I thought that I would get started on it quickly. Beforehand, I recommend to any new readers to start from the beginning of this series as you might lost if you start here now.
This new story probably won't have the same type of story as Love and War as that showed how when you're up, that you really can only go down again. Endure is more about starting things over from bad experiences and see if a better future can be built from the ashes of the past. That sounds pretty poetic...
Anyway, I hope that people like this story as much as Love and War as I have set quite the challenge trying to top it even though I'm sure that this one will hopefully be close to being of the same standard.
I guess you can expect the conflict seen in the first arc of MS to be a problem when it comes to Shun and Xenia both wanting to start over again but that keeps them from doing that. That's all I can reveal and the rest will speak for itself.
So read, enjoy and review please.
Chapter One: Grand Prix
It's been one whole year since the whole adventure with Neathia and Gundalia. We returned to Earth and built a massive Bakugan Interspace. The number of people coming in from around the world was just as big. The crowd goes insane for these battles! But of course the Brawlers are in action with our partners. Although we've had our share of challenges now from Team Sellon and Team Anubias. The stakes are higher for us but bakugan brawling has become a lot more intense but still in it to win it.
"Looks like Dan has this handled all by himself." Marucho says.
"You're not pulling wimpy on me, are you?" Tristar questions popping out next to him.
"No, I'm just saying Dan has awesome skills."
"I didn't pack up and leave Gundalia to sit on the standlines and admire another brawler!"
Taylean pops out next to Shun right after that has been said.
"Ancient Neathia proverbs says 'The bakugan who talks loudly battles weakly'." Taylean responds.
"Yeah, well on Gundalia we have a say 'The dude that yaps-yaps should get to the point, instead of talking in circles." Tristar counters.
I shake my head knowing how typical this was of the both of them while Marucho laughs nervously. Taylean and Tristar are like fire and ice but I guess that comes from being from different planets then. Dan seems to be managing himself just fine, I don't even know why we bother being here most of the time. I keep on watching the battle and see some strange look on Drago's face as his blast fails to hit the opposing bakugan. He quickly attacks again hitting them perfectly leading to another victory for us.
"Awesome! I'm telling you that Dan and Drago are totally unstoppable!" Marucho says with full confidence.
"Looks like." Shun replies just not as convinced.
"Well, one failed hit doesn't mean much." I say.
Seeing the likes of Sellon and Anubias do make me nervous. They want to be the best just like all the battlers here and that means taking us out. We all check the rankings later and Sellon and Anubias are catching up quickly towards us. Marucho and I no longer rank into the top four unlike Shun and Dan but I'm still a brawler just not as commited anymore.
"Looks like Dan is sitting pretty on top." Marucho observes.
"That should be us on that board, Marucho! What do you say, Drago? Wanna dance?" Tristar says.
"Maybe another time." Drago sighs.
"Shun and Xenia have won all their battles too. But they haven't won as many battles because Shun's busy training or because of Krystal Marie." Dan replies.
"It's improtant for a battler to always be honing their skills, Dan." Shun responds.
"Plus, Krystal Marie comes first now. She's more important now." I continue.
Krystal Marie is one now and she seems to be growing up happily enough. I do balance my time with my daughter with brawling and keeping singing as a pass time although interest has risen since I came over to Bayview. There are representitives who are interested in signing me but I keep on putting it off until this whole tornament is over anyway.
"Anubias and Sellon are catching up quickly, Dan. I know they're newbies but you shouldn't underestimate them. They're determined to be on top." Marucho notes.
"Yeah, whatever. It's gonna take more than a couple of noobs to take me and Drago down." Dan brushes off the concern.
"You have the guts to be that cocky to my face?" A deep male voice is heard.
There are all the members of Team Anubias. It's bizarre that Anubias seems to be pretty calm but the members of his team are pretty hot-headed. I don't know what to say about Team Sellon apart from liking the girl power admittely but they're calm and collected although Sellon rubs me off in the wrong way.
"Soon enough they'll be cheering the new champs: Team Anubias!" Ben continues.
"Take it easy, Ben." Anubias says coming out to face us. "Save the aggression for the arena."
Christ, here we go again. I guess that comes with being around a bunch of guys who can full of testorone. Damn, now I really do feel old thinking about it like that.
"Nice to meet you, Dan. I'm a huge fan." Anubias goes on.
"Oh, yeah!" Dan snaps.
Marucho steps between the two before a human brawl breaks out. We're all a lot more competitive because of this Grand Prix which helps with winning battles but sometimes it can be something that clouds our judgement. I may have been around Shun too long as I think I've become more smart and wise or maybe that comes from being a mom. I don't know anymore...
"Take it easy." I say again.
Dylan comes out from nowhere much to my annoyance. I've run into this guy once or twice when I'm wandering around on my own. He's like a constant pitchman which takes it toll and eventually drives me to the point where I want to put a gag over his mouth so I don't have to hear that voice.
"I can tell you guys are totally anxious to throw down." Dylan says sucking on that lollipop.
"What do you want, Dylan?" I ask not really wanting to know.
"Not much, sweetheart. You guys are gonna need stock first like ability cards. Lucky for you, I'm the go-to man in Interspace. Whatever you need, I can get."
Can you go away then? Anubias seems just as annoyed as me and walks off with the rest of his team. We leave Interspace afterwards calling it a day for now. God, things have changed since Interspace fell out of our control. It's around about sunset now and we just go to the park where we normally hang out before either heading to or back from Interspace.
"I though we were making it a free world by handing the controls over to the computer system. I wanted to open Interspace into millions of new battlers...but instead..." Marucho says.
"It turned into a lawless land." Shun replies being brutally honest.
"Harsh!" I wince.
"I think the results have been good. Battlers like Anubias and Sellon are great additions to the tornaments but there are also a lot of weirdos like that Dylan creep." Marucho finishes.
"I guess it's not like the old days when Shun and Dan made the rules. Things were a lot more simpler then." I sigh feeling nostalgic. "Maybe we're thinking too much into this."
Dan gets up from the bench taking a deep sigh.
"I'm with you on that, Xenia. People are coming to Interspace because it rocks! It's as simple as that, guys." Dan responds.
I guess he's right. I haven't got the time to think about this then. I head straight back home to check on Krystal Marie. I fee bad leaving her with Kaito most of the time. It's not like I'm avoiding time with her as I'm not going to Interspace tomorrow so I can spend time with her instead of focusing on the Prix.
When I get to my room, I see Kaito tending to her and Krystal Marie bursts into a smile when she sees me enter the room with Shun. She always acts like that, it makes feeel great and also makes me forget about the world outside for the meantime.
"You're back. I assume you'll be fine then." Kaito says.
"Yeah. Thanks, Kaito...I just feel bad that you have to look after her this frequently." I sigh picking Krystal Marie up and placing her in my arms.
"It's understandable so there's no need to worry." Kaito replies then leaves the room.
I only wish that I could spend more time with my own daughter but Marucho's own wealth seems to give her anything that a one year old could possible want. I wish that I could return the favour but I don't think I'll ever be able to repay them enough anyway. His family are so understanding unlike my Dad. Nadia gets in touch every now and then but I'm practically cut off from them. It doesn't bother me as much because I know the choice I made when I came to Bayview.
"You shouldn't worry so much." Shun says taking Krystal Marie.
"That's impossible now. Part of being a mom much like you being a dad." I sigh.
"True."
"Too bad that I'm not as sure about us though."
"You will be one day."
"That day is taking forever then."
Shun and I. As a couple, it's still on the outs. We're best friends like we always have been but there's still that doubt there. Shun says that I shouldn't go into something without being fully commited to it. He has a point and I haven't. The doubt itself is going away but very slowly judging from the fact that it's been a year and I'm still miserably single.
I don't know what it is. I guess I'll see whether I can work through this or not although I am confident that there has to be someway that things can get somewhat back to normal. We're best friends like we were before we were an item and it seems to be working out pretty well but there's something missing and there is something still wrong with this picture.