Bakugan belongs to Sega Toys and Spin Masters.

Alex let out a whoop of excitement as he landed the somersault with a flourish, bowing to an invisible crowd as his sister clapped from the bench she was sitting:

-Thank you, thank you! You are all a great audience!

-Abner! Get your head out of the clouds! - his teacher reprimanded – The club tournament is due in three weeks. I want to see this routine memorized from beginning to end, got it?

Zoe laughed as her brother repeated the routine in between his teacher's harsh instructions. They normally didn't let people watch the gymnasts train, but since she never made much noise anyway, no one really noticed.

She looked around, watching her brother's classmates as they followed through their routines, the teacher often moving from one student to another, correcting their posture of reprimanding them at any wrong jump or move. She snickered under her breath, at least the teacher didn't pick sides. Her smile took a smugger approach as she watched her brother sit by her side with a defeated sigh, which developed into an elongated groan as his body slid from the wall, almost laying on the bench.

Tired already? She taunted. I guess this is what happens when you show off rather than train.

-This wouldn't have happened if you didn't feed my ego. - Her brother complained grumpily.

Oh, you did that on your own. Zoe signed. If I weren't here, you would only find someone to show off to-

Her line of thought was interrupted once Alex suddenly sat up straight and pulled his sister into a tight hug:

-Yeah, maybe. But it wouldn't be the same. - He said with a soft voice.

This would have been a tender moment if not for the horrid smell of sweat assaulting her nose, but she let it slide as her brother's usual lack of situation awareness, simply shrugging him away with a roll of her eyes.

Go on, smelly. Don't you want to go to the park, or did you give up on that? She asked, making sure to not let the slightest bit of hope show on her face. She watched as her brother patted her back and went to the locker room with a skip on his step.

Of course he wouldn't give up, Zoe thought bitterly as she followed a few steps back from her brother, who was waltzing his way to the park with the goofiest grin imaginable. She wasn't being ungrateful, dear god no, but she also didn't see how Bakugan brawling was going to help her case. For all she knew, that was a social people like her brother, people who get you caught up in a conversation with their genuine enthusiasm over something they liked, she knew for a fact she didn't have such charisma. She gulped drily, suddenly the pouch strapped around her hips felt strangely heavy.

Amidst her thoughts, she didn't notice her brother had stopped, resulting in her bumping onto him, disoriented. She shook her head, clearing away the confusion, and looked up at her brother, who was now standing in a pensive expression, looking at the now visible gates to the park.

Why did you stop? Zoe asked, moving to face him upfront. The entrance is right there.

Alex seemed to ignore her, furrowing his eyebrows as he apparently focused more effort into his line of thought:

-That's it! - he exclaimed out of nowhere, as if he had found a secret solution to an invisible problem. His sudden outburst made his sister jump, startled.

That's...it? She inquired, irritated. That's it what?

Instead of getting an answer, Zoe was roughly shoved aside, baffled as her brother took a running start at the park:

-The one who gets to the main square first wins! - He exclaimed, issuing a challenge.

So that's how it was going to be.

Zoe smiled cheekily, darting ahead towards the park. Instead of following behind her brother in hopes of outrunning him, she took a sharp turn toward the tree-filled area at her right, darting through the trees like a woman on a mission. Even if he was faster, her brother tended to easily get lost on the simplest paths and, luckily for her, the park didn't change from the few times she visited.

She smiled to herself as the image of the main square began to creep through the grove, with no sight of her brother nearby. Determined, she picked up her pace, adrenaline rushing through her as the square became closer and closer...

...Along with the strangely close figure of a boy walking near the fountain, chatting with who she assumed was his brother. In her panic, she didn't have time to change trajectory as the boy's younger brother noticed her:

-Shuji, watch out! - the young boy warned in vain as she slammed onto the poor victim, knocking them both into the fountain.