Breezy: One of the last chapters.
Shun: Okay.
Runo: Then you can start on one of the three stories that you have planned out!
Breezy: Yeah! I can't wait!
Ace: But you have to finish the other ones!
Breezy: Hey, be thankful I'm finishing this one! I love it and all, but I reaaaally wanna get writing this next fiction!
Baron: Then hurry up and finish this one!
Breezy: It should take... I dunno... 3... 4 more chapters?
Ace: Good luck...
Breezy: Why do I get the feeling you're being sarcastic...?
On with the chapter!
"Dan. Dan, wake up." Someone was shaking him awake and Dan groaned. His arms and legs ached, as did his head. His wrists and ankles stung. He didn't want to move.
"Nngh... no... it's Sunday..." he mumbled. His throat was dry and hurt when he talked.
"Dan! We need you to get up," the voice came again. Whoever it was shook him again and Dan grimaced. The person let go of him abruptly and Dan squinted, then blinked. The lights were out, and there was a figure standing next to him. Dan glanced around, his eyes then resting on the figure. He recognized the forked mask almost instantly.
"Masquerade?" he asked, then swallowed, trying to quench his parched throat. "Dang... can you hand me that water bottle?" Dan asked, pointing at the nightstand. Masquerade grabbed the water bottle and tossed it to Dan, who caught it easily. He grimaced when his arms moved too fast, but he lifted the bottle to his lips and drank in the cold water, thankful that he had put ice cubes in it. He gasped for air after he had drained half the bottle and grinned, feeling refreshed. He stretched and the aches he had felt vanished.
"Dan, get up," Masquerade urged. "It's important."
"What time is it?" Dan asked, glancing around through the darkness. "What, is it like, four in the morning?"
"Four thirty. Come on, move it," Masquerade said, grabbing Dan's wrist and pulling him from his bed. Dan was wearing his Resistance Uniform, minus the jacket, and stumbled when Masquerade dragged him across the room.
"Hey hey! Give me a sec to change my shirt," Dan protested. Masquerade let go of him and Dan quickly discarded his gray tank. He snatched up a clean one from the dresser and pulled it on, then followed Masquerade out the door after putting on his boots and snatching a cold, metal object off the dresser. He slipped it easily into his jacket pocket, feeling how the object weighed it down sufficiently. Dan wasn't surprised by that. The masked brawler hurriedly walked through the hallways, ducking left and right every here and there. It was still dark, but then the lights started to flicker on, and Dan assumed that everyone else was up, too. He wondered what was so important.
"What's going on?" Dan asked Masquerade. "Why did you get me up so early?"
"It has something to do with Hydron," Masquerade said bluntly, starting to jog. Dan narrowed his eyes and jogged after him, easily keeping pace.
"Let me guess. Something with the knife, too?"
"Bulls eye. Come on, they're waiting," Masquerade said, ducking around another corner. Dan easily followed and came face to face with Kato, who looked a little startled. Dan yelled in surprise, falling onto his butt. Runo laughed at him while Kato offered his hand, apologizing.
"Nah, that was my fault for not watching where I was going," Dan grinned. Kato shrugged, continuing around the corner. Dan kept walking with Masquerade, noticing everyone gathered in the large room.
There were two couches and recliners, as well as a coffee table in the middle. On the left, by the window, was a couch sticking out of the wall, and Mira, Mylene, Runo and Julie were sitting there. On the other couch was Shadow, Keith, and Gus, and on the other was Lync and Marucho. They all looked up as Dan walked in, Runo, Mira, Julie and Keith grinning, then they turned back around. Shadow looked tired, as did Mylene and Lync, while Gus and Keith seemed to be denying their need for sleep. Dan took in Volt, Baron, and Ace standing in front of everyone, and Masquerade left Dan's side to join them.
"Sit down, Dan," Masquerade said. "We've got something important to talk to you about."
"What's up?" Dan asked, taking a seat in one of the recliners, directly facing the four boys at the front of the room. Behind them was a large window, and it was still dark outside. None of the lights in the city were on, which struck Dan as strange. He pushed the thought aside, however, and focused on the boys. Drago popped out on Dan's shoulder.
"Yes, what is so important that you have to wake us up at four?" Drago asked. He was clearly upset that his sleep had been disturbed.
"It's four thirty, and its very important," Razenoid said, popping out on Masquerade's shoulder. Dan blinked at him, not recognizing the Bakugan. The others seemed to brush off his appearance absentmindedly, having already met him earlier that morning. Masquerade had left him in the room to meet with everyone, since waking up Dan was bound to be a near-impossible task. "I am Darkus Razenoid. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Hello," Drago said, nodding at the Bakugan.
"Dan, may I see the Athame?" Ace asked Dan, walking up to him. Dan stared at him, unsure of what he was talking about. Percival sighed.
"The knife," he said bluntly.
"Oh!" Dan jerked, reaching into his pocket for the knife. "Yeah, I didn't know what an Athame was."
"You're off the hook this time, Dan," Shun grinned. "I didn't know it either."
"Hm. Wow," Dan said.
"An Athame is a ceremonial dagger with a double-edged blade," Marucho explained. "It's used most commonly in Witchcraft and neopagan traditions."
"Neo-what?" Dan asked.
"Neopagan. It's- never mind, it's not important," Marucho muttered, catching the slight shake of the head that Mira gave him.
"Thanks Master Marucho," Baron grinned. "But this Athame has a history."
"An important history," Ace said. His tone was serious and seemed urging. He held up the sheathed blade for all of them to look at.
"The Ancient Athame," Volt said, looking out at all of them. Shadow, Mylene and Lync seemed to have woken up and were all looking at Volt with curiosity evident in their gazes. "This is a blade that originates from Vestroia." Everyone gasped but Dan, who narrowed his eyes.
"I knew it," he said. Runo and the others turned to look at him, surprised.
"How did you know it?" she asked. Dan shrugged.
"I dunno. You tend to pick things up when you have a blade pressed to your throat, I guess."
"I heard you say to Hydron that it had powers from the Ancients," Keith said to Dan.
"You did what?" Masquerade demanded. Dan threw up his hands in denial.
"How was I supposed to know I was right? I'm never right! He thought I looked like I knew something and he was gonna cut my throat! I spit out the first thing that came to my mind!"
"Of course you would do that," Gus muttered.
"Hey! You try being strapped to the table, unable to move, with some guy holding down your arms, and another guy holding a knife less than an inch away from your neck!" Gus was silent and everyone sighed.
"Well, at least they don't have it," Mylene said.
"Yeah, that's a good thing," Mira agreed. Just then Alice walked into the room, the gem around her neck still glowing. She was holding two trays with several steaming drinks on them. "Runo, Julie, can one of you guys give me a hand with putting these down?" she asked. Runo jumped up to help her, taking one of the trays and placing it on the table between the couches. Alice did the same and Dan realized that the mugs contained hot chocolate!
"Ah sweet!" he grinned. He grabbed a mug from the table and eagerly started drinking, then yelped. "Ow ow hot hot!" he cried. Everyone but the Vexos(besides Shadow) laughed.
"Anyway, back to business," Masquerade said after everyone had taken a mug of hot cocoa. "The Athame is a powerful relic from the Six Ancient Soldiers. It was created by representatives from each attribute. Dan, I think you'll remember one of them."
"What do you mean?" Dan asked. "What, was he a Pyrus?"
"Yes, and you fought with him in Vestroia," Baron said. Dan and Drago gasped as Dan leaned forward.
"You don't mean Novalion!" Masquerade nodded and Dan stared at him in shock, then looked at the knife in Ace's hand.
"Those Bakugan didn't all die. Their essence is still in the gems you possess, and in the gems knife," Volt said. "Novalion is still there, but in the gem." (Hey, sorta off topic here, but did anyone notice that Dragonoid Colossus and Novalion have the same voice actor? I noticed right away!) Dan looked at the gem around his neck and took it off, staring into the finely cut surface. Drago was silent, too, and everyone in the room seemed to recognize the moment as something important, something that was not to be disturbed. Dan had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that Novalion had given his body, not his life, to protect he and Drago.
"I've been waiting for a Bakugan with a human to show up in our world!"
"That must be what he meant!" Dan gasped.
"What who meant?" Runo asked.
"Novalion," Drago said. "He... when we were fighting, he said that he was waiting for a Bakugan with a human to appear in Vestroia." Everyone stared at him, looking startled.
"And then... Centorrior and Druman killed him," Dan said quietly. "Or we thought he did. When he died, his body sort of... disintegrated and floated away."
"They must have transferred into the gem, returning to the rest of his essence," Masquerade said.
"Wait, I thought you said that he helped create the knife. What does that have to do with our necklaces?" Marucho asked, looking at his.
"The gems are connected to the Perfect Core, to the Ancients, and to the Athame," Ace said. "They're what allow you to use your powers. They amplify the energy into something useable. Except for Runo, you guys can only use your powers if you have your gems with you."
"Why can Runo use them freely?" Gus asked.
"Because Runo learned that she possessed these powers on her own. Not by us telling her," Baron said. "Plus, light is a very powerful element, and Runo has friendship with all of you. She can use her powers for all of those reasons."
"Interesting," Shun said. "So because she was kidnapped, she can use them better than the rest of us?" Runo and the Vexos stiffened.
"Well, I guess that's part of it. If she had just come with Julie and Alice to New Vestroia, she probably wouldn't have awakened her powers without her gem," Masquerade reasoned. "But, she had to go and get herself kidnapped."
"Hello? Still in the room here!" Runo pointed out. Everyone laughed.
"Anyway, the Athame has six gems that were given by one Bakugan from each attribute, but not the Six Ancients," Volt summarized. "So, their essence radiates from the Athame and from your necklaces."
"Okay," Julie nodded. Alice sat down in one of the recliners and nodded.
"So, what is so important about this knife that makes you want to share all of this with us?" Mylene asked.
"Yeah, what's so important about some stupid piece of metal?" Shadow demanded, then randomly started laughing hysterically. Mylene and Volt shot him a look while the Brawlers just stared at him.
"Is he always like this?" Runo growled. Keith sighed.
"Just ignore him. You'll get used to it." Runo groaned.
"So he is?"
"The knife," Volt said, and everyone fell silent, "has the power to protect. Only the Brawlers can wield it, because they have the gems with the essence of the Bakugan that created the knife, and because they have their powers. They're able to use it more efficiently than the Six Ancient Soldiers themselves."
"Whoa," Julie whispered. Shun looked a little surprised while Runo and Alice were open mouthed. Marucho blinked and Dan was entranced.
"Cool," he grinned.
"So, the knife can only protect things? Not destroy them?" Keith asked.
"No," Ace said. "The knife can harm things, but you're right, they can't destroy them."
"Then why was Hydron holding it to Dan's neck?" Alice inquired.
"Maybe he wanted to test it on Dan?" Lync suggested, looking like he actually meant what he said and wasn't just trying to be a smart-alack. Alice didn't acknowledge him and he quieted, looking depressed..
"Hydron mustn't have known," Gus said. "He did ask Dan what the knife was, and that's just the proof we need to show that he didn't know what he had in his possession."
"Why would it matter if he can't wield it, though?" Mylene asked.
"Wait, he could unsheathe it and stuff. He held it to Dan's neck," Runo said. "Wouldn't that count as-"
"Whoa, you're right!" Baron gasped. "I didn't realize that!"
"Neither did I, so you're off the hook this time, Baron," Ace said. "Would that count as wielding it? Volt? Masquerade?"
"I didn't think about that, either," Volt said, looking perplexed. "But it would appear that..."
"He can wield the knife, too?" Julie cried.
"No way," Runo denied. But she looked unsure.
"This is bad..." Alice murmured.
"If he can wield the knife," Marucho gasped.
"Then if he gets his hands on it, he'll use its power for something destructive," Shun finished. The group was silent for a minute, then Dan stood up.
"What are you doing? Dan?" Keith asked as Dan walked across the room. He stood in front of Ace and held out his hand. Ace seemed to get the message and, after a moment of looking at the brunet, closed his eyes and bowed his head. The edges of his mouth twitched and he placed the cold, sheathed knife in Dan's hand, and then looked up at him again. Dan nodded and turned around, facing the rest of them.
"Well, if Hydron does come looking for it, he's gonna have a hard time retrieving it," Dan announced, staring out at them determinedly. "We're all here! The Brawlers sure aren't gonna let a creep like him get his hands on it! Right Drago?"
"Right Dan!" Drago agreed. Everyone blinked at him, then Runo grinned and nodded.
"You bet!"
"Yeah, we're gonna fight!" Marucho punched the air with his fist.
"Let's do it!" Julie cried.
"We sure won't let Hydron get his hands on that!" Baron vowed, grinning. Ace smiled, lifting his hands and shrugging. Mira was silent, watching. She liked how the Vexos were exempted from any of the shouts of encouragement. To tell the truth, she had been expecting one of them to slip up, to say "Vexos" by accident. But it was as if they had all adjusted immediately to the fact that their former enemies were amongst them now, and they were on the same side. Dan seemed to have completely forgotten the hostility that he had once had with his former rival, and Mira was grateful for that. Even Shadow and Lync were being cooperative, which she viewed as a good sign.
"About that," Volt said, and everyone fell silent again. Dan turned, looking at him with a confused expression on his face. Mira turned her attention to the tall, muscular Haos brawler, knowing that the news he had to share with them must not be good. He looked around at all of them grimly and sighed. "Hydron and Zenoheld... are on their way here right now."
Everyone gasped in shock and horror. Dan tightened his grip around the hilt of the knife, feeling nausea set in. His face paled and he stumbled backward, the reality of the situation hitting him like a physical blow. The cruel, sadistic prince that had almost killed him and was dead set on having his revenge on Runo, was now coming to Earth, backed by his father and most likely, his whole planet. Who knew how many brawlers he had on his side? Or even if he was going to be using Bakugan brawlers? What if he decided to use real foot soldiers, with guns or other weapons? He and the Brawlers wouldn't stand a chance!
"Oh God," Mira whispered.
"This is bad," Shun stated, the first to recover.
"Worse than bad," Ace said.
"He's coming for the Athame, Dan," Masquerade continued. "And he wants his revenge on all of you. I don't know exactly how he'll go about getting it, but he may very well go about it by using the rest of the people on the planet. He could threaten to kill them all."
"This is crazy, we've gotta stop him!" Dan shouted.
"But how?" Runo asked.
"Yes, how?" Keith inquired, getting to his feet. Dan looked at him, his fists clenched. "Zenoheld and Hydron have an army at their disposal. Believe me, I've seen it, and we don't stand a chance. They have Bakugan Brawler troops, but they probably won't fight us. They might, though, and those are the ones we'll be able to take. But the rest of them are going to be fighting with real weapons. Guns, electrical weapons."
"He's right. They have far more advanced weaponry than you do on this planet," Gus said.
"I have a few pieces from Vestal," Mylene said, "but not many. Gus and Lync use the Electro-Rod, and I mainly use my whip. We all have our Gauntlets, so we can use the blades on them."
"Yeah, but how do we make sure that none of the other people here are targeted?" Alice asked, looking worried.
"That's a good question," Drago said.
"Maybe we should issue a tsunami warning?" Elfin suggested.
"Yeah, yeah! It'll get everyone out of the area!" Preyas agreed, jumping up and down.
"Well that's a good idea and all, Elfin," Marucho said, lifting a finger, "but that will only get everyone out of Wardington. It won't ensure everyone's safety throughout the world. We have to think strategically about this. If we were to go out into a desert or somewhere, or a canyon, or some other uninhabited place, where no one can be hurt, and then send out a transmission to our enemies, we might be able to fight them without the risk of injuring bystanders."
"That's a good idea," Shun said from where he was leaning against the wall. Everyone turned to look at him, and he was gazing seriously at the floor. "But then comes the issue of actually sending that transmission out, and finding the perfect spot to battle. It's not exactly the easiest task to find the perfect deserted place for a brawl, or one that will give us the advantage." Shun looked up at them, his sharp, analytical gaze sweeping over all of them. "I think that we should all space out. Go and fight in pairs around the world and get people to evacuate where we are going to fight."
"No offense, Shun," Mira said, "but I think that we should consider how many troops are going to come and invade Earth. I agree that we might have to space out across the world to take on different troops, but I don't think that Vestal has enough ships or arms to attack all across your world. They will most likely track the signals from our Gauntlets and attack that location. So, here in Wardington, or wherever we decide to go. I think that we should go to a deserted area, like Marucho suggested, and wait for them there."
"At this point, they are too far off for them to attack our signals," Masquerade said, his mask glowing in some areas. Alice knew that he must be looking at statistics and placed her visor over her eyes. She and her grandfather had found a way to link the two of them so that if he or she is viewing data, they can view it at the same time and talk about it. She saw a diagram of Earth and the ship coming from Vestal. There was only one ship, she realized, not multiple, and they were at the edge of the diagram, far from Earth as Masquerade had said. They were so far, in fact, that the images of them on the screen were distorted and cutting in and out. They were on the very edge of the detection range.
"He's right," Alice said, lifting the visor. "We have a little time to decide on what plan we're going to go through with. They only have one ship, so if they're coming after us, they're going to attack us in one place. So we might as well have our entire arsenal with us."
"Alright then," Dan said, lifting a fist. He grinned. "Looks like we're heading to a deserted place nearby. Got any suggestions, anyone?"
"How about we all go to a desert in America?" Julie said. "I mean, I'm not sure about you guys, but the sand and heat will give both Sub-Terra and Pyrus an advantage."
"Well, what about the ocean?" Marucho asked. "I know that will give Mylene and I an advantage."
"But that's only you guys. We need to have a place that will benefit all of us," Keith said.
"But none of us are going to do well with hand to hand combat on the sand," Lync reminded them.
"He's right," Alice said, and Lync's cheeks started to redden. Alice blinked at him, feeling her cheeks get warm a little, then shook her head. Now was not the time for thinking about romances, she reminded herself. "We need someplace where we can fight well."
"Somewhere we fight well would mean someplace that we know," Runo reminded them.
"Then it's settled," Dan grinned. Everyone stared at him. "We all know Wardington. We'll issue that Tsunami warning and wait for the bad guys to come to us. We can all spread out over the town and ambush them when they look for us."
"Yeah!" Elfin cried, flipping. "I had a good idea!"
"Nice job, Elfin!" Preyas encouraged her.
"It was a good idea," Ingram agreed.
"Alright then," Gus said.
"I'm all for it," Shadow laughed.
"You might want to give Shadow, Volt and I a tour of the city," Mylene suggested, narrowing her eyes at Dan. "That way we know where to meet you if something happens."
"Alright!" Dan grinned. Then, a gurgling noise filled the air and Dan doubled over, clutching his stomach. He grinned, embarrassed.
"I'm hungry," he grimaced. Everyone rolled their eyes and Runo jumped up, launching herself at him.
"YOU IDIOT!" she shouted as the two wrestled on the floor. Everyone burst out laughing, despite the fact that the Vexos would be arriving in nine hours.
Breezyfeather: And the end for chapter … what is this, 11? 12? SORRY ABOUT THE WEEK IT TOOK TO UPDATE I WAS REALLY BUSY THIS WEEK.
Shun: Don't look at me, look at Marucho. The website calls him a walking encyclopedia.
Marucho: Hey! Not anymore! Only the Bakugan Drawing Book says that!
Dan: How do you know that?
Marucho: Breezy's sister got her that book about 2 years ago.
Dan: Oh.
I only got a few reviews on that last chapter... please review!
Please? I wanna know what you think/thought!
