I do not own Bakugan.
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"And what is this fish, Daddy?" Masquerade said, sitting on his father's laps and in front of them was a floating screen with a strange fish that had three heads.
"That's the Echo fish" Xana.E said. "You can always tell it's coming by the sound it emits. It's hard to catch because it uses your ears against you, so you have to plug them up to think straight"
"Really?" Masquerade said, looking interested.
Not that far away, Alice looked at the sight of her son and Xana.E together with glassy eyes.
Her plan had worked perfectly.
Just seeing them together, warmed her heart.
However, she had to pull Xana.E away for a bit.
"Xana.e" She said, making the man look up. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
Both of their Bakugan had gone to visit their children who now had partners of their own.
"Sure. What is it?" He said, as Masquerade got off his lap and he followed her back to the bedroom.
Hydronid floated all the way to Masquerade.
"So... what made you come around to that creepy man, you call your father?" Hydronid said.
"Hydronid. He's actually really amazing" Masquerade said, "Fishing here is completely different from Earth fishing"
Hydronid wondered what exactly did Masquerade see that would cause him to think so highly of fisherman.
"Hydronid, I also saw something, weird." Masquerade said.
"Weird. How?" Hydronid said.
"I saw the Vexos" He revealed much to the Bakugan shock.
"W-What?" Hydronid said.
"I was shocked as well" Masquerade said, "They're supposed to be at the end of the universe but they were fishermen. Except for the women who was nowhere to be found. The metal Bakugan, Shadow Prove had, was talking"
"...What?" Hydronid said, shock after shock was coming today.
"And it wasn't talking like it was programmed to speak. It actually had a personality." Masquerade said. "I actually asked them if they know the words 'Vexos' but none of them seemed to have heard the name before."
"So, what I'm getting is that the Vexos were brought back from the end of the universe and placed on this planet with no memory of their former life?" Hydronid said. 'It sounds, just like what I heard 2 years after Alice went missing."
"I don't mind, that their fishmen, Hydronid. It's not like they have anybody to miss them" Masquerade said, "Each one of them is a traitor to their own race. Even if they were put back on their planet, they would be hunted down. Being here is like they have been given a second life"
"Just like you" Hydronid said. "Who would have guessed that you would become Alice's own child? It's looks like whoever ends up on this planet forgets about their past completely. Me and you now have an opportunity to battle to our hearts content."
Although he had to wait for Masquerade to grow a reasonable size to do so.
"What to spy on my parents?' Masquerade said.
"I thought you would never ask" Hydronid said.
Ch 10: He's old enough...
Masquerade and Hydronid teleported to in front of his parents' bedroom and pressed their ears against the door.
"Don't you think it's too early to be thinking about that?" Said, his father voice, through the door.
"Xana.E. Our child is getting to that age now" Said, Alice. "Soon, we have to start looking. Everybody who is as big as our child needs to be in school"
School?
The words echoed through the door.
Both Masqueade and Hydronid looked at each other.
"I get that he needs to be in school but isn't it best to home-school him?' Came his father, Xana.E voice.
"Xana.E. Our child need's friends!" Alice said, her voice echoing from the door"I keep taking him to the park but he doesn't play with the other children. I tried to set up a play date but Masquerade just goes into the other room"
And Masquerade was stunned, now that he thought about it, a lot of kid's had been coming over lately.
So, his mother wanted him to make friends?
But he was much too mature for that.
"Home-schooling him may provide a better education but he will be more isolated from the other children" Alice said. "One day, I want to be a grandma."
"But won't you be a grandma, regardless due to our son's mating season?" Xana.E said.
"And?" Alice said.
Xana.E, Hydronid and Masquerade all sweat dropped.
"But do we have to even consider such a pricey place?' Xana.E said, getting to the root of why he wanted him home-school. "A regular Public school is just as fine and many children go there."
"Xana.E. I would have had no problem if this was another child but this is our child" Alice said, "Let's go to a school that has 3 stars"
And Xana.E almost chocked.
In this world, there were no private schools for children around Masquerade age, so the public schools are graded depending on how they due at the end of year, collective exam.
This provides a competitive spirit in schools to outdo each other and guaranteed that the next generation would be smarter than the last.
In total there are 5 stars a school could get, a 1-2-star public school were everywhere, they were the kind of school and that have an easy-going atmosphere.
3-4 public school required for the child to take a special examine to get in.
And a 5 star public school were the schools who not only charge you to take the exam, but it was a lot harder as well.
Those were the schools for absolute genius children and when they reach a certain age, it wasn't rear to hear stories about employers flocking to them.
"You want our son to take an exam?" Xana.E said.
"Do you think our child isn't smart enough to take the exam?" Alice said, just daring him to say something else.
He didn't dare to say a thing.
"It's just that...you know. It would be tough to constantly maintain the grades. " Xana.E said, "Shouldn't our child have fun and only worry about reading and writing at this age?"
"Xana.E. Our child is special" She said, "It would be a waste for him to go a 1-2 start school"
She didn't know why but she felt that he would be really bored if they want to the dozens of low tair schools.
He might actually lose some brain cells, attending class.
"...Fine. I'll check out the nearby schools tomm..." Xana.E trailed off as he saw the brochures that appeared in front of him, thanks to his wife.
Apparently, she had done a lot of research before approaching him.
And Masquerade, Hydronid pulled ear's away and teleported to his room.
Masquerade flopped down on his bed.
"School?' Hydronid said, snorting. "You don't need to go to school. From what I know, you spend 6-7 hours sitting down and listen to a boring voice go on and on. Let's ask your parents to join a Bakugan school."
"Hydronid, you know I'm not big enough to attend a Bakugan school" Masquerade said, it sucked but it was the truth. "And the amount you have to pay to get in...my dad practically collapsed after spending a little bit on us."
He called spending over 300 Phudorian dollars a little...
"And it was money well spent" Hydronid said, "We got a simulator now so we don't need you father to do battle"
"Which, we had to beg my dad for" Masquerade said.
That thing cost 20 Phudorian dollars.
It was ridiculous but when you think of how much power had to go in to make sure it didn't break because of Hydronid power, it was worth it.
"Maybe. School would be good?" Masquerade said, "I've already seen that everything is different here compared to Earth. Even now, I still remember the theme songs of shows of when I was a baby."
He could sing it without missing a beat and it was because of them that he learnt the language much faster, than he would have normally.
"But you'll still sit for hours" Hydronid said, want on. "You won't have any freedom"
"I've had too much freedom and I'm bored" Masquerade admitted, he literally had hundreds of years to explore this house and wait patiently for another Family day out. "It's time for a change of scenery"
Suddenly he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in" He said and both of his parents came in.
Perhaps, they've come to talk to him about school?
"Son, can we talk?" His father said.
Yep, they had come to talk to him about school.
He nodded before his parents noticed the Bakugan,
"We stay together" Hydronid said, "If you want to tell him something than you tell us both"
They were 2 for the price of 1.
But his parents did not mind, they sat on his bed and he was sandwiched in-between them.
"Masquerade...how do you feel about going to school?" Alice said, always there and ready to give him a hug if needed.
Or not.
"School?" he said, of course he wasn't going to tell them that he ease dropped. "Isn't school for big boys and big girls?"
"Yes, and now you're a big boy as well" Xana.E said.
"Going to school, means that will be a lot of big boys and big girls there. You'll make lots of friends and there will be new toys for you to play with" His mother said, "There will even be an adult to teach you"
"But I like you teaching me" Masquerade said and Alice hugged him as the result of the compliment.
"We'll your mommy can't be here forever" She said, although if she could choose, she would glue herself permanently to his side in life. "One day, you have to go out and meet new people. There would be lot's of opportunities to do things if you are in school"
"Like, what?" He said.
"We'll... you can join the nearby junior Bakugan competition if you were in school" His father said.
" it" Hydronid said, immediately.
The first benefit had hooked him in.
But Masquerade wasn't so convinced yet.
"People from other towns can come in and do talks with you" Alice said, "There might even somebody from the Holy city coming to talk to you"
"What? Really?" He said,
"Son, there are people from all around the world that just want to help you be the best, you can be" Xana.E said.
The Ruler wanted them to keep advancing so it was only natural that he placed special importance on education.
The teachers were paid very well and surprisingly enough Hologram teachers weren't the normal because people actually loved their job.
"There will be competitions all the time. Even one where you win a trip to the Holy City" His father said, making his eyes shine. "You might even meet the Ruler, a few lucky scholar's have met the man"
"What do I have to do to get into school?" Masquerade said, hooked.
"We'll... you have to pass this exam" Alice said, "But if it was up to me. You'll go to the very best preforming school but your father is too cheap to put the money down."
"You call it cheap. I call it making sure the bank doesn't need to step in to help us" Xana.E said.
Because the money was digital, it can be easily replaced, when it runs low the banks step in resupply their finances and make sure they have enough until the next pay day.
Without the greed of the banks, they could do this without a hidden motive and there was no such thing as poverty.
"The closet 5 Star school from here, would cost 6 Phudorian dollars per day to reach and 20 dollars per month for a monthy pass and that's not even counting the costs of buying food" He said.
"All I'm here is that, when regarding our son, everything is expensive" Alice said.
"That's because it is!" Xana.E said, why was their child so expensive?
Masquerade and Hydronid watched them go back and forth.
They noticed that they weren't actually bickering, it was just playful banter.
Now that both of them thought about it, they had never actually seen the man and wife seriously get at it with each other.
Was it just his family or were all the families on this planet like this?
But then they draw closer and suddenly kissed.
He closed his eyes.
So much for maturity.
Hydronid wished he could close his eyes as well.
Masquerade suddenly had an idea.
"Daddy, Mommy. Am I going to have a sibling?" He said.
His question successfully tore them apart.
And scene!
Next chapter, Masquerade takes the exam and passes with flying colours. It's his first day of school and he can't help but notice a teacher called Kazarina who just found out she was pregnant again with her husband Gill child. Review/fav and follow!