Breezyfeather: Sigh... I just can't seem to work on this! -_- Anyway, before I lose my spark of motivation, I'm gonna work on this. I hope I can get this finished before I lose it again.
"How do you think the others are doing?" Julie asked tentatively. She was sitting on her road in the air, her feet and roller blades dangling in the air. A breeze sailed through the night, causing her hair to fly back. She and the other Sub-Terra brawlers were watching as the battle in the park lit up the night. Several flames of fire danced for a moment, and then a burst of white light tore through everything. A few bursts of multicolored light and then what looked like fireballs were launched in the air. Julie, Gus and Mira watched this tensely, able to hear the pops and bangs of the fight from even there.
"They're probably evenly matched," Gus said, his hair whipping behind him from another gust. "Besides, Master Spectra is there to help them out if things get bad."
"Keith..." Mira murmured, just as Helios's roar split the air. Her fingers clenched around her locket with Keith's picture and she leaned up against Wilda's neck. She was sitting on his shoulder, waiting to be called in to help. Right now, she had nothing to do, though, and her mind projected haunting images of her brother being killed as vengeance for his betrayal. Each one led to another more horrifying than the first, and she could do nothing to stop it.
Julie looked back at Mira and sighed. "Oh Mira..." She knew that the Vestal girl was worrying about her brother. Julie wished she could do something for her, to get her mind off of her brother. She had just gotten him back, after all. This must be agony for her.
"Julie," Gorem said. Julie jumped, glancing at her Bakugan.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I sense... Bakugan," he announced, pointing toward the bay. Just then, a beam of bright blue light shot up from the bay. Julie and the others stiffened, knowing that Marucho, Mylene, and Lync would have their hands full. Of course, that got Julie wondering if Lync had even found a new Bakugan to fight with.
"Uh, Gus?" she asked. "Did Lync ever get a new-"
"Bakugan? Yeah. He happened to find a Ventus Bakugan in the middle of an alleyway and decided he'd use it to fight with for the time being," Gus said, not taking his eyes off of the blue and green lights shooting from the harbor.
"Oh." Julie said, following his gaze. A blast shook the ground, unnoticed by Julie. Mira cried out, though, slipping, and Wilda quickly asked her if she was alright.
"I- I'm fine," she stammered.
"Do you think that Dan and the others need help?" Julie asked after glancing at Mira. The two girls looked off in the direction of Dan and Runo's fight, biting their lips. Gus gave an amused grunt.
"Please. He can handle his own against Master Spectra and I. He, Master Spectra, Runo, Volt, and Baron will prove to be quite the problem for Hydron's lackeys," he smirked. Mira and Julie exchanged glances at that comment, but knew that he was right.
Lights shot up from the harbor and from the park, red and white from the park and blue and green from the harbor. Julie wondered if the plan was falling into place yet, but then glanced at her Gauntlet. It showed the time, which was 10:08. Confused, she glanced toward Wardington Tower. Shun was supposed to be there.
"Hey, did any of you see Shun going toward Wardington Tower?" Julie asked.
"No," Mira said. Gus shook his head when Julie looked at him. She looked at her Gauntlet worriedly.
"I hope he's okay," she murmured. "He's never late—for anything."
"Maybe he just got a bit... tied up?" Julie and the others stiffened, Julie twisting her shoulders to see behind her while Gus and Mira whirled around. There, standing on the ground, was Prince Hydron. And lying on the ground behind him, with handcuffs on his wrists behind his back and ropes binding the rest of him was...
"Shun!" Julie gasped. The teen glanced up at her, his eyes glinting with an icy calm. Julie and the others stared at him, then glared at Hydron.
"Let him go," Mira growled. Hydron smirked while Shun rested his head on the ground, not seeming even the least bit concerned.
"Why should I?" Hydron asked, apparently in no rush to get to the point. He clearly enjoyed tormenting them, which of course had Julie and Mira angrily clenching their fists.
Julie dropped down from her road and landed on a new one, easily and suddenly skating toward Hydron. He jumped in surprise when she was within three feet of him, then took a step back. She came around again, making a point of kicking him in the stomach with her skate. He gasped and dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach. She skidded to a stop, turning and glaring at him.
"What is it with you and kidnapping people?" she asked, one hand on her hip. "By the way, that was for kidnapping Runo. Twice." Hydron let out a choked cough, curling up on the ground and clutching his stomach.
"Julie, help Shun," Gus called. Julie nodded, skating down onto the grass. She knelt down next to Shun and rested her hand on the ground, knowing that the earth would bend to her will. A sharp knife of stone rose to fit her hand and she grasped it tightly, bringing it up to work at the ropes binding Shun's arms and legs. It easily sliced through the ropes on his upper arms, but he had handcuffs on his wrists. Julie bit her lip at that, but quickly cut the ones on his legs, knees and ankles.
"Thanks Julie," he said and stood up, attempting to jump into the air, but falling to the side when he found out that the balance his arms provided was missing. He landed easily on his feet, but his lip curled in annoyance.
Julie looked up to see Gus and Mira running towards her and Shun, but Gus veering off to the side to take care of Hydron. Julie stood up and met Mira halfway, turning and skating back with her. "How's Shun?" she asked.
"He's fine," Julie reported, "but he can't move very well with the handcuffs." She skated back to Shun's side, wondering if Dan could melt the cuffs off..
"You won't get away... from me," Hydron choked, struggling up on his hands and knees. Gus tackled him then and the two skidded in the dirt, Gus landing a few feet away from the blond prince. The blue haired boy jumped to his feet and easily pinned Hydron down beneath him, something that bothered him. The prince just looked up at him, his eyes tired, and he didn't even try to put up a fight. Gus stared at him, suspicious of the lack of enthusiasm at the chance to fight.
"What are you waiting for?" Hydron asked after a moment. His eyes showed that he was exhausted and fearful, but he still summoned enough courage to challenge the former Vexos. "Aren't you going to finish me off?"
"That is such a clichéd line, seriously," Julie muttered. "What, do you want us to?"
"Hmph. I personally don't care what you do," Hydron growled. "If you're gonna do it, then do it already."
"Why do you want to die?" Mira questioned, suspicious.
"It's none of your business," Hydron scowled. Gus pressed down on the boys wrists and he whimpered, surprising the former Vexos. He sat up on his knees, making sure the boy's legs were still below him, and gently picked up his arm. He hissed in pain, starting to take it back, but Gus held on firmly. His eyes widened.
"You're father abused you again, didn't he?" Mira and Julie's eyes widened at the statement, but mostly at the fact that Hydron didn't deny it. Shun narrowed his eyes, his hand moving to grip the crystal hanging from his neck. Hydron looked away from Gus, who narrowed his eyes at the helpless boy. Gus sighed, standing up. Hydron's eyes flicked back to him, panicked.
"Don't you dare tell them! I forbid it!"
"Sorry, Hydron," Gus muttered. "I thought I had no sympathy available to give you, especially after you betrayed Master Spectra. But you're so desperate for your fathers approval, and all he does is beat you because you look like your mother-"
"You know nothing!" Hydron shot to his feet, his cape flying in the breeze he made. "You know nothing of what I've had to endure! You have no idea why he hates me! It's none of your business, so you can just stay out of it! We're enemies! I will defeat you, and then..." Hydron hissed, clenching his fists as his bangs shadowed his eyes.
Julie, Mira, and Gus all stared at him, Julie almost regretting kicking him so hard. But hearing him rant about how they should be enemies made her regret float away with the wind.
Hydron straightened up and launched himself at Mira, who easily avoided him by stepping to the side. His eyes widened as he fell to the ground at her feet, wincing when his bruised arms hit the uneven ground. He angrily stood up, turning to face the four Bakugan brawlers. Shun glared at him, Julie and Mira watched him with wide eyes, while Gus just stared intensely. Hydron muttered a curse under his breath and took a few steps back, holding onto his left wrist.
"This isn't over, you hear me?" he shouted. His form started to look like static, and then he was gone. Julie and the others stared at the spot where he had stood for a moment, going over the event in their minds. Gus sighed, turning to face the others. Julie, Shun, and Mira all looked at him, noticing the serious look on his face.
"Hydron was always beaten by his father," Gus began. "Ever since I joined the Vexos, I'd noticed the bruises he'd have whenever he returned from visiting his father on Vestal. He always would act tough and say that he got them by taking on some of his father's guards and got those bruises from his fights, but all of us knew something was up. It wasn't until his father came to visit that I realized he was actually being beaten and hated, and I happened to be in the hallway when his father beat him once.
"Hydron was begging him to stop, repeating over and over that he would take care of the Resistance soon, but Zenoheld called him a failure and hit him, shouting that it was Hydron's fault that his mother was dead." Julie and Mira were staring at him with wide, horrified eyes, while Shun had his closed and his jaw set, clearly disgusted. "When he paused, he cursed Hydron because he looked like his mother. He told him that unless Hydron took care of the Resistance, he would never love him. So Hydron tried harder and harder, eventually ordering us to keep Runo from going into the Gate and returning, and even going as far as trying to make Ves Palace self-destruct to take care of Dan and Spectra, hopefully crushing all resistant movement. As you can tell, that didn't work, and he pays the price of his failure every day." They were silent for a moment.
"That's just awful," Mira finally said, sounding completely horrified. "I knew that King Zenoheld was cruel, but to beat his own son? For something that he can't even help? That's just... just..."
"That's just messed up," Shun said. Julie and Mira glanced at him, their jaws dropping when they saw the handcuffs hanging on one wrist. He smirked at their faces and then picked up a rock from the ground and walked over to another one, kneeling down and proceeding to bang on the cuffs with it. Julie and Mira looked up at their Bakugan, who were watching them. Gus glanced up at Vulcan, who was looking towards the port.
"I think that they could use some back-up," the Bakugan said. Gus nodded, deciding to put the whole incident with Hydron behind him for now. Turning to the girls and Shun, he announced that he would be going to the port to help out Marucho and the others. Julie and Mira nodded while Shun didn't seem to notice, and then Vulcan picked Gus up on his hand.
"Good luck with the plan," he called as Vulcan flew toward the port.
Julie, Mira and Shun watched as he hurriedly approached the ocean and the battle over the sea, then Julie turned to Gorem.
"We should go to Wardington Tower," she said. "Marucho told us that we have to be ready in case we need to rely on plan C."
"Let's go then,"Shun said. "I'm already supposed to be there."
"Yeah," Mira agreed. Shun looked toward Wardington Tower, his eyes narrowed in speculation. Then, he pulled Ingram out from under his cape and jumped into the air.
"Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Rise, Ventus Ingram!"he shouted as the Bakugan grew from its ball. Wilda lowered his hand to lift Mira up while Julie skated to Gorem's shoulder, and Shun simply leaped from the ground and landed on Ingram's shoulder. He crossed his arms, unconcerned, as Ingram took off toward the tower. Gorem and Wilda started walking and Julie skated after them, managing to keep up with Gorem's steady, large stride.
This is gonna be a long night, she thought, watching more flames and light dance up from the park. She forced herself to look away, focusing on Wardington Tower. If they were needed, Julie, Mira and Shun would step in. But if they weren't, then they'd be there to call on anyway. And despite her craving for sleep, she felt a yearning for the thrill of battle.
And she would soon feel it.
Ugh, I am SO sorry that I didn't update this! I know the chapter is short but I wanted to give you guys something to show I haven't forgotten about this (I know, it's been two months, but I'm gonna try to update again before Sunday. If I don't, Forever-Forgotten22, you'd better message me until I get my fingers on these keys again). I actually turned in a copy of the first chapter for a fanfiction I'm planning for my writing homework, but I don't plan on posting that until I finish this story. And possibly Dan and Runo's LegendProphecy. But don't worry, that idea has me psyched over the computer, as does the map of the coming chapter. (bwahahaha (xD)
Okay, now I'm gonna go take a shower and go to bed. Hope that satisfied some of you, even though I don't think that compares to anything I've previously written (-_-). Again, sorry I took so long to update, but thank you for your supportive reviews.