A/N: VERY IMPORTANT! If you have not watched the Wiseman Arc of Mechtanium Surge, then you should know that this book will definitely have spoilers.
Granted, this probably won't follow the show exactly (what fanfic does though, seriously?), but just a heads up to those of you who haven't watched this Arc yet. I'll try to make things as easy to follow along as possible, but watching the show would definitely help.
Story takes place at the end of and immediately following "The Prodigal Bakugan" episode, but it will obviously deviate from there.
...
Shun's amber eyes narrowed as he watched Wiseman disappear, but once he vanished, the ninja let his shoulders sag. Choosing to fight the enemy's two Bakugan without a partner of his own had been a stupid, yet necessary idea, but he was definitely starting to feel it.
With his adrenaline fading away, the ebony teen could feel the damage to his body make its presence known. Yet he was glad Jaakor and his former students Skytruss and Orbeum had come to his rescue, and he was grateful that they had arrived before any fatal damage could be dealt.
So, in his opinion, things could have been a lot worse. He blamed Dan and Julie for the sudden bouts of optimism that had been plaguing him recently.
As he trekked up the mountain, Shun schooled his features and hid his pain behind a blank mask with practiced ease. Being a Battle Brawler was sure to come with a variety of injuries, but taking a direct hit from two different Bakugan was something he never wanted to experience again. But he would have to wait until he had seen the Darkus brothers off before he could succumb to the pain. He was sure he could hold off that long and not cause any of them to worry.
The glowing black, gray, and white portal to New Vestroia, the home of the Bakugan, illuminated the area in a pale, soothing light as they reached the stony outcrop. Jaakor's students hovered close to it, but they hesitated to enter.
"Sensei, when we were combined, I could feel for myself the bond you share with your partner Shun," Orbeum admitted.
Skytruss flapped his wings in agreement. "Yeah, I could too, and I guess...it wasn't so bad," he confessed with a nervous laugh.
Shun's eyes widened, and he gave a tiny, disbelieving smile to the two Darkus Bakugan that had appeared earlier that day. He had overheard the birdlike ninja's disapproval of humanity in general, and he could tell it was a big step forward for the Darkus type to admit he was wrong about the brotherly bond shared between him and Jaakor.
The Ventus brawler clenched his hand into a fist in a valiant effort to ignore the pain throbbing through him, cursing it for distracting him. He just needed to hold out for a few more minutes. He owed the two a proper sendoff for their help.
"I guess what I'm saying is," Skytruss continued, oblivious to Shun's struggle to stay focused, "I was wrong, and I'm sorry. Sensei belongs here with you."
The wolf-like Bakugan Orbeum bobbed his head. "Yeah, and besides, we can take care of things on New Vestroia. We were trained by the best after all."
Jaakor was practically glowing with pride as he hovered besides his partner, and he nodded to his former students.
"Thank you, from both of us."
As the Darkus Bakugan turned and prepared to fly through the portal, Shun released a surprised grunt. The effects of being hit and thrown had only been a dull ache until a burning throb crashed into him, catching him by surprise.
Oh, no, he thought as he struggled to breathe, I wasn't...wasn't strong enough...
His pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and he was vaguely aware of someone shouting his name. He slumped on to his hands and knees, a harsh cough forcing its way out. Something red and wet splattered on his hands before his vision faded to black.
"Shun!" Jaakor cried, halting the other two from taking their portal home. They had never heard their teacher sound so distressed, but it was easy to see why.
The human brawler was sprawled out on the ground unconscious, blood leaking out of the corner of his mouth and staining the front of his shirt and jacket. Skytruss and Orbeum didn't hesitate to forgo the portal and fly back to the Ventus pair.
"Sensei, what's wrong with Master Shun?!" Orbeum exclaimed. Skytruss flew closer in morbid curiosity.
"I've never seen a human bleed before," he mumbled and nudged the teen, hoping to wake him up but with no success, "How did this happen?"
"I do not know," Jaakor stated matter-of-factly, as he tried to rein in his emotions, "but we must find help for him, and soon."
He didn't know much about how to treat an unconscious human or how to tell the extent of one's injuries, but he did know that bleeding from within was a sign of serious damage. If they couldn't think of something soon, it could cost Shun his life.
"But how can we help when we're stuck in ball form?" Skytruss pointed out, flapping his tiny wings to emphasize his point, "It would take too long for one of us to go find someone and bring them back, and the three of us can't carry him that far."
The Ventus Bakugan stared at the open portal in deep thought, "Perhaps, we will not need to carry him far."
"What do you mean, Sensei?"
"If we take him to New Vestroia, then we can open another portal closer to Bakugan Headquarters and find help."
The Darkus brothers shared a look.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Orbeum shrugged.
"Let's do this."
Together they picked Shun up by his sleeves and dragged him into the gateway of the Bakugan home world, and all four fell in. The three creatures hovered close to the unconscious human as the portal closed, and they weightlessly fell through the tunnel.
"How did Shun get hurt?" Orbeum asked.
"When I found him, he was battling two of Wiseman's Bakugan."
"Who was fighting for him?"
"No one," Jaakor answered gravely, "He alone was fighting the Nonet Bakugans called Spatterix and Stronk, the Pyrus and Subterra Bakugan we just defeated."
"No way!" they gasped. Skytruss turned to his brother, "A human against two Bakugan? I'm surprised he wasn't turned into a ninja pancake."
"As am I. But why would he fight if he didn't have a Bakugan? What was the point? He must have known he wouldn't survive long on his own. Even we had trouble against them once they combined. I couldn't imagine a human going up against something like that."
"Shun is always full of surprises," Jaakor stated, "but as for the reason of his battle, we will have to ask him that ourselves when he awakens."
The rest of the flight was spent in silence, each of the Bakugan lost in their own thoughts and collective worry for the teen floating beside them. Why would a human fight alone? What was his purpose? Would he be okay? These were just a few of the questions they asked themselves as they flew through the portal.
As they neared the end, a white light engulfed the three Bakugan, and they emerged in their true forms as they landed in New Vestroia. Jaakor quickly caught Shun before he could fall far, but the lack of reaction still caused worry to swell in the ninja bakugan's chest. They needed to hurry.
"Now, we must open a new portal, this time near Bakugan Headquarters."
Before they could, an unusual wind mixed with glowing green leaves circled the three Bakugan, and they prepared themselves for a fight at the sign of the new energies present. Seconds passed with no attack, but just when they started to lower their guard, a mighty shriek echoed through the night air and shook them to their cores.
Three more Bakugan arrived on the scene, all of them Ventus, and two appeared to be ninja types as well. The third was like a beautiful green phoenix. Jaakor had heard of these Bakugan from the human resting numbly in his palm, and he relaxed out of his battle stance.
"Skytruss, Orbeum, stand down. They are our friends," he ordered. The Bakugan with the feathery green Mohawk covering his golden mask narrowed his one visible eye.
"What makes you so sure? How do we know you are not allies of Wiseman?"
The Darkus brothers growled and screeched in response.
"How dare you insult us!"
"We would never work with that crazy freak!"
The green, birdlike Bakugan ignored the argument and instead stared at Jaakor. Her eyes lowered to the being shielded in his grasp, and she gasped.
"Shun!" she exclaimed and rocketed forward, slicing between the two former students without difficulty. Jaakor didn't have a chance to react as she swiped his charge out of his hands with surprising care. If this was who he really believed she was, the Ventus ninja doubted that he could have done much to stop her.
Her shout pushed the other two ninjas into action as they tried to see what had happened, but she used her wings to shield them away. The great phoenix flew to a barren plateau and gently set the unconscious boy down. She nuzzled his face with her beak but got no reply, even when the other two in her band huddled on either side of her.
"Shun?" she asked, "Shun, darling, I need you to wake up for me."
Skytruss and Orbeum stood on either side of Jaakor as the three made their way over to the group of Ventus Bakugan. The two brothers were confused by the aura of worry coming from the apparent strangers. They had never seen a Bakugan so concerned for a human before, aside from the one instance they witnessed with their mentor when the boy collapsed.
"Sensei, who are they?"
"They are the former partners of Shun," he replied surely, "The one with the orange jewel in his mask is Taylean, my predecessor. Before him was Hawktor, who has chosen to remain on the planet Neathia. Master Ingram is the one you spoke to earlier. He was Shun's second guardian Bakugan. The lady is Storm Skyress and—"
Before any of them could blink, she had Jaakor pinned to the wall of the plateau, her talons sinking into his armor and threatening to pierce his body.
"You will tell me everything. Now."
A single flap from her mighty wings blew the Darkus Bakugan away, and the two green ninjas stood between them and her back, protecting her as she demanded answers. Jaakor tried to hold his hands up in a peaceful gesture but found himself unable to do so with the woman's claws pinning him down.
"I shall explain everything in due time, but first, Shun needs medical assistance as soon as possible."
"So why did you bring him to New Vestroia?" Taylean snarked.
"The portal was closer than a hospital," Orbeum spoke up, "We were hoping to open a second portal that would bring us closer to somewhere that could help Shun."
Skyress released Jaakor and flew back up to where the teenage brawler lay prone. It was clear that he hadn't stirred, even with all of the commotion going on around him, and this only caused her worry to grow.
The Ventus lady brushed her beak against his face, wiping his bangs out of his eyes and taking in the dried trickle of blood that trailed from the corner of his mouth and the variety of scrapes and bruises littering his exposed skin. Motherly instincts that she had not felt in several years resurfaced, and it was as though she had never left his side.
Skyress curled around Shun and gently laid her head beside his. She could feel the pain he was in, yet she was glad he was blissfully unaware of the damage in his sleeping state. She couldn't bear the thought of watching her boy suffer. Though she didn't know how he became so injured with three Bakugan watching over him, she would deal with them later. Her first priority was Shun and making sure he was okay.
"Open a portal to Earth," she commanded the others, not bothering to see if they would obey.
She slowly closed her golden eyes and breathed deeply, blowing warm air on to Shun's face and ruffling his onyx black hair. The others could create enough energy without her help to open a gateway to the ebony's home world. She would be focusing all of her energy on him alone.
May our bond be as strong now as it was then, Skyress prayed, Let my power be enough to give you the strength needed to live. Please, wake up, my son, my precious Wind Watcher.
Unbeknownst to her, both she and her charge began glowing a cool green, the very same shade as their attribute. Skyress didn't notice the shift in power, only that she was feeling very tired. Instead, she curled tighter around the boy, hiding him with her wings as she hummed a Vestroian lullaby.
The four ninjas stood and gaped at the display of power, shielding themselves from the strong breeze that began to circle around them.
"What's going on?!" Orbeum demanded, sinking his claws into the dirt as though the wind would blow him away.
"I'm not sure," Ingram replied, "I've never seen anything like it!"
"Why is she glowing?" Skytruss asked, "She shouldn't be glowing! And how can we open up a portal, if she's doing stuff like this?!"
"Lady Skyress!" Taylean called, digging his heels into the ground as he slid a few inches, "Lady Skyress, please stop!"
The phoenix stopped humming and opened her eyes, just in time to watch the green dissipate. She raised her head in surprise, taking a quick look at the group behind her before staring back down at the teen.
Shun squinted his eyes before opening them slowly. His vision was immediately filled with green. A low groan escaped his lips as he flexed his hands and tried to sit up. However, he found that he could barely lift his head, and he decided to just stay where he was. A familiar face entered his line of sight, but he couldn't tell if she was actually there or just his imagination.
"Skyress?" he asked hoarsely.
"Yes, Shun. I'm here," she answered and pressed her forehead against his, "Oh, I'm so glad you are okay."
"What happened?"
"That is something I would also like to know," she stated, turning her steely gaze to the Bakugan that had brought him into her world. "These three brought you to New Vestroia. They said you were injured, and that the portal was closer. Think, Shun. What do you remember?"
A look of sudden clarity passed over the teen's face as he remembered the events of the past few hours. He almost wished he didn't have to tell Skyress, because he knew she would not be happy. He would be severely chastised, and someone else was bound to get hurt. But the sharp look in her golden eyes told him she knew that he was remembering.
Skyress gently nudged him, so he could lean against her. She turned her long green neck to face him, her eyes shining with both knowledge and hope for understanding.
"I was fighting against two of the Nonet Bakugan. They both shot a blast at me, and I tried to dodge, but I didn't make it out of the way in time."
"They we're aiming for you? Not your partner Bakugan?" she asked, a slight edge entering her voice. Shun pressed a palm to his forehead in an effort to stave off a headache as well as stall for time while he thought of a proper response.
"Well, I didn't exactly have my partner with me at the time..."
"So you decided to go against them alone?!" she shrieked in disbelief, "And against Nonets no less!—Shun Kazami you better have a very good reason for such foolishness."
At the same time, Taylean and Ingram turned on Jaakor, who they had deduced to be Shun's current partner, ignoring the Darkus brothers as they stormed up to the other ninja.
"Where were you, huh?! Don't you know a brawler relies on their Bakugan? What was so important that you had to abandon him?" Ingram demanded as he shoved Jaakor back.
"Shun needed you, so what happened? Why did he have to fight by himself?!" Taylean echoed.
"Listen," Shun pressed, noting what was going on out of the corner of his eye, "it wasn't his fault. His students came to Earth saying that he was needed on New Vestroia. Jaakor asked me for permission, and I said he could go. He was about to come here when he realized that I needed his help."
"He shouldn't have left you in the first place," Ingram grumbled with his arms crossed, "A Bakugan is supposed to be there for his partner."
"And did those two forget that we are here to look after New Vestroia?" Skyress added as she pointedly glared at the two Darkus Bakugan. They lowered their heads but said nothing.
Shun resisted the urge to facepalm at the situation, and a part of him regretted having such an overprotective family.
"Skyress, please listen," he whispered, gaining her full attention, "those two are like family to him, and they needed him. I didn't want to keep them apart; that's why I let him go."
Family. That had always been Shun's weakness, for as long as the phoenix had known him. His human family had always been broken, so he allowed the Bakugan to enter his heart, creating ties with them that rivaled the connection of even Dan and Drago. Of course he would let his partner go if he said his own family needed him.
If Jaakor knew of this weakness, then it was a foul trick to use such connections against Shun. But Skyress could see that the Ventus ninja didn't realize it, and even if he did, she felt that he was not one to manipulate his partner that way.
Still, she leveled her golden gaze on Shun's newest partner as her motherly instincts flared to life after lying dormant for so long. Though neither side was wrong, and Shun's injuries no longer dire, she still wished to blame Jaakor for allowing harm to come to her dearest companion, regardless of the circumstances.
"I do not like leaving you alone with a partner so willing to forsake you, Shun," she growled lowly.
"It wasn't sensei's fault!" Skytruss spoke up, flying into the semicircle, "We came and asked him to leave his partner behind. We didn't know how strong the bond between Bakugan and humans really was."
"Yeah," Orbeum agreed, stalking beside his brother, "if anyone's to blame for this mess, it's us. We drew Sensei away and let Shun get hurt. And for that, we're sorry, Lady Skyress."
Shun looked up at the phoenix with a look that asked her to forgive them, and she sighed deeply.
"You are all forgiven," she declared against her better, or perhaps more indicative, judgement. She inwardly smirked at the sighs of relief coming from the strange trio, but her inner victory was cut short as she felt Shun slump against her side.
"Thanks, Skyress," the onyx teen breathed before falling into a peaceful sleep.
Skyress adjusted herself into a more comfortable position and situated her wings to shield the brawler from view. The action did not go unnoticed. As she laid her head beside Shun and closed her own eyes, the other Bakugan watched. Ingram and Taylean shared a knowing look, while Jaakor and his students seemed mildly confused at the closeness between the two.
"I thought the bond between you and Shun was impressive, Sensei," Orbeum whispered, "but I've never seen anything like that."
"They have a different kind of closeness," Taylean explained as he sat down on the edge of the plateau, "We have a bond similar to a brotherhood with Shun Kazami, but with her, the connection is much deeper."
"How so?" Skytruss asked.
Ingram replied, "She is his mother."
"How is that possible? I've never heard of such a relationship between humans and Bakugan," Jaakor stated. Partners referring to each other as brother or sister, he had seen many times, but never had he heard of a Bakugan adopting a human in that way.
"She was his first partner, but she was also a gift," Ingram continued, "from his human mother. She died the same hour she gave Skyress to Shun. But it was also that same hour that Skyress vowed to look after him as though he were her own."
"It was a bond forged out of sorrow and love. Something like that can't be broken easily, not even years of separation."
"But if they were so close," Orbeum asked, "then why did she remain on New Vestroia instead of returning to Earth with him?"
"Because I knew that if he was to truly move on from his mother's passing, he would have to let go of her memory," Skyress spoke up, startling the group, "If you are to gossip about me, make sure I am asleep before you start talking," she reprimanded.
The other Bakugan winced and mumbled their apologies. Skyress merely swished her tail in response as she laid her head back down. The group sat in relative silence, the only sounds coming from the ever present wind blowing around them.
But soon, Skyress resumed humming a Vestroian lullaby, gently lulling the others into a sense of calm, but also to soothe the scrunched face of her child in all but blood. No nightmares would plague him this night, she vowed.
And she swore on the wind that Wiseman would pay for what he had done.
...
A/N: And that's a wrap for chapter one! Please let me know what you think!
Also, quick question, should I bring back some of the other characters that weren't shown in the last arc? If so, who do you think? I'm open to suggestions.
Anyways, thanks for reading!!!