"Okay," Roya mumbled to herself. "This needs to be nothing that big. I'm just...meeting Marucho, Dan, and Shun for the first time. Yeah...there's no way I can stay calm here."

"Why are you so nervous?" Ren asked, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Roya ran her fingers through her hair, spiking it.

"I'm excited," she told him matter-of-factly. "I've wanted to meet these guys for forever! They're my idols. Well, aside from the ones I've created with my writing."

Ren raised an eyebrow, but let it pass without further comment. Roya kept her eyes scanning the skyline for any telltale recognisable buildings. Of course, she was so preoccupied that she nearly walked right past the Marukura family mansion, a real feat.

Kato was waiting inside for them, and he welcomed "master" Ren back. Leaping a little in her stride as they navigated through the labyrinth of halls, Roya tried unsuccessfully to control her jitters. Kato announced them, and Roya stared at the living breathing Dan, Marucho and-pinch me! she thought-Shun. She recognised the room too: all white with computer monitors all across the wall. The main screen showed a picture of the Bakugan Interspace-still in it's barely post New Vestroian form.

"Hey guys, this is Roya," Ren introduced her. She smiled politely, afraid to overwhelm them. Dan stepped forward, and extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Dan Kuso."

Roya took his hand and shook it once. Marucho and Shun both did the same, and her excitement rose again.

"It's really cool to meet you in person for the first time," Roya added conversationally. "Ren told a little about you, and I couldn't wait. Is this the Interspace he was talking about?"

"Yeah," Marucho said. "It's not much now, but would you like to come inside?"

"Go inside?" she gasped. "Would I ever!"

Lead down a set of stairs and onto the access point, Marucho instructed the techies to start up the jump into the system. Roya bounced on her toes freely now, unable to suppress it any longer. Ren and Dan both laughed, but Shun politely refrained. As they entered the Interspace, the tickling sensation drove Roya up the wall, hardly able to stop herself from reacting.

"HOLY FLIPPIN' CROP!" she exclaimed when she took a single glance at the digital realm around her. With a loud fangirl squeal, Roya jumped up and down excitedly. "This is so cool! I cannot believe that I am standing inside of a virtual reality! Oh my gosh, there is no way to say how awesome this is!"

Marucho laughed, partially embarrassed, but also partially alarmed at her powerful reaction. Roya ran her hands over a wall and exclaimed "HOLY FLIPPIN' CROP!" again. Shun looked at Ren.

"At least one of us is excited."

With effort, Roya pulled herself together and apologised for being so loud. Dan laughed.

"You should've seen the look on your face!" he told her. Drago popped open and scolded his partner for being rude. This reignited Roya's spastic-ness and she rushed over to stare at him. She controlled her fangirl reactions enough so that she didn't speak again, but her eyes were bigger than moons. Dan laughed again.

"Would you like to see a battle?" Ren asked.

"Live? Would I ever!" Roya answered. "I just hope my brain doesn't explode from excitement. That wouldn't be pleasant. For anybody."

"Who do you want to see battling?" Shun asked. Roya immediately became serious and considered her options carefully. Everyone-except Ren-seemed suprised at the weight she was giving to her descision. At length, she nominated Ren and Shun.

"They seem about even," she explained to Marucho as they climbed into the stands of a battle arena. "Plus, a Darkus against Ventus would be interesting. I don't remember seeing that matchup very often."

"I just wish Drago and I had the chance to battle though," Dan commented. "It's been a while."

"Sorry," Roya answered, without shame.

As Hawktor and Linehalt battled, Roya was captivated. She sometimes sided with Shun, other times with Ren, cheering the whole time. Though neither of the boys battling appeared to pay attention, they hadn't enjoyed a battle like this in a long time, with someone rooting for them in the stands.

When Shun won, Roya had nothing but good things to say about their battle performance.

"That was so cool!" she exclaimed to them both. "So intense! I could tell that two old pro's were matched up, but I had no clue it would be that good. If I were battling, I'd so lose."

She laughed at her own pathetic battle skills, and this set the wheels of Marucho's head turning. Ren saw it, and shook his head in amazement. Roya had just fufilled her own prediction of a Public Interspace.

"You never cease to suprise me," he told her later, the second they were alone. "You talked about a public interspace, and now there is one. Or there will be soon."

"Trust me, I wasn't expecting that to work," Roya answered. "I mean, Marucho didn't even need to ask for more clarification."

"Do you think that getting people to do whatever you want is the 'gift' the Emperor thinks you're supposed to have?" Ren teased. Roya looked at him with severity he was not expecting. Her gray/blue eyes held his golden ones steady with a power he didn't know where it came from.

"I think," she said, "that I will keep my suspicions about what I can do to myself. Keep your sharp Gundalian eyes open and maybe you'll figure it out."