You are… the second chosen I've met. Before you I met Amira in the coal province city."

"Yes. I met her and the other two briefly. I remember her as timid."

"Amira was scared of things. She was in hiding, focused only on her own survival. She used people without caring, and she ended up using me. Looking back, I don't think I really knew her. The very first time we met, I helped free her and then she ran without looking back. I should've realised that was how our whole dynamic was going to go. That when we met up again she stuck around for convenience, so I could help her. Then as soon as she didn't need me anymore she went back on her word and ran."

"It sounds like you're partially to blame for letting her do that to you." Kanoa stated.

"I know. But she was the first chosen I ever met. I'd been through so much before finding her, so she was the one hope I was holding onto. It became clear when she ran away, the whole time I was deluding myself. I was so surprised… that I wasn't surprised."

"I see…"

"Amira had this… tendency. Maybe part of it was her phoenix. But she pulled the hope and the happiness out of situations. Being around her made things darker, like she sucked out all the life around her. Me and… well, I fell into a depression that was hard to shake out of. I don't think I'm fully out of it yet."

"I agree… I can feel it."

"What do you mean?"

"Your depression. It's been a little buried, but it's still there."

"How can you feel it? Is it because we're both chosens?"

"No. It's just empathy. I'm not so talented at reading people's energies, I don't have the 'sight' like Grandma Kaleo does. But right now I can feel the depression you're talking about."

Heidi burst into laughter before calming herself back down "sorry… you took me by surprise. I never really believed in that 'psychic' stuff." She watched Kanoa shrug and she wiped under her eyes "Even though Amira was far from heroic, I never knew her to have issues with controlling her phoenix."

"They all have their own personalities. Had she worked much on developing their connection?"

"No. I don't think she did. I remember when we met, she thought I'd be further ahead in my training than she was. But Narciel purposely wasn't teaching me how to open my connection to Mars."

"I see." Kanoa said again, leading them into another temporary silence.

"Kanoa… I'm trying to gather the chosens. It's all I can think to do. So I came here to take you with me." Heidi began.

"I have a family, a lover and a community. I have responsibilities and a duty to serve my tribe. I can't leave my life behind to go with you. They need me here."

"Right. You're the 'hero of the islands'. You've accomplished more than I have, and I respect that a lot. People here love you. But… things are changing. Soon General Urobach is going to demand the chosens help him whether we want to or not. And you're too easy to find."

That made Kanoa stop and think. "...then if that happens I'll deal with it."

"And what if he threatens to bomb this island? Will you help him take over Aurellia to spare your tribe?"

"Then what is your plan to stop them?" Kanoa countered.

"I don't have one…" Heidi deflated. "...I never had one."

Kanoa reached out and put a hand on her shoulder "...I will help you any way I can, Heidi. I'll help you master the future cards. You can stay here for as long as you wish. But I'm not leaving."

"Well… that's something. Thanks, Kanoa. Maybe I can help you find out why Jupiter isn't cooperating with you."

"Thank you," he removed his hand. "Don't you have your own family somewhere?"

"My Grandpa's back at our game shop in Ikebukuro. My three big sisters are spread all around Aurellia. We, uh… don't have tribes in Duextra."

"Yes. I've heard of the individualistic societies. If you ask me 'saving the world' is an idea that belongs in books and cartoons. As heroes we have a responsibility to our communities first. That is much more realistic and where we actually have the power to create change."

Heidi didn't have it in her to argue the point. Instead she let another silence come and this time had no intention of breaking it.

When Kanoa decided it was time for them to head back they traipsed down the boulders and headed back into the jungle. Before returning to the village they came across a travelling party. It was Malo with a couple of tribesmen. Kanoa looked embarrassed while Heidi's happy guide took broad steps with a smile of relief.

"So you didn't get lost, Heidi. I'm glad."

"Where's Dominic?"

"He's getting settled in back at the village."

"Really? I mean, I wouldn't say he's sociable." Heidi commented.

"He's managing. I caught sight of him chatting with a few of the young women so I'd say he's managing quite well." The tribesmen cast looks at each other and scoffed. Malo turned to Kanoa "how about you?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"That really would have been your game if it weren't for that unfortunate occurence. We know that for sure."

"Not for sure," Heidi muttered under her breath.

Malo ignored her "so how about a match against me? I already duelled Heidi, even if she wasn't using her new deck. I'd quite like a duel against a second chosen. Nobody's here to watch but us."

Kanoa considered the request "very well. I'll walk us to the beach."

Malo nodded with gratitude and followed him through the jungle. Instead of returning to the village, the two other men seemed quite curious to witness another duel. The five of them made their way down sloping jungle, spying birds and other wildlife. After some time they made it to a strip of sand that was just wide enough for a duel. The two of them parted, walking away from each other before taking their marks. Two green flames burned from their hands and the tables faded into view. They separated their hyperspatial cards from the rest of their deck, called forth their shields and began.

Kanoa charged with green light and looked up expectantly. Malo copied, both players swallowed by a similar colour of the jungle. Its flora varied between shades of lime to jade.

Kanoa charged then "I summon Yattar Wan, Adventuring Fox and add Sasoris to my mana." The excitable fox jumped up and down, yipping.

"I charge Hyperspatial Revive Hole... then cast Pixie Life to boost mana!" Malo added another Hyperspatial spell.

"Psychic creatures…" Kanoa murmured then he turned to smile at Heidi, surprising her "I'll show you how my deck does rush. I charge Marinyan then use her for evolution bait! I summon Huckle Kirin Sawyer, Jungle Governer!" The giraffe appeared, twirling its blades. "I activate Shield Force." As Kanoa said it the imprint of a shield appeared on his centre shield. "Now as long as that shield remains, none of my creatures can be blocked by anything weaker than them. Huckle Kirin, break a shield!" It leapt into a twirl, shattering glass.


+ Samurai Jack XXII (score / James L. Venable)


"No trigger…" Malo said as a card bounced to his hand.

"Yattar Wan, break a shield!" The fox jumped and slashed a panel, pieces flying into sand.

"Woohoo!" Heidi cupped her mouth excitedly. Going fast and hard was her kind of game.

"No trigger," Malo said again.

"Turn done, Uncle." Kanoa announced, confusing Heidi.

"Uncle?"

"It's just how people in the islands speak to each other, it doesn't mean we're actually related." Malo explained and drew.

"Ah… okay." Heidi said then kept quiet to watch the duel.

Malo charged a colourless card, glowing with that mysterious white "I cast Pixie Life and return nothing to my hand. I'm still not ready to attack yet, so I'm done."

Kanoa's eyes grew sad as he touched his deck and felt the tameless eternity of Jupiter. He charged his phoenix and moved on "I cast Treasure Map!" he fanned out his top five cards. "I add Ragmal to my hand. Now Huckle Kirin, shield break!"

"Shield trigger, Faerie Life!" The pieces reassembled and Malo got to boost more colourless mana.

"Yattar Wan, go! That's four shields down."

Malo added the extra card to his hand and drew "I summon Funk, Guard of Hope!" A darkness warrior with a serpent emerging from its chest landed in play on 5000. "All your creatures continuously take -1000 power while any of your psychic creatures will take -5000."

"I don't use any." Kanoa remarked as Yattar Wan succumbed to a mist that made it cry out and dissolve. Huckle Kirin was weakened but remained standing. "Alright! I summon Ragmal, Spirit Knight! It and Funk goes to our mana zones!" The two creatures were swallowed by vines and pulled away. "Huckle Kirin attacks your final shield!" Now rejuvenated, the evolution creature twirled and shattered the last panel, small cuts running up Malo's forearm before rewinding into place.

"A chosen duelist indeed… I cast another Faerie Life and boost with Father Earth." Malo began his turn with no shields. "I summon Jenny, the Dismantling Puppet! Show me your hand." The doll in the red-black dress clutched its scalpel blade and Kanoa frowned as he turned over his only card. "Discard Marinyan."

"There goes my finishing with Reddull strategy…" Kanoa flicked the card into his discard pile.

"I cast Hyperspatial Emperor Hole to bring out Black Ganveet, Temporal Soldier!" A portal to hyperspace tore the fabric of reality, a skeletal horse and rider emerged with ghostly blue sabres. It had 5000 power and "It destroys one of your tapped creatures, so farewell Huckle Kirin." The psychic creature reared up; lightning streaking from the portal behind it as it closed. A ghostly sword decapitated its foe, leaving Kanoa's side without creatures.

"I never saw that psychic creature in our duel…" Heidi murmured with eyes wide.

"Just wait until it awakens." Malo turned to smile at her.

"Awakens?"

Kanoa drew "It will awaken if I have no cards in hand when Malo starts his turn. But it's a risk I'll have to take! I summon Marinyan, Dragon Edge!" The pink-haired cat-girl raised her paws eagerly. "I just drew another one! With her power I bring out Reddull, Dragon Soul Castle to make her a speed attacker!" Electric chains swirled around the battlezone and a spiked red temple landed on the ground behind Kanoa. "This game is mine."

"Unfortunately not," Malo revealed a card in his hand.

"I see… Go Marinyan!" She lunged forth to attack.

"Falconer, Lightfang Ninja! Come out and block!" A gold ship on 3000 appeared before Marinyan's claws and blew apart.

"That Falconer is a life saver, I got to admit." Heidi spoke up from the sidelines.

"Yes. Because of its Ninja Strike ability letting it get played for free it does find itself added to many decks, regardless of what civilizations are used." Kanoa took a breath. "I end…"

"Then I get to awaken." Malo grinned. "Black Ganveet becomes Darkness Ganveet, the Assassin Awakened." He flipped the card over, revealing another side. The creature shone and grew to four times its size. Now it had a serpentine lower body consisting of a spinal cord. "Its a 9000 double-breaker, whenever it attacks you discard and are forced to destroy one of your creatures. Next I cast Hyperspatial Revive Hole to return Falconer to my hand. Out comes Ryusei Kaiser, the Victorious!" It wasn't the same psychic creature Heidi fought. This one was a fire-darkness-water creature on 6000. "Your mana cards come into play tapped. I cast another Pixie Life to mana boost then return Shoegazer to my hand. Darkness Ganveet attacks Marinyan and I'm done." There was a shrill cry as she was crushed beneath a skeletal fist.

"He's not going for your shields!?" Heidi gasped.

"I have no cards in hand… so he's setting himself up to beat me in one turn." Kanoa answered.

Heidi remembered Malo doing the same thing in their duel "...be careful, Kanoa!"

"Since when weren't you cheering for me?" Malo asked her playfully and she scratched the back of her head nervously. "It's alright, you're both chosens after all."

Kanoa drew "...I summon Yattar Wan. Turn done." The fox in its pants and jacket rejoined the fray.

"I summon Shoegazer, Bright Deity!" A white lizard-humanoid on 7000 emerged in bright armour, this creature being one Heidi had seen before. "I bring back Funk, Guard of Hope from my mana zone." At the return of the darkness fighter Yattar Wan was slain once more. "Turn done."

Kanoa nervously had to admit it was getting more likely he'd be relying on his shields to save him "I summon Ragmal, Spirit Knight and send him to mana."

"Then I'll send Jenny." Malo responded. The bulb creature appeared then left with the selected creature.

"Turn done…"

"Now I get to summon my trump card… Acid, Sacred Execution!" A colourless blocker on 6000 emerged, surrounded by magic circles.

"Oh no… that lets him recycle creatures by destroying and replacing them with colourless ones in his deck at the end of his turns!" Heidi called.

"I'm aware of what Acid can do." Kanoa responded, narrowed eyes forward.

"Shoegazer attacks and I get to bring out a second Funk, Guard of Hope from my mana zone! Now double-break!" Malo turned his card and the armored fighter punched through two panels. "Next Darkness Ganveet attacks, you discard! Double-break!"

"I can't believe he's about to win in one turn when Kanoa got so close…" Heidi murmured but the onslaught was cut short.

"Shield triggers! I active two Antique Dragon Ruins!" Kanoa revealed the shining cards. "I can send four of your creatures to the mana zone! I choose… both Funks, Acid and Ryusei Kaiser!" Moss spread, returning the darkness creatures and Malo's signature card. The psychic creature was sucked back through its portal.

"Unbelievable… turn done." Malo answered.

"I summon Bronze Style and boost Antique Dragon Ruins. Then I use the Ragmal in my mana to summon… Huckle Kirin Sawyer!"

"Did you forget I added Falconer back to my hand?"

"No… which is why I'm activating Shield Saver on my last shield!" Kanoa announced as the image of a shield appeared on his last panel. "Now that creatures can't be blocked by anything weaker, you have nothing to stop Huckle Kirin and I win the duel!" The giraffe fighter landed beside its green comrade, they stared at each other through its mask.

"So it seems…" Malo dipped his head and smirked. "Congratulations, Kanoa. You win the game."

Both players packed their cards. The tables and creatures vanishing. Heidi stared with hands on her cheeks.

"That was… amazing!" she cried. "I can't believe my favourite game in the whole entire world got even better! Future decks are amazing!"

"You should take some time to get more familiar with yours." Kanoa said with a smile. "Then who knows, maybe it really would have beaten mine fair and square."

"What do you mean?"

"It worked for me this time, but my deck isn't designed to start attacking until I summon Sasoris and get Boaroaxe out. Then I try spamming my way to victory."

"I suppose I got draghearts I need to become familiar with using." Heidi agreed, pulling out her deck and staring at Glenmalt, her main draguner.

They trekked back to the village, eventually emerging by hutt-homes and getting noticed by those doing jobs nearby. Kanoa was somewhat sheepish but given nods by those around. One old woman looked up from her weaving, a group of young children were gathered around her and the empty firepit. It was bordered by stones arranged in circles; the woman seemed to have been telling them stories in her native language.

"Ah Kanoa, back sooner than we expected." The crone gave a wide smile that crinkled her face.

"Grandma Kaleo... does she know that I left?"

"No. Still out at the tidepools with the other girls" was the answer.

"Ohhh... this is the Grandma Kaleo who isn't really your grandmother." Heidi deduced.

"You must be the new visitors. Welcome to our tribe."

Malo nodded gratefully "thank you."

Kanoa stepped over to her while she continued her weaving "Heidi here came a long way to see me. She wanted me to go with her but I can't help her with that. But I do think we can help her in some other way."

"Hmm..." she peered at Heidi before extending a taloned hand and indicating for her to come closer. Heidi hesitated before approaching, the sitting children shuffled out the way. Once Heidi was standing beside Kanoa the old woman looked her up and down, a sad frown of understanding crinkling her features. "You've seen a great deal of terrible things, my dear."

"Yes. I have." Heidi agreed in bewilderment.

"You've seen deaths. And not clean deaths either. And... the tragedy of the atom bomb."

Heidi didn't realise she was crying until she felt the water dripping down her face. She tried to get a hold of herself, wiping them away "to see... to hear... all those voices. The pain of one million people, all at once..." Even now she could see flashes of a red sky. Everything around her melting while people suffered. Walking through hell.

Kaleo paused before saying "why don't you both make your way to my hutt tonight? We can begin the spiritual treatment."

"The what?"

"It'll help," Kanoa put a hand on Heidi's shoulder. "Trust me."

Her tears had stopped, she nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime, why don't you show Heidi more of the island? I'm sure she has a lot of questions about our way of life. If Meilani returns soon I'll be sure to let her know you're fine and that the other chosen arrived. Why not take Heidi to Whale Bay?" Kaleo proposed.

"Can I come?" a child perked up and so did the others.

"I don't see why not. Just don't wander off." The kindly elder answered.

"I'm going to find Dominic and get settled in." Malo headed off "Have fun, you two."

So Heidi walked with Kanoa while the tribal children ran ahead, behind or lingered nearby. They were afforded a lot of freedom, but Kanoa called out when he saw a pair of them going too close to a cliff. They found a wide beach lined with totem carvings and stone heads. The ocean was a beautiful blue-green. The overhead sun seemed to relax Heidi, making her troubles fade away. So what if Kanoa wasn't convinced to leave with me? At least these islands are safe, simple and beautiful. Heidi pointed to the horizon where she could see smaller isles stretching out in the distance, each separated by ten or twenty metres of water.

"If you're staying here for a time we could sail the canoes out there. Have you ever sailed a canoe before?"

"No."

"We can also swim through the underwater cave entrances. There's spear-fishing, tidepools, hot pools further inland by the volcanic steam vents. We have tall sand dunes by the west side, ancient climbable trees and places to explore. If you wanted you could string a hammock anywhere, we don't have to sleep in the village."

"That's amazing." Heidi admitted.

"But we should head back in an hour. Since we have guests the chief probably asked for a nice lunch to be prepared. We got the freshest seafood, and the fruit and nuts here are the best thanks to the volcanic soil."

Heidi turned her head, looking at the wide view with children scampering about as they played and picked up seashells. The salty air was even fresher than Duextra, she'd missed fresh air. She'd missed serenity. What if I just stayed here, and forgot all about the modern world? She shook off the thought.

"Kanoa... I want you to know that I've not given up convincing you to leave with me," she stated and watched his jaw set. "I know it won't be easy, but I've travelled too far and seen too much to just give up and go back home to school. I won't leave this island until you come with me."

"You'll be waiting a long time," he remarked curtly.

"If that's what I have to do." Heidi said decisively.

Kanoa nodded then walked ahead to the shore. Heidi stepped more leisurely, thinking to herself as she heard gentle waves and felt the ocean breeze tangling her hair.

She took her shoes off and let the crystal water wash up to her knees. Through the ripples she could see a colourful coral reef stretching outward. After avoiding the deep parts by walking along the coastal shelf she got quite far, glimpsing around the bay to a rougher beach. The waves crashing there got tall before breaking and looked like they'd be perfect for surfing. Using driftwood if they didn't have proper boards. With delicious fruit and edible coconuts just sitting on trees, life here was truly like a paradise. No school, no difficult jobs you were expected to do on your own. Being part of a community that worked and even took care of its children together. Heidi could see why Kanoa would have difficulty leaving, even if he didn't share Malo's view that life should be taken easy. Kanoa was certainly more uptight than the other tribesmen. Heidi soon returned to his side and he answered her questions on tribal life until it was time for them to return and have lunch.


AN: Thank you to Acuma for the reviews! And one from Shuriken too! So here we are at the 25% mark so Azure may get to read these five at his leisure after all. The duel was once more brought to you by me and Acuma, him roleplaying round 2 of evil Tabitha while demonized Kanoa took Heidi's place. It was such a good game, and great for the story when they work out and need little editting. Now that Heidi is settling in as a tribesman (from pirate to this) we can see where the next quartile takes us. Perhaps this spiritual healing will help her deal with the various traumas we put her through. *Cough* well 'we' cause ya know, you watched!