Disclaimer: I don't anything from te Bakugan franchise, everything and every character belongs to its respective owners (beside the few OCs that are my own)

Yay! Sorry, it took me forever. I kind of didn't know what to write. . .T-T But I figured it out! Here ya go! :D


Shun sighed to himself as he looked out to the rising sun. He was standing atop the New World Memorial building; the building dedicated to the former, now deceased, leader of the Brawlers and his once best friend. From up so high, he could see the sun show a shining path of gold across the ocean. As a gust of wind passed by him, he brushed some loose bangs out-of-the-way. About a month ago he decided to grow his hair out again. Since then he had kept the mess in a ponytail, but it always seemed to fall out again.

"It's a sure beautiful thing to see, Sensei. The sunrise, I mean." A voice said.

Shun looked down to his right shoulder where his partner Bakugan had situated himself. Ventus Gurifen was new to the human world of Earth and was a young, inexperienced Bakugan as well. Shun would've stayed with Jaakor, but the Bakugan had decided to return to his home world. Shun had found his new partner wondering around BakuganCity. Coincidently, both were in need of a partner and Shun seemed to see a lot of potential in the young Ventus Bakugan.

Gurifen was interesting to say the least. Most of the time didn't watch what he was saying and just spoke his mind. But he was a good listener and thinker, and that's what made him a good student. He was always ready to take advice from Shun, and was very obedient to his new Sensei. Yet he wasn't entirely passive, when a situation got extreme, Gurifen would sometimes act on instinct than think things through. And being a young Bakugan, Gurifen would also have some self-confidence issues. But Shun knew he would be able to work out all the kinks later, through the course of their partnership.

Shun nodded to Gurifen, but didn't say anything. The sunrise reminded him of something a great friend once told him. It was a cheesy something, but it always made him think when he thought about it. Mainly it was because he always had to think of him, of Dan. But he couldn't dwell over the past now, could he? It had been over a year since that day that he died. Now Shun was the leader of the Brawlers, but a responsibility like that never felt so heavy. People depended on him to make the right choices. He always had to make sure everything and everyone was safe and secure. Even aliens from other worlds first looked to him as their hero. And not to mention the thousands of fans all throughout the world who saw him as an unbeatable champion. Is this what Dan had felt all the time? Could he, Shun, really live up to something like that?

"Hey, you're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

Shun looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. He hadn't heard him come up, but that was probably because he was too lost in his own thoughts.

"Marucho." Shun gave a half-smile at the old friend. Marucho gave him a concerned look back as he walked up beside the Ventus Brawler.

"Hey, buddy! We can tell your smile's fake ya know!" Another familiar voice came from Marucho's shoulder, Preyas had returned from New Vestroia to become Marucho's partner again for the time being. Radizen, like Jaakor, had decided to return to his home world.

Shun blinked and tilted his head. For a moment, something seemed strange about his two friends, but he couldn't quite make it out.

"Hey, now why are you looking at me like that?" Marucho questioned as he looked at Shun's eyes. "You're really acting strange this morning."

Ah! That was it. Marucho wasn't looking up at Shun; instead the boy was eye level with him. Wait, when did Marucho get so tall? Shun thought. He assumed he never had the time to realize how grown up Marucho was now and his size change too.

"Shun? Are you okay?" Marucho said, by this point he was becoming rather concerned about his friend.

"Oh, I'm fine." Shun answered and turned away from the Aquos Brawler, back to the rising sun. Marucho turned east too, for a moment the two and their Bakugan just stared out to the open sea and morning sky.

"You still haven't answered my question." Marucho suddenly said.

"Huh?" Shun was again pulled out of his thoughts. "Oh. . ." For once, the ninja master hesitated. "I think we both know the answer already, Marucho."

"I see." Marucho nodded and sighed. Another gust of wind came, blowing strands of hair along with it.


"Hey! Hey! Hey! Get up! Get up! Get up! Big brother, get up!" Eve ran into Rory's room and shook her big brother awake. "Come on, today's the big day! A really, really big day!"

"Aww… Come on, five more minutes." Rory groaned from under the blankets. He rolled over and put a pillow over his head.

"Don't mind him Eve. He always gets up like that." Eve heard a voice from Rory's desk.

"Oh, hey Taros!" Eve greeted the Subterra Bakugan with a good morning smile. "Can you really believe you and Rory are going to battle Shun Kazami? The leader of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers!"

"Hah, yeah I know. But I think you're the one who can't believe it the most out of all of us." Taros joked.

"What time is it?" They both heard Rory's voice say from under the blankets.

"It's time to get up, get up, get up!" Eve said back, and then both she and Taros laughed as they heard another groan from under the blankets.


"Good luck Rory!" The Caldrin siblings' mother and father waved them off from the front door.

"Yeah, we'll be watching the entire battle!" Their father called after them.

"Yeah, thanks Mom! Thanks Dad!" Rory waved good-bye to them while Eve walked beside him.

"Knowing you, you might need it." Taros said from Rory's shoulder.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Rory sarcastically said and rolled his eyes.

"I don't think you'll need any luck, big bro! You and Taros are unstoppable!" Eve said.

"Haha, thanks sis. I'll win this battle for you." He patted Eve on the head.

"Rory, you say that for every battle."

"That's because it's true. There's not a single battle I've ever brawled that hasn't been for you."

"What about the ones you've lost?" Taros interjected.

"Oh gee, thanks for ruining the little brother-sister moment there Taros." Rory retorted. "Yeah, even the ones I've lost."

"I think that's cheesy." Taros said back, "But it is just my opinion."

Rory faced away and began mumbling unintelligible, but obviously angry gibberish.

Eve saw that Rory seemed embarrassed about admitting it. "I don't think it's cheesy Rory. I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever done for me." She gave him a big smile and interlocked arms with him as the walked.

Rory turned back and gave sheepish smile back. "Thanks, sis."