Ian and Talon stayed together like peas and bacon. Talon was like one of those hip characters in those movies that were good for comedy relief and hitting on female characters he was never going to have. Ian's life was feeling a little gay; he was back to his happy and cheerful self.

Ian couldn't last a night under the double bunk beds in the institute with the fan flipping the papers up and down like some kind of monster coming after him. Talon, his bunk mate, would hold his hand until he falls asleep.

When Ian and Talon walked outside for their break Talon would pick up rocks shaped like giant balls and put them in his stomach. He liked to call it Baby Puzzle. The rules of the game were you had to put the pieces together until the soccer ball looked like a real pregnant woman's stomach. Talon always won because he picked the rocks.

Ian remembered Talon having more candy in his coat than anyone else in the institute. There was a candy machine in the hallway no one but the teachers used because they were the only ones with cash on them. Talon could steal candy from the vending machine because he has a secret way of doing it. Most days Talon stole a bag of Dorito chips and shared them with Ian.

Ian could not survive in this institute without Talon's wisdom to guide him. When they were lining up for cafeteria food Talon also went moved ahead of Ian so he could be first for the food. When the cafeteria lady poured those mashed potatoes on his tray, he said, " Please, ma'am, may I have some more?". He pulled off his Oliver Twist moment giving her his best innocent face.

" More? Is it more that you say?" The cafeteria lady poured more of the mashed potatoes on Talon's plate. " Here's some more."

" Thank you."

The difference between him and Oliver Twist was every time he begged things went his way.

Talon could pretty much do anything he set his mind too, which was great considering how lazy he was, despite being a genius, he never wanted to answer any questions the teacher might give him. There were some students who weren't good at geography or history, but Talon managed to be bad at every lesson he was taught.

" Talon, I am your teacher and I demand your respect!"

" No, you demand my attention."

Ian wondered if Talon's parents had a hard time trying to teach him something when they were still alive. Talon didn't say. Talon said he was sorry he couldn't have a decent conversation with his teachers like he could with Ian, but everything they said was boring as biology (his words) and he never gets a clear answer from them.

He and Talon were like brothers who were inseparable in this place they called an orphanage...really an institute used to train children. Ian discovered that information one week before he was adopted.

" We are running a 1.2 billion dollar institute with children that cost 30 million dollars in training in total," the director of the orphanage said. " This whole experiment has been a big waste of money. Even when we train the children the way we want them they are adopted before we can start their mission."

" Mission? What are these two talking about? Are they sending us on a mission?" Talon said peeking through the door and staring at the man who was in charge of the orphanage and the man who fund it.

" Talon, let's go," Ian said like a worrywart. " What if we get caught? We would get into so much trouble."

" Don't be such a chicken. Besides, it's their fault for not shutting the door when having a serious conversation."

"We have the names of the families who adopted them in our register. All we have to do is open our phonebook and finding them will be easier than opening a pickle jar. It will be good for the little ones to know what people do in ordinary life."

" What if the families that adopt them decide to move before being old enough for Project Star Sky? " The director of the orphanage asked.

" You may be the director of an orphanage, director, but for your little forehead you have such a tiny brain. We made a non-negotiable rule in the adoption forms that the guardians have to give out all information about moving details to us or they will lose their adopted child. As the director you should be well informed about this information. "

That was the last thing Ian heard before Talon grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the door. The man talking to the director walked out of the door, looked both ways to make sure no one was spying on them, and he didn't see anyone because Ian and Talon were hiding behind another door.

" Talon, that man is going to kidnap us," Ian said repeating what the man said. " We have to warn everyone."

"Don't!" Talon said stopping Ian from charging out that door. "Don't you know what this means? We can't trust anyone in this orphanage. The director is already working for him; we don't know who else might be working with them. Let's keep this just between us. It will be our little secret. "

"But Talon we—" Ian started to say, but Talon stopped him.

" Promise me! Remember, we can trust no one. Only you and I know this information, so you and me need to stick together to stop this."

Flashback End

"After that day Talon was adopted before me and I never saw him again. I don't know anything about Bakugan. It's like taking a taste, filling in all the answers and realizing later none of them were right. The same goes with losing. There was a way I could have won. "

" We have plenty of time to worry about things such as your past and what will happen in your future. We have to think about now. Right now you need to find Yumi and apologize for being mean to her. That's what you humans do, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Who knows...maybe we can retry this tournament another time and win."

" That's the spirit."

Bakugan Professional Tournament

Dan was in a tournament with competitors beyond an amateur tournament. These brawlers were ranked from first to fifty on the Bakugan online website. Dan made it far against the brawlers and was one match away from the semifinals. If he won he would battle Shun, Sarah, Runo, or Marucho in the next round. His opponent's name was Neon. Neon was a brown hair and black eyed brawler with the same getup as Dan, but his was dark instead of red. They could almost be mistaken as brothers.

" Dan Kusok!" His opponent exclaims." I am a big fan of the way you play."

"Thanks," Dan smiled." Its awesome to see another brawler who likes my style."

"I do like your style," Neon flattery turned into rivalry when he pulled out his Bakugan ball; dark. He was a Darkus user. " But I will beat you with my style."