Hey Readers! I'm so excited it's my first story. So give me some advice, I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks again. -WingedWolfAlari

Prologue-

It has been a few months since Mechtaneas Destroyer; a group of four mechtagon led by Cordicon, first appeared and reigned terror over Earth, New Vestroia, Vestal, Neathia, and Gundalia. Pledged to end all life, they nearly succeeded in their ruthless mission. However they were defeated and destroyed by the bakugan battle brawlers, a group of talented individuals who fought for freedom and peace alongside the bakugan. Their leader, after the war was over, left the team with his bakugan partner Drago to seek out new adventures and leave room for another chosen one to gain the ranks that they accomplished. No one had seen them since they launched their small boat out into the ocean. Nor did anyone know that the story was far from over, and every obstacle they had conquered was to prepare the leader for an event that would forever change his life and have his sanity put to the ultimate test.

It was a bright and cloudless day. A cool breeze wafted through the trees, and rippled the young man's hair. The boy began to stand up, feeling the warm current's weak pressure against his lower calves. He took a deep breath and observed his surroundings.

He was standing in a small creek in the middle of a lush forest. The sunlight danced through the leaf-deluged trees. A chorus of bird song joined sounds of rushing water and swaying branches, creating a pacific scene of harmony. The naïve brunette thought to himself the purpose of his journey. This was it, to be surrounded by a sense of relief. A time to put his guard down. (Oh, the irony)

He sighed, his burnt sienna gaze turning to a small boat anchored into the creek. It wasn't a yacht, but it was reliable. Said boat was no bigger than a tiny homemade cabin, about 8x5x2ft, with a smooth white finish, red borders, and a small bed below deck. A golden polished symbol for Pyrus, or fire, was branded on the bow. The ship's name was the SSS Wyvern.

The boy gave a small grin, knowing that his partner wasn't up yet. He trudged through the current, and climbed up onto the boarding deck of the tiny vessel. He grabbed a towel that he had set out before his morning dip and dried himself off. Picking up a set of clothes he also set out, he quickly dressed himself and fixed his now frizzy hair via reflection in the water.

Like anyone else in the world, he began to inspect himself. The brunette wore a dark gray athletic shirt, worn out black jeans, a brown belt, and field drab-colored hiking boots. After that, he took a few steps toward the bow and the wheel where a crimson jacket embroidered with a golden dragon in mid flight was draped over the seat in front of the wheel. He casually slipped it on, stretched his body, let out a long vocal yawn, shuddered, and made his way to the lower deck where his friend was curled up into a little ball (literally) and fast asleep.

The boy chuckled at his bakugan, who in his ball form was about the size of a large marble. However, his true Fusion Dragonoid form was about a tall as a large house with a wingspan of around 50 ft. Having known him long enough not to be intimidated, the boy quietly leaned down and with an evil snicker, screamed,

"GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!"

Hiding his laughter in his hands, the brunette watched as the bakugan screamed and shot up like a terrified cat to the fairly low ceiling, getting himself stuck up there after having dug his claws into the wood. After a slightly hyperventilating, he steadied himself and threw the still giggling prankster a toxic green glare.

"Someday you're going to give me a heart attack and kill me by doing something like that again, human." he said in a half serious tone. The bakugan unhooked himself from the deck and landed in the boy's hand.

"Sorry pal, I couldn't resist, you just looked so peaceful," the brunette replied jokingly as he lifted his arm up to his shoulder so the sentient could perch there while he climbed back up onto the deck. The bakugan spent a few minutes observing the forest scene that closed in all around them and let out a placid sigh. He looked upward at the sun and gasped. The blinding white light had nearly centered itself among the cyan sky, as if it was boasting its magnificence toward all who could see. Holy crap how long was I out? Perhaps it was a good thing that he got me up now. Hopefully next time he won't be so rude when awakening me, the fire-attributed being thought to himself as he turned to his brawler.

"Where should we be right about now, Dan?" he asked his partner inquisitively. Dan looked back at him and thought for a few seconds before gazing down at his feet and replied,

"Hmmm, I'm not sure Drago, but I think that we might be somewhere in Taiwan."

"Taiwan? Ugh you gotta be kidding me," the green-eyed dragon groaned.

"Hey what's so wrong about Taiwan?" Dan rebutted with an expression that clearly read, 'Dude, what the heck?' as he was confused with his best friend's uncharacteristic outburst. Drago was usually a pretty chill guy and wouldn't normally care about these sorts of things.

The bakugan replied in an impatient yet sarcastic tone, "It's not the Philippines."

"Huh, the Philippines? Oh geez, DRAGO! That one time a few years ago you said you wanted to go there, I expected you to drop that by now you nutjob," the brawler said remembering how the dragon once wished to go to the chain of islands because of the scenery that attracted millions of tourists worldwide.

Drago let out a loud laugh, "Oh come on Daniel, you know I'm joking. You and I are partners till beyond the end, and wherever you go I'll follow without question." He said this in a very meaningful way, making Dan release a thankful smile.

"Thanks buddy," he glanced around with curiosity. The trees continued their hypnotic dance as another calm breeze drifted through the scene. "Hey Drago, what do you say we split up and have a look around and meet back here when the sun is a little farther west. After all, it's not like we'll get to see Taiwan again anytime soon since we have to set off at around 2:00 PM."

"Sure why not, and while we're at it we may as well gather some supplies from the surrounding area just in case," he replied.

"Deal!" Dan exclaimed with excitement as he jumped from the Wyvern to shore landing on his feet with ease due to experience in the past. He and Drago took off in opposite directions, both completely oblivious to the single pair of predator eyes that observed and recorded every move they made.

The owner of the eyes kept himself hidden; to the human eye he was only a shadow among thousands that belonged to the forest. His lips curled into a wide grin, his muddy yellow stained fangs bared. He chuckled ominously as his insane blood shot eyes narrowed. He raised his right fully clawed hand up to his pointed elf like ear and pressed and held down a small button on what seemed like a communicator that was lodged in the ear canal. His voice was dark and raspy, yet it had a sense of naivety when he spoke, "This is Batchelder, I have a visual on target. Target is unarmed and solo. Initiating pursuit and capture."

Copy that Batchelder, awaiting arrival at the rendezvous point, out~

Batchelder signed off the communicator and let out a ravenous snarl mixed with an evil laugh, "Hehehe, and now the fun… begins."

Meanwhile…

Dan had gone quite a bit a ways from the Wyvern and was enjoying himself. He had originally broken out into a full sprint before slowing down into a run, jog, walk, and finally a slow stroll. He remained adjacent to the river, not wanting to get too lost while absorbing the beautiful surroundings. Several streaks of gleaming silver shot through the water like torpedoes and caught Dan's attention.

Perhaps I could try to do some fishing to fill up our food supply, the boy thought to himself with a hopeful look on his face. But then he dipped his head, his eyes losing their lustrous shine; ugh I don't have a pole, it probably wouldn't have done much good anyways. His head perked up, eyes brightened more than ever as an idea dawned on him.

Suddenly he dove into the creek, quickly stood up and froze, his tongue sticking out. He could have sworn that the water was much warmer earlier that day. The water was waist high, but the current was weaker here so he wouldn't have to worry about being swept away.

The young man remained absolutely still; he would have to wait for the fish to come to him. At least that's how it was done it about a dozen movies he had seen. Eyes locked onto the seabed, Dan waited patiently and was soon rewarded.

Another small chrome streak had moseyed its way a few feet from where the brawler stood. Squinting his eyes, the brown-haired kid summed up all of his strength into one single propelled dive.

A slight sting ran through Dan's body as it smacked against the surface of the creek. The shock caused him to wince in pain and abruptly stop to lift half of his frame out while clutching his torso. The failed attempt also scared his dinner away.

The teenager groaned, let out a loud sigh, and once again began trudging back to shore. Suddenly, something brushed against the back of his legs, causing Dan to freeze once again. What was that? He turned around in the water to find nothing-unusual swimming behind him. Whatever it was, that was no fish, he thought to himself as he began to make his way across the seabed. The boy went a little faster, a certain uneasiness nagging at him. His heart began to beat faster with every step, sweat trickling down his face.

This was the part he loved the most, the part where his predatory instincts would run free. He had already nearly blown his cover in excitement when he glided past his target, accidentally letting his arm ride over the boy's legs. The creature could almost taste the blood about to be spilled. A pair of crimson eyes widened under the water's surface. Their pupils narrowed into thin slits as they focused on their prey. This would be an easy hunt. The mission was simple: capture and retrieve said target. Ari Batchelder never questioned a mission, but this one led him to wonder. He had spent the past year or so hunting down his treacherous sister and her group of lowlife lackeys and was suddenly pulled out of the goose chase and downgraded to retrieve some random teenage of no significant importance. This kid was no threat to his organization either, barely an adult, so why would his masters want him? What made this boy so special, that they would send out one of their top erasers to bring him back alive? Unless they were running low on test subjects, no that didn't seem right. His masters' associates would always receive fertilized embryos from unsuspecting donors, not kidnap unsuspecting teens. Then again, he never cared about whatever horrible fate faced their test subjects. He didn't care about what happened to this kid. He lived for blood, he lived for the fight, he lived for the vengeance that he would bring down upon his thieving sister. But most of all, he lived for the hunt. And that is the only reason why he would enjoy this mission, no matter the prey, as long as he got it.

The mutant pushed the conflicting thoughts out of his mind and got his predator on. Opening his fang filled jaws, Ari crouched down onto the smooth eroded stones that littered the creek floor. His eyes fixed on the brunette's legs, which were on the move towards the bank. It was now or never. With his powerfully enhanced hind legs, he lunged, front claws unsheathed, awaiting the savory flavor of human flesh.

Dan trusted his instincts. They had never failed him before, or at least he couldn't think of any instances that they had at the time. But right now they were shouting at him that he was in imminent danger. A voice in his kept repeating the same bold statements, get to shore, find Drago, and get the hell out of there.

He didn't stop to think; he had never felt this type of powerful fear before, not even during all of times that the world would literally end before he and Drago would save it from whatever evil that threatened it. This was true fear, and he was terrified. He looked around warily and became confused. There was nothing around him to be afraid of, so why did he feel this way? He cut himself off and moved even faster towards the shore with one idea running through his head. I have to find Drago, I need to… He never finished his thought.

Dan shrieked in pain and shock as several serrated fangs that were as sharp as steak knives punctured his right thigh. Ari wrapped his arms around Dan's legs, digging his reinforced claws into the flesh. The teen's knees buckled and he toppled over into the water. The eraser released his grip on the boy's bleeding legs but not before pinning Dan to the creek floor. The brawler's eyes engulfed in fear and he instinctively began to fight back. He began kicking and punching the mutant, unfortunately the water pressure muffled the attacks, making them useless. Suddenly, the creature clasped its claws around the brunette's neck and began to thrash him around like a ragdoll. Dan struggled to hold his breath and stay conscious until he finally saw his chance. The boy grabbed the eraser's arm, and with all of his strength, managed to pull the appendage towards his mouth. Then, the brawler bit down on the arm hard enough to draw blood. Ari winced as he let go of the human and gripped his injured forearm. The brawler made a beeline for the surface, desperate for oxygen. Blood clouded the water like a thick blanket of fog, tinting the sun's rays that managed to break through the barrier a bright red. The teen gasped, letting the life giving air blast through his exhausted lungs. Despite the blood loss, the brown haired boy managed to crawl up the shoreline. His legs felt like they were ablaze as he attempted to stand. But Dan ignored the pain; he needed to if he wanted to stay alive. He began to limp back the way he came; believing that he miraculously survived a crocodile attack. He realized just how wrong he was as the eraser broke through the surface in a fit of extreme rage. The brawler gasped in shock, the creature was hideous. Said creature resembled some sort of ripped wolf man. The wolf man was about 6ft tall with fur covering his entire back, upper arms, and face. It didn't have a shirt, however it was wearing dark blue skinny Abercrombie jeans with a thick chain as a belt. The mutant's wrists and neck were adorned with black leather-spiked belts. Despite all of these menacing features, it was the muzzle/ human fused face that had twisted into a ravenous scowl that left Dan paralyzed with terror. The boy flinched when it spoke with a hoarse voice,

"You will ~snarl~ pay dearly for what you did to my arm, you insolent son of a bitch!" Ari watched as the wounded kid began to run away, knowing from the painful screeches that he wouldn't get far. The eraser smirked before leaping into the air far enough to land right in front of the pitiful boy. He grew tired of the crappy chase and tackled his target, landing a direct hit. His victim groaned as he grasped skin on the back of his neck and lifted him upwards.

Dan soon found himself locking eyes with his attacker whose lips molded into an ominous grin. There was no chance of winning; he was wounded and losing blood by the minute. However, he had one last thing he would try, one last attempt to save himself. He opened his mouth, but was cut off by another painful scream. The wolf man had released his scruff, but placed his other hand around a huge chuck of his oak colored hair. The brawler whimpered but refused to cry while a continuous wave of raw pain bashed his head and neck. The next thing he knew, he was airborne. Several sharp cracks sounded as his frame collided with a nearby tree. The force of the throw was strong enough to break a couple of Dan's ribs as well as the tree itself. His body broken, the 17-year-old was certain he would die. But he refused to do so, vowing that he would get a glimpse of his family and friends once again, no matter what. So, summoning every last ounce of willpower in his being, Dan Kuso lifted his head and called, "DRAGOOOO!"

Ari stared at his target, satisfied with his work. And with that, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a syringe.

The last thing that the former brawlers leader remembered was feeling a small prick in his right arm, followed by a series of black spots that clouded his vision. And one final thought,

I'm s-sorry…part…ner. He blacked out.

Fixed in p.o.v paragraphs. I'll try to update every few days to a week. Chapter 1 is almost done, either today or tomorrow tops. Next time- meet the flock 3 years later.

Well, thanks again. -WingedWolfAlari