And now for chapter 2! more Shun torture in the beginning! What more is there? BWAHAHAHAHA. Oh, I forgot to say in the first chapter, but this story is dedicated to a friend of mine named Diane because it is my B-Day gift to her. Happy B-Day, Deedee-chan!
"For the last time, let. Me. Out. Of. This. Mental. Facility," Shun shouts. Breezyfeather takes the chain from her wrist and attaches it to the wall with a padlock. Shun pulls against it before she attaches it and manages to escape. Breezyfeather doesn't seem fazed.
"I think that you need to give him a break, Breezyfeather," Katie says, leaning on the wall with a soda. "You're always giving the ninja a tough time. Why is that?"
"Because it's funny. And besides, I have fun writing about him trying to escape my wrath," Breezyfeather says. "And a bunch of other people I know of pick on Shun. I don't feel like writing a list, so you're just gonna have to figure out who they are. Okay. I am running out of ideas for this intro, and I really wanna get writing the chapter, so this concludes the intro. Oh wait. SHUN GET DOWN HERE!"
"NEVER," he shouts back.
"Move your butt," Breezyfeather cries, throwing sharpened sticks at him. Julie sighs and presses a button. The recording room where they were shouting at each other doors swing shut and Julie grins.
"On with the story," she says.
Runo bit her lip as she turned, Tigrerra standing at her back. She held her baton out in front of her, making the Vexos decide to keep their distance from the sharp point of the Haos symbol. Runo glared at them and sent a telepathic message through her link with the others from the Perfect Core.
"Dan, Shun, I need help. The Vexos are here and they've got Tigrerra and me cornered."
"Where are you," came Dan's reply a second later.
"We came inside through an open window on the other side of the building . Keep an eye out for a really bright light. Put on your sunglasses, Dan," she said, getting an idea.
"Gotcha," Shun, Dan, and Drago said.
"Well, Runo, you seem to have gotten a little more courage in the past six months," Lync said. Runo flashed him a glare and raised her baton.
"What do you think that you're going to do," Mylene asked with a smirk. Runo smirked back.
"Sparkling Haos," she shouted, the Haos symbol producing many sparkles like the Haos Shooter. The light grew until Lync and the others were turning away in pain, facing the wall with their eyes covered.
"Runo," Dan shouted.
"Dan," she yelled.
"Turn that off," he urged.
"Can't, or they'll get us," she cried, pointing it at the door. "Use some Darkus power, since we're linked to the Perfect Core. That lets us use abilities from other attributes, right?"
"Yeah! Darklight," Shun yelled. He, Dan, Drago and Ingram flew in through the window one by one and Runo help up one hand. Dan grabbed her wrist while she jumped up. Shun glared down at Lync and pulled the door shut, straining to hear the lock click since it was hard to with the Vexos moaning.
"Hey, don't let them get away," Gus shouted, hearing Tigrerra walk over to the window. She gasped and jumped out, her wings catching the air and making her float below the window. She kicked back against the wall and shot out, away from the window.
"Runo," Dan shouted, pulling toward the window. Drago and Ingram were floating outside the window and Runo jumped out with Dan holding her hand. With the light out of the room, the Vexos were able to uncover their eyes and see Runo escaping.
"Grab her, Mylene," Shadow yelled, jumping toward the window. Runo and Dan gasped, Dan pulling her upward. Shun covered her from below, then quickly jumped out of the way of a rope that swung at his foot. In his absence, they managed to snag Runo's ankle. She yelped as she was yanked downward, a searing pain in her ankle making her wince, but the wings on her shoes pushed her up, making the pain worse. Dan gasped and grabbed her wrists again, glaring down at Spectra and Volt, who were holding onto the rope.
"Let her go," Shun shouted, flying over to the window.
"Do you think that we're honestly going to let her go now? We've got her in the perfect position," Gus said. Runo and Dan let out gasps and Tigrerra growled. Blades shot out of her wrists and she slashed at the rope, severing it. Volt and Spectra tumbled backward, startled, while Mylene tossed a grenade at Shun, who dodged. It descended five feet from his feet and then a black and purple portal appeared from it. Shun and the others gasped when his foot was caught it in.
"Shun," Dan and Ingram shouted.
"Shun," Runo yelled, diving down to him. He threw a hand up and she grabbed it, then Dan grabbed her around the waist. Together, they managed to pull Shun from the portal. He panted a "Thank you," and Runo turned to the Vexos, growling.
"You are going to pay for this," she said slowly and dangerously. Spectra and Lync smirked, making Runo do a double take. Then, something exploded behind them. Runo screamed and Drago gasped.
"Runo," Tigrerra shouted.
"Aiiee," she screamed, the force of the explosion sending her flying. She ended up doing a few somersaults before she caught herself. She turned to see Dan and Shun panting, a shield up between the two of them and the explosion. Something latched onto Runo's armor but she didn't notice. In seconds, the thing had dissolved into the metal and Lync grinned. When Runo turned around, the Vexos were gone. She blinked and surveyed the damage they had taken.
Shun was bleeding from a cut on his forehead and a few on his legs, Dan had a bloody nose and his left arm was hanging limp. His staff was grasped in his other hand and he was panting hard, a black eye already becoming visible. Runo looked herself over to find that her wrists had dark bruises from Dan's grabbing, her ankle was bleeding onto her boot, which seemed to be resisting the blood stains, and that her baton was still glowing. She made it stop with her mind and left a sharp pain in her shoulder. She shook it off and flew over to the others.
"Crystalline healing," she said, lifting her baton above her head. Dull sparkles compared to the others rained down on the two boys, but missed Runo entirely. She sighed, eyes closing. That last healing spell had zapped her completely of energy. Tigrerra quickly caught her and she smiled up at her, eyes squinting.
"Thank you, Tigrerra," she whispered before slipping into the depths of unconsciousness.
…...
She woke in the infirmary what felt like an instant later. The first thing she became aware of was the dull throbbing in her ankle. She blinked herself awake and sat up, immediately being assaulted by a searing pain in her right shoulder. She gasped in pain and let out a strangled moan.
"Runo," Dan cried, shooting to his feet. She glanced at him and continued to lean over, the pain in her shoulder making her nauseous. "Marucho! Get one of your doctors in here!"
"What's wrong," Marucho asked, dashing in. Runo didn't notice, too distracted by pain. She was trying not to scream, or even cry for that matter.
"I don't know! She just woke up and started moaning," Dan said.
"Take that armor off of her," Marucho instructed and Dan and Shun immediately moved to remove it. It took them a moment, because they had to unstrap it, but they got it off. Tears slid down Runo's cheeks, the pain now intensified. "I still don't know what's wrong! Can you remove her shirt?"
"What," Dan and Shun asked, their faces becoming beet red.
"Oh, move it," Julie said, pushing them out of the way. "If you're so scared of becoming perverts, then get out of the room. Alice, Katie and I will deal with this."
"No, I'm not leaving," Dan said stubbornly.
"You're leaving," Julie and Runo said at the same time, although Runo's was more like a teeth clenched order with the hint of a growl. Katie and Alice nodded and Dan reluctantly walked out, followed swiftly by Shun.
Julie heard Shun call Dan a pervert and then the door slid shut. They could still hear Dan yelling though, but,surprisingly, that didn't make Runo laugh.
"Runo, what's wrong," Alice asked, sitting down beside her. Runo shook her head.
"Shoulder... hurts... so bad," she grunted. Alice reached behind her and undid the buttons on the back of her shirt, which were hidden before by the armor. She slid it off of her shoulders and gasped.
"What's up," Katie asked, walking over. Then, she too gasped at the sight of Runo's back.
"What?" Julie started to walk over, but Katie held up a hand.
"You're still squeamish right," Katie asked and Julie nodded, biting her lip. "Then don't come over here."
The skin above Runo's shoulder blade was bright red and seemed to get redder the closer it got to the bone itself. There was a large bump about the size of a small golf ball right at the center of the bone, which was dark red. In the center of that was a black dot that glowed white.
"What is this," Alice asked.
"I don't know," Katie responded, looking around for any clues. Her eyes rested on the armor. "Hey, bring that over here, will ya?"
"Sure," Julie said, reaching for the armor and handing it to Katie. She scanned the outside of it and didn't find any visible blemishes, but on the inside she saw it. Right where Runo's shoulder blade would be if she were wearing it was a little hole about the size of the bump. She gasped and dropped it, making Runo jump.
"What the heck happened to that," Alice asked.
"I think that the more operative question would be, "is this going to be fatal or seriously injuring"," someone said. The three non-injured girls all turned toward the voice and gasped.
"Mylene," Katie breathed angrily.
"Yeah, obviously. Like there are any other female Vexos," she said sarcastically, walking toward them. Alice and Julie stood, protectively, in front of Runo, who whimpered in pain. She was facing the other way from Mylene, so she was not aware of the Vexos' presence.
"What did you do to Runo," Julie demanded. Mylene smirked. "What did you do!"
"Me? I did nothing. Lync did the dirty work."
"What is wrong with her," Alice shouted. Mylene closed her eyes with a cocky grin.
"We released a parasite that would suck up any Bakugan related energy that resides in her. Or at least, that's the idea. We figured that she might have received part of the Haos Attribute Energy, and she already has some Haos power to begin with, thanks to the Perfect Core." Gasps resounded throughout the room.
"What do we have to do to save her," Katie asked finally. Mylene smirked.
"I was wondering when you would ask that. Bring me Mira and maybe I'll give you the antidote."
"Mira?" Katie asked.
"What for?" Julie asked. Runo blinked and came out of her pain induced daze.
"Don't! She'll make Mira surrender the Sub-Terra Attribute Energy!"
"Stay quiet, Runo," Mylene snapped. "And it won't hurt so much."
"Yeah right," Runo countered around her gritted teeth. "The only way it won't hurt so much is if Mira comes. I'm not gonna let her! Alice, go, get outta here! Find Mira," she whispered. Alice nodded and held up the card. She vanished right then and Dan burst into the room. He scanned it and found Mylene staring at him with a smug expression on her face. Julie glared at him and he glanced at Runo. Both teenagers' faces turned red and Runo bit her lip to keep from moaning again.
"Mylene! What are you doing here?" Dan demanded. She glared at him.
"Me? I'm just here to deliver the message. Me, because there are no other female Vexos and I thought that it might be polite at least to let a girl go to check up on the girl that happens to not be wearing a shirt," she spat. Dan glared at her, the red on his face intensifying.
"Since when do you care about being polite," Shun asked, coming up behind Dan. He glanced at Runo, who glared at him, and then turned his attention back to Mylene. Dan held up his weapon while Runo shrugged her shirt back on, wincing and choking back a whimper. She then held up her baton rather shakily, unable to stabilize her arm. Mylene glared at her and Dan, then Shun who held up his hands in a fighting position.
"Ha. I've named my terms. Other than them, there is no way to relieve the pain. You know how to contact us when you've reconsidered. You have three days before the parasite starts to cause her internal organs to malfunction. I suggest you comply," she told them with a sly grin. Then, she lifted one hand above her head and vanished. Julie and Katie exchanged shocked looks while Runo gasped again in pain, letting her arm fall.
"Why do these idiots always go after the girl," she whispered, falling back against the pillow and loosing consciousness.
"Yeah, why are they always going after Runo," Shun asked, glancing at Dan, who was glaring at the place where Mylene had vanished. Julie and Katie exchanged glances.
"I wonder... Maybe it has to do with the fact that she has the most pure of the six Bakguan attributes," Julie said, one finger on her lip and looking at the ceiling. "But wouldn't that make it harder to hurt her?"
"No. she cares a lot for Dan and the rest of us. Dan and her are dating and she's friends with all of us. Plus, she holds part of the Perfect Core and the Haos attribute," Shun said. "Haos is a pretty powerful attribute, and the fact that she hold as much power as you and Drago makes her a pretty good target."
"The thing that Lync planted on her... that sucks up the attribute energy," Katie whispered.
"What," Mira shouted, bursting into the room. She dashed over to Runo's side and felt her head. She yanked her hand away a second later, cradling her hand. "Her forehead is so hot," she muttered, waving her hand. "That thing sucks up attribute energies?"
"That's what Mylene said," Alice said, walking up behind her. Julie nodded and Alice started barking orders, which was completely unlike her.
"Marucho, get your team to find out what this thing is. See if it can be surgically removed," Alice ordered. Marucho nodded. "Dan, you go find some painkillers. They should be in the next room. Shun, do us all a favor and see if you can organize a security team around here. Katie, go and help Marucho's tech team erase the Vexos' tracks. Julie, you go see if you can contact Ace and Barron, as well as Klaus. Actually, that's how you're going to talk to them."
"Gotcha," she said, rollerblading out of the room. Alice sighed and undid Runo's pigtails, allowing them to lie, limp, on the pillow next to her face. Alice glanced at Hydranoid, who was perched on her shoulder, and he jumped up into her hand.
"Thank you, Hydranoid. Do you think... that maybe with the Darkus power, we can nullify the effects of the device," she asked.
"I don't know," said the deeper one of Hydranoid's voices.
"It's worth a shot though," Masquerade stated, appearing in the room. Alice glanced at him and walked over to him.
"Didn't Exedra give you a bit of the Darkus attribute energy," Alice asked. He nodded, walking over to Runo.
"Can you make her sit up," he asked. Alice hurried back to Runo's side and made her lean forward, supporting her with her arm. Masquerade held his hand out to her back and it started to glow purple. Runo winced in her sleep and then jerked, her eyes opening.
"Oh, wow, what the," she murmured. She blinked and looked up at Masquerade.
"Don't move," he told her. "Hopefully, this will negate the effects of the thing he implanted in you. Otherwise, it should delay the effect for a while." Runo closed her eyes and felt the power of darkness battle with her light. After three minutes, the pain in her shoulder was nothing but a memory and Masquerade made the glow stop. Then, the pain rushed back. She let out a cross between a scream and gasp and panted, eyes squeezed shut.
"I don't understand. That should have worked," Masquerade said. A Bakugan popped out on his shoulder. Alice and Runo gasped.
"Is that Reaper," she asked. Masquerade nodded and held up his hand again. More Darkus power flowed from it, soothing Runo's pain.
"I think that I can only delay it for a few minutes. Perhaps if all of those bestowed with the Perfect Core helped, we could make a big impression, but I can't do it alone," Masquerade said. "Go through with the surgery idea. I'll hold my Darkus power furring that and that should help, but if it doesn't we might have to comply with Mylene and the Vexos."
"No. Whatever you do, don't cooperate with them. That's like suicide." Runo forced the words out through gritted teeth because Masquerade stopped.
"But, if we don't, it could kill you," Alice whispered fearfully.
"Yeah well, a lot can happen in three days. And guess what," Runo said. "We're going to get through this and not do anything for them, got it!"
"Okay, Runo," Alice whispered.
"Hey, is this the painkiller," Dan asked, poking his head in through the door. "Oh hey, you're awake! That's good. Hey, Masquerade, what are you doing here?"
"Helping your girlfriend, start guy," he said, turning and revealing Reaper.
"Reaper," Drago gasped, coming in after Dan.
"Get over yourself, Drago. We're on the same side this time," Reaper said.
Drago shook his head and looked at Runo, who was wincing again.
"We're going to go through with surgery. Dan, can you and the others tap into the Perfect Core and use some Darkus power so that we can negate the device during that time," Alice asked.
"I think so. Hold on," Drago said. He held out his hands while Dan held up his staff. They both glowed purple and Runo sighed, feeling good. The lump didn't hurt anymore, but the white glow still emanated from it.
"Okay, see if we can get her into surgery as soon as possible," Marucho said, running into the room.
"Give her some anesthetic, would ya," Mira said, walking in. Alice reached over and grabbed a clear mask from the nightstand.
"Wait- what," Runo protested as she snapped it over her face. "Hey, wait a... minute," she murmured, then her eyelids started to close.
"Sorry, but we have to remove it as soon as possible," Marucho said. She glared at him one last time before her face went slack and she flopped forward again, once more saved by Alice's arm.
"I feel bad about this," Alice said.
"You should," Volt agreed, appearing in the doorway, swiftly followed by Shun, who tried to kick him in the head. He failed miserably.
"Sorry Dan," Shun called, then turned around to confront an angry Shadow Prove(Yes, I know I spelled it differently before, but people get me confuzled to say the least).
"If you think that we're going to let you even have a chance to remove that, then you are sadly mistaken," Volt said. Dan growled while Tigrerra and Drago both stepped forward menacingly.
"Want to take out the trash, Tigrerra," Drago asked, glancing at her.
"Anything to hurt the people that hurt my Runo," Tigrerra replied, already jumping toward them. "Velocity fang!" She slashed at the two, but miraculously, they managed to avoid her attack. She growled and took a step toward Volt. He drew a blade, which Drago knocked off of his arm. Shadow let out a "Huh?" and Drago dove for him.
Dan watched the battle between the four and grabbed the stretcher, as did Alice and Julie, which was stupid because she couldn't get any traction and just ended up being hauled around from place to place. "Shun, clear the way," Dan shouted. He nodded and the others jumped out of the way. Drago and Tigrerra were still fighting so Shun, led them through a different doorway.
"Hey, they're getting away," Shadow cried and Drago and Tigrerra stopped in their attack, looking back toward their partners. They both took off after them while Ingram barred the Vexos' way. After a few minutes, they managed to get past her, but by then all of the Battle Brawlers had disappeared. Even Ingram melted into the shadows. Shadow let out a yell and started breaking things while Volt teleported out of the room, leaving Shadow to do as much damage as he desired.
Dan looked back, still pushing the stretcher. Runo was out cold and Dan's gaze softened when he glanced at her. Her staff was by her side, while his was strapped to his back. Dan, he heard in his mind. He blinked but kept running, skidding around a turn. Julie let out a yelp as she was yanked around that corner while Dan shouted his apology. She glared at him and continued to skate.
They arrived at the surgical room within minutes. Dan gave Marucho a funny look. "Just how big is this house?"
Marucho shrugged and pushed the doors open. "Guys, get ready," Dan said. He pointed his staff at Runo, Drago and the others extended their hands toward her. They all started to glow purple and Julie ran from the room. The surgeons got to work while Dan looked away. They weren't out of the woods yet, but they were taking a critical step.
…...
Is that another Cliffhanger? Hope so. It's fun to be evil sometimes. Although, I'm not evil, just evil minded. Dang. It didn't stay on that one line. Oh well.
"Okay, Breezyfeather, you have ticked me off for the last time," Shun says. He lets out a wild yell as he snatches the staff out of Dan's hand and runs towards Breezyfeather. She grabs her laptop and jumps away but Shun jumps after her.
"Hey, what did I do this time," she yells, placing her laptop on the table and diving under it. Shun grabs the laptop and jumps into the air while Breezyfeather starts shouting at him.
"Put it down," she yells.
"Make me," he shouts back. She dashes over to the tennis ball shooter, which is rigged up with many sharpened sticks, and starts it. Shun glares at her and places the laptop on a ledge, then dodges the sticks.
"Are you insane," he screams at her. She glares at him and he hurries to return her laptop. "Are you insane," he asks again, handing it to her. She puts it on a table and reaches over to start the flamethrower thing that Jenny left there. Dan and Shun exchange startled glances and then glare at Klaus.
"Why did you let her have that," Shun demands, jumping into the air.
"Does that answer your question," Breezyfeather calls with a glare.
"Uh, yeah," Dan says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
