Chapter 1: Los Angeles, California
His eyes flickered open, greeted by the dark silence of the claustrophobic sewers.
But to Kevin Charlton-Adams, this was no ordinary silence.
Now this is weird...
Climbing to his feet and dusting himself clean, he made his way along the abandoned sewer network with his trusty torchlight. Soon, he was at the mouth of the sewage pipe, and greeting his ears was an eerie silence...in the middle of an urban setting.
Okay, now this is too weird. Kevin glanced about the vast sewage drain before him and at the buildings above, baffled at the unusual silence that permeated his surrounding. He peered up at the concrete bridge over his head and found neither signs of passing vehicles nor the occasional horns blaring at careless pedestrians.
It was total, irrefutable silence.
I gotta see this for myself.
Hopping down the pipe, Kevin sauntered for his parked Suzuki scooter by the drain wall and rode off towards the ramp; leading him back up the main road.
True to his eyes, the streets were void of life.
Kevin could only gape on in disbelief at the barrenness of the city around him; cars littered the roads like abandoned toys, stores with various items on display but none to see them, traffic lights signaled mechanically to ghost traffic (save Kevin).
He raised his watch into view and it showed 12.35pm.
Mid-afternoon and no one in sight?
As Kevin turned into a junction, a curious sight greeted him and he braked his aging scooter to a halt.
Rolling lazily across the road was an odd-looking orb- the size of a golf ball. Dismounting his vehicle, Kevin gingerly walked towards the rolling ball and picked it up between his fingers. It felt more like a toy; red and orange markings streaked along its surface, its colour texture too genuine for it to be paint.
"Now what's a toy doing on-"
The ball popped open in his fingers, startling Kevin into releasing it. Instead of hitting the ground the 'ball' floated in mid-air, its once-spherical body has split and expanded into a mini figurine, complete with distinguishable 'limbs' and a 'head' extended from its ball design.
"Who you're calling a toy, subject?"
Kevin's eyes widen as he reflexively took a step back, mouth dropping open. "Whoah."
Waving its limb-like projections, it scolded arrogantly, "How dare you insult the future ruler of the Pyrus realm?"
Kevin stared on, dumbfounded at the ball's reaction. "Did you just...spoke?"
"What are you, deaf?"
Regaining some composure, Kevin wondered. "Are you...some kind of new intelligent kid's toy that I've not heard of?"
The ball shook in anger (comically, from Kevin's perception) as it raised its voice, "Aaarrggghh! I can't believe I'm even starting a conversation with such a moronic subject!"
Kevin retorted, "For starters, Mr. Wiseball, I'm not your subject. Secondly, there is no such place as Pyrus...unless some previously unheard-of dictator decided to rename his country that. And finally, I don't even know you, never mind the fact you're a talking ball."
The ball figurine reacted in surprise. "A ball? What do you mean a ball? I'm a Bakugan!"
Grabbing it in his hand, he returned to his scooter despite its muffled protest. Standing by his scooter's side mirror, he opened his hand and showed the ball its reflection.
"You're saying?"
The ball turned around to face the mirror, its head-like projection stared on with its green 'eyes'.
"GAAAAAHHH!" It recoiled in terror as it looked about in a panicky manner. "What happened to me?"
Kevin shrugged. "Beats me. You're already a ball when I found you, whoever you are."
"This...this is an outrage. Who would-" It paused abruptly. "No, this couldn't be-"
A loud hum rang in the air as Kevin remained still, hoping to capture the source of the noise. From nowhere, two massive green figures flew over the lone human before pausing overhead; their commanding silhouettes blotting the sky before him.
Kevin stared on, unsure of how to react at the surreal events happening around him.
"Spyron, Harpus! How did you get here?" the ball figurine burst off Kevin's hand.
"Through a portal, duh," the green harpy-like creature confirmed with sarcasm.
"Thank goodness for that. I have to return now before-"
The humanoid raptor, next to the harpy cut it off, laughing wickedly. "You, return? Fat chance."
Kevin felt tension brewing in the air, ready to pounce back on his bike at the slightest threat.
"What in Vestroia are you talking about? Do you know who I am?"
"Yes, one dead Bakugan...and one dead human!" the creature, Harpus, shrieked.
Kevin's mind registered the threat. "Okay... Time to go!"
Jumping on his seat, he gave one mighty twist of the accelerator handle and his scooter zipped off into the wind like a runaway stallion, catching the flying creatures off-guard, and unintentionally dropping the ball figurine to the ground.
"Hey!"
"Get him, Harpus. I'll deal with this puny prince!"
Prince? So that big talk about a future ruler is no joke?
Looking back, it became apparent that the humanoid raptor called Spyron was poised to finish off the helpless figurine. Shaking his head in pity, he did the next best thing he could...all for a golf ball.
Pulling on the brakes, he spun his scooter one-eighty and gunned on the accelerator, charging towards the pursuing Harpus.
"What the heck?"
The scooter went under the flying creature as Kevin closed in on the ball figurine, trying in vain to convince Spyron. "Wait, you can't do this!"
His grasp in range, Kevin snatched the ball figurine before speeding off as a massive whirlwind struck the earth behind him, sending debris into the air.
"That was close," the prince remarked between Kevin's fingers as he placed it- no, him- into his pocket.
"Not yet!" Kevin made a hard left turn as another whirlwind flew in from behind, knocking a parked truck into an empty grocery store. Glimpsing back, both Spyron and Harpus were in hot pursuit; Spyron preparing another whirlwind blast while Harpus rained down bullet-like pinions along their path. Gritting his teeth, Kevin was forced into evasion, weaving his bike from side to side as pinions ricochet off the road before making a sharp turn into an alley. Seconds later, a great explosion of air rocked the street where he was like a bomb as Spyron's super whirlwind struck several cars in succession.
"Where are you taking me?" the prince questioned from his pocket. "My realm is in grave danger!"
"Your realm? What about me? If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess!" Kevin complained as he dodged dumpsters and trash cans along the narrow alley. "Grrrrrhhhh!"
Kevin made another sharp turn at the exit, this time avoiding a stationary truck blocking his alley route and forcing him back into the street.
"Listen, human. I must return to Vestroia immediately! My race is in dire need of my presence!"
"Here's an idea- how about taking a cab to the airport and smuggling yourself on an airplane! I'm sure you're small enough to bypass security," Kevin yelled as he noticed the flying creatures behind him from his bike's mirror.
As Harpus rained more pinions upon him, Kevin realised, "If they're your kind, what are you doing as a golf ball?"
"I...I don't know. I wasn't like this when I'm still in Vestroia. Unless..." the ball trailed off.
"Spare me the details!" Kevin voiced his anxiety as he weaved his scooter around more stationary vehicles littering the road. "Just do something to get them off my back!"
The ball grunted and groaned about in his pocket. "It's no use. I just can't get anything out of my effort."
"I hope it's nothing-"
"No, it has nothing to do with me stuck in your claustrophobic space!"
"Oh sh-"
Kevin's cursing was cut short as a powerful gust caught his scooter's rear, tossing him off into the tarmac; his scooter barely missed his head as it cartwheeled ahead before brutally smashing into an SUV.
The resulting fall also ejected the ball off Kevin's pocket. "Yargh!"
As Kevin staggered, he felt the cold presence of the flying creatures behind him. Glancing back and realising his fears, he jumped to his feet and was about to dash off when he realised his ball companion was nowhere with him.
"Hey, where are you now?"
"Here, under this red four-legged beast!"
"Beast? What beast?" Kevin asked while jumping aside, avoiding the feather pinions littering the road behind him.
"Harpus, you fool! None of your attacks are working," Spyron yelled furiously before swooping down upon the fleeing human.
"Behind you!" the prince cried out.
Kevin heard the warning and learned that the prince must be nearby and jumped aside, just as Spyron lashed out at where he was.
"Hah, you missed him too!" Harpus mocked back.
At the clear, Kevin sought shelter against a parked van. "Hey, I'm here. I saw you."
Kevin glanced about before realising that the 'beast' in question was the parked red van. Peering down, he saw the red ball resting against the sidewalk.
"There you are," Kevin said with relief as he snatched him up.
Pinions thumped through the van's chasis like bullets, causing Kevin to flee without hesitation. Arriving at his fallen scooter, he found to his dismay its front end was badly mangled.
"Damn it. The bike's totaled!"
A sinister cackle echoed the air. "Looks like you're not going anywhere now."
Kevin turned and faced the green creatures, or Bakugans, which the prince referred as. "I'll make sure your end shall be painless."
"Looks like they caught us this time," the prince remarked in defeat.
As his eyes roved about, Kevin spotted an opening to his right. "Not just yet."
Spyron summoned a larger whirlwind and tossed it without delay. At the exact moment, Kevin darted to his right into an alley and down an open manhole.
"Nooo!" He heard Spyron cursing aloud, his hands gripping the steel ladder lightly while sliding into the filthy sewage network.
"Urgh, of all places to be," the prince remarked, his disgust obvious in his tone.
"Better here than up."
His footsteps echoed through the dark tunnel as Kevin jogged blindly while keeping close to the wall.
"There should be an exit somewhere here."
"How do you know?"
"Every sewer must have an exit, regardless of how long it is."
"What's a sewer? And what do humans do to make this place reek?"
Kevin grumbled annoyingly, "You don't want to know."
"Why?"
His face went red. "Just...shut up. Forgive me for being rude, but some things are best left not known...especially to an alien stranger like you."
"How dare you address me as such, human? I am the future king of the Pyrus realm, and your lack of respect is an outrage!"
"Whatever," Kevin retorted. "You should be thankful instead that I saved you, risking my ass for a spoiled prince like you."
"Why y-"
Kevin shut him with a clench of his fist, a muffled yell seeping between his fingers. That's much better.
The network dragged them on for several minutes, the stench as unbearable as the rodents and cockroaches scurrying about the walkway. Eventually Kevin arrived at a ladder, leading him back up to the surface.
Sliding the rusty manhole cover off, Kevin's head popped up and surveyed his new surrounding warily before slipping out from the sewers. Opening his palm and releasing the Bakugan, he suggested, "I'm going to take you out of the city, far from those two monsters. If you wish to return to this Vestroia, I'm afraid you're on your own from then on."
Fluttering off the human's hand, the prince begrudgingly remarked, "Fine, I'd rather find my own way back than to be with you, arrogant human."
"Deal?"
"Without a shadow of a doubt."
Scanning the street, Kevin made a quick decision and headed towards the nearest car, a parked white Ford Mustang convertible. With its roof uncovered, he jumped in and proceeded to check the car's interior compartments.
"What are you doing?" the Bakugan queried as he fluttered close.
Cursing, he moved on to under the steering wheel and, pulling off a frame, began hot-wiring the car's ignition system. "Getting this thing running."
"Is it yours?"
Groaning, he shook his head turned to the prince. "Do you want to get out of here in one piece or not?"
A few attempts later, the engine ignited to life. "Come on, let's move it."
The tires screeched against the tarmac as Kevin gunned on the accelerator, smoke billowing into the air. As they drove on, the prince inquired, "You know the way out?"
"Yep, been in and out the city for the past five years."
"Are you some sort of wandering traveler?"
Kevin snorted. "I wouldn't call myself such a fancy term, actually. I do move about the country but it's never my desire. Ever since my parents divorced, life with mom wasn't the best of times, which got worse when mom passed away. Without her source of income, no taxes were paid and when no taxes were paid, everything we once owned were taken away."
"What about your father? Won't he be worried for you?"
"I don't know. It was a nasty break-up, and for personal reasons it's best I remain tight-lipped on the matter."
The prince paused in sympathy. "I understand, and I'm sorry for you."
Kevin's head shook slightly. "That's just life."
Kevin pressed on towards the freeway, passing by more empty vehicles scattered throughout the road. He realised most of them had their doors wide open, including those in the city. Whatever caught their attention could be the cause of this mass disappearance, he thought.
"Just a few more minutes and we'll be-"
A wave of green energy overtook them at an astonishing speed before disappearing far ahead into the horizon.
"What in the world was that?"
A swift answer came about as a mysterious spiral took shape in the middle of the freeway, its intensity building with every twirl.
"Look out!" the prince cried in panic, forcing Kevin into slamming his feet against the brake pedal as his car spun aside. It became apparent that the form was a tornado as it grew wide enough to block most of the freeway. Despite its size, Kevin's car remained where it halted instead of being sucked into the vortex.
"A tornado in LA? How is that possible?" Kevin demanded, his fingers gripping the steering tightly as furious wind blew his hair wildly.
"It must've been their influence."
"Influence?"
"You got that right," Harpus' voice filled the air as the tornado before them died down. "A Bakugan can lay their elemental influence on a battlefield depending on their G-Power, turning it into a valuable ally. With Spyron in control now, she can summon any wind elemental attacks from her surroundings."
"As long as I'm in charge, nothing can turn my influence over."
"And any attempt at fleeing will be completely futile."
"Unless I make my stand," the prince retorted as he floated above Kevin's head.
"You're kidding, right?" Kevin queried, uncertain over the Pyrus prince's challenge. "I mean, no offence, you're still a toy ball..."
"Perhaps. But somehow, deep inside, I feel there is a way to break free. I just-" the prince grunted with extreme effort as the ball shook hard, "-need to focus my energy..."
Spyron laughed aloud. "Hah! You're just as pathetic as the lowest G-Powered Bakugan."
Kevin shook his head in dismay at the prince's worthless effort. "This isn't going anywhere."
"Oh, you will be, human," Harpus reminded. "Once we're done with that petty prince, you're next, whether you'll die or live in exile with the others is to be decided."
"The others?" Kevin's attention perked up. "What are you talking about?"
"Huh, are all humans that clueless?" Harpus mocked. "Unless you're blind, your kind was sent to the Doom Dimension as part of Naga's plan."
"Naga? So he's behind this too?" the prince questioned angrily.
"He'll do whatever it takes to become the new, absolute ruler of all realms in Vestroia. The best part of all, that's just the tip of the iceberg."
"Enough talk! Time to clean out the liabilities," Spyron said.
The ground shook as more tornadoes sprouted around them, their wind-shredding frames spun at skyrocketing speed.
"What is your name, human?" the prince asked.
"What?" Kevin looked perplexed.
"What is your name? Answer me now!"
"Kevin. Kevin Charlton-Adams."
"Kevin Charlton-Adams, I need you to do me a favour."
"Favour?" his voice sounded panicky as the tornadoes closed in on their car.
"With all your might, throw me at them."
"But-"
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I...I believe I got it."
Nodding uncertainly, his right hand reached out for the prince who reverted back into ball shape.
"Happy trails!" Harpus cried as she rained down her pinions upon her target.
You've got one shot to impress me.
Unbuckling his seat belt and standing on his seat, he tossed the ball with all his might at the flying Bakugans; a humiliating, heavy-handed defeat seems guaranteed.
Until...
In mid-flight a glowing aura of red enveloped the ball, its intensity grew with every rising altitude. The ball popped open into its figurine form as its top half spun through the air, and hence it began its jaw-dropping transformation.
Through Kevin's eyes, like a video in slow-motion, he watched in awe as a flaming vortex engulfed the ball like a meteor. Through the fire, its spherical frame shriveled in minute, atomic waves before breaking apart; its miniature 'limbs' bursting into larger, real limbs. In unison, a tail, a pair of legs, arms and wings, and a draconic head emerged from the burning aura that was closing in on the Bakugan duo.
"What the?" Harpus gasped.
"No, it can't be-" Spyron's disbelief was cut short as she was rammed hard in the chest by the dragonoid Bakugan who followed up with a tail swipe at Harpus.
"Aaahhh!"
Both green Bakugans came crashing down to earth. Seeing the opening he needed, Kevin fell to his seat and set the car on reverse, distancing himself from the shredding tornadoes like a prey fleeing from a predator. Battle cries emerged from nearby, followed by a thunderous roar as the sound of a gargantuan battle rages above Kevin's head. Uncaring, he kept reversing before pulling a one-eighty degrees J-turn as a green body flew over his head, crashing behind him in a massive heap of tarmac and earth.
"How is this possi-" A powerful roar cut Harpus' cry off as a thunderous crack echoed in the air, sending the harpy Bakugan back down to join her fallen comrade.
Kevin drove for his life in the opposite direction when a voice boomed above, "Begone!" From his rear-view mirror, a flaming wall shot forward towards the tornadoes and upon contact, the whirling gusts exploded and dissipated into nothingness. With the windy threat neutralised, Kevin allowed his guard down and braked his car.
He spun back and, along with the battered Bakugans on the ground, looked up in disbelief and awe.
The Bakugan prince, once the size of a golf ball, was now a full-sized dragonoid being, complete with two pairs of wings on his back.
"You've picked the wrong prince to fight," the dragon Bakugan snarled. "Now open that portal of yours back to Vestroia. Fulfill my demand and I will spare your actions towards me upon return."
"Oh, you will return...as a corpse!" Harpus spat back.
"Our orders from Naga is clear," Spyron retaliated as she stood up with Harpus. "Death to the Pyrus prince!"
Both green Bakugans fired upon the prince with all their might, pinions and wind gusts alike.
Kevin watched from his seat as the sole red Bakugan looked on fearlessly at the oncoming dual attacks. What are you waiting for? Move!
The prince stood his ground as a shield of fire engulfed the prince's body, super-heating the air around him. The attacks struck his flaming shield with a deafening 'fwoom', only for them to dissipate harmlessly after the impact.
"You've been warned!"
The prince summoned flaming energy in his mouth before unleashing it as two fireballs, each for his opponents. At the speed the searing balls travel, both Harpus and Spyron were caught off-guard as their defeated cries were drowned out by the tremendous explosion ripping through the air.
Kevin shielded his face as the searing wave of light and heat engulfed the fiendish Bakugans. When the blasts died down, Kevin felt the road rumbled violently, his car shook in unison whilst rattling his bones. As pieces of tarmac rained about, Kevin stood down and spotted the smouldering bodies of the defeated Bakugan, amazingly alive but battered into submission.
High above the fallen duo, the Pyrus Bakugan prince watched on; the four wings supported his sturdy frame in mid-air in all his glory.
"Now, open that portal back to Vestroia," the prince demanded. "And no more foolish battles."
Kevin watched nervously as the two Bakugans staggered to their feet, the effect of the blasts still lingering with them.
A long pause later, Spyron nodded. "As you wish."
A rip tore open through space, but to the prince's anguish, the portal opened behind the duo instead. "If Naga can't have you eliminated, then he'll just leave you in exile!"
"No!" The prince dove after the duo but a single leap was all it took for them to disappear behind the portal as the dimensional gate collapsed a second later.
"Aaaarrggghhh!"
Adding insult to injury, a painful roar escaped the prince's mouth as his body convulsed, forcing him into a hard landing. Kevin leaped out of his car and ran towards the agonised Bakugan but before he could reach him, an angry red glow halted Kevin in his tracks as his frame collapsed, crunching the prince down in size.
Once the glow vanished, Kevin recovered from the spectacle and found the dragonoid Bakugan nowhere in sight. Instead, all he found was the familiar red ball where the prince once was.
"Uhhh..."
Kevin approached the weary prince and took him up in his hand. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine, just shaken."
Kevin struggled for words. "How...how did all that happen? You were one badass dragon back then, and now you're back as a harmless ball."
"I..I don't know myself, but I have reasons to believe Naga may be behind this."
"Naga," Kevin muttered. "Those Bakugans that fought you, they mentioned humanity vanished because of that creep."
"Yes, and it seems somehow, our fate has intertwined," the prince summarised.
"When worlds collide?" Kevin raised an eyebrow at the ball.
"And I fear it could get worse."
Kevin surveyed his surroundings and found no one else but themselves. "Maybe separating ourselves wasn't such a wise idea now."
"Looks like you're right. Naga and his accomplices will definitely return for our heads," the prince sighed. "An exiled Bakugan in a strange world."
"Perhaps not." Kevin brought the prince back to his car as he turned it around and drove out of Los Angeles. "I want to know more about this Naga creep and the trouble he's giving us. I want the world as it was before this madness, no matter what it takes."
"I understand your concern. We're all in this together from now on," the prince said as he was placed on the car's dashboard. "We're our world's only hope."
Kevin nodded as the urban backdrop of Los Angeles vanished behind them. "By the way, I still didn't get your name yet, little fella."
"You may address me as Prince Drago," the Bakugan spoke. "And only Prince Drago."
A cheeky, irresistable grin etched Kevin's lips. "Sure."
A/N: Thanks for making through the end of the chapter. ;)
Now I'm sure readers who are familiar with the Bakugan series will notice some differences in the fic. Yes, I am trying something different here, something a little off from the series.
For starters, I decided to remove the card element from the fic because it felt cliche to me. Now I have nothing against the card elements in it, unless one counts the numerous other shows in the genre that uses that same technique: Yu-Gi-Oh, Duel Masters, Digimon Tamers and above, Onmyou Taisenki, Dinosaur King etc etc.
Instead, I wanted to try something more different, which leads to what I would dub a 'Gate Field'. As mentioned above, this field is similar to the Gate Card but minus the card, and that battling Bakugans, with the right G-Power level, can influence this field based on their elements and turn it against their opponents, who can also retaliate likewise. So battles will be fast, furious, and insane like a Transformers movie.
Ditto to Ability Cards either. Let the Bakugans have control over their own abilities. I mean, can you imagine these scenarios happening:
Dan: Ability Card, activate! *reveals Amex credit card* Noooooo!
Shun: Ability Card, activate! *pulls out $10 McDonalds coupon* Nooooo!
Marucho: Ability Card, activate! *took out ability card...for Digimon* Neeeeeiiiinnn!
See?
Will there be more changes? Nah, I don't think so. So rest assured that all will be constant from now on
Oh, and the form Prince Drago took is based on his Cross Dragonoid form. Just wanting to avoid some confusion there.