Disclaimer: I do not own Battle B-Daman, Wen, Li, or any of the characters used in this fic.
A/N: This takes place after episode 44, Meet the Neo Shadow Alliance. Li has been brainwashed by Marda B, and Yamato recently fought Biarce.
How can I go on without the other half of my spirit? – Wen from With Friends Like These
The Bond Between Brothers: Inner Strength
"You have failed me, Biarce. You were supposed to capture Yamato's spirit," Marda B scolded his servant.
The henchman in question bowed slightly even as he scowled in annoyance. "My apologies, master. Next time I will not disappoint you."
"May I suggest an easier task for him?" Cain suddenly spoke up.
"What is it?" the evil being asked as the rest of the Neo Shadow Alliance turned to look at their teammate curiously.
"Send him to battle Wen Yong Fa." At this, Cain felt Li's eyes narrow in on him. "Is there a problem?"
"No. Of course not. But why my brother?"
Cain smirked. "Wen hasn't been himself lately. We both know how much you rejoining our side hurt. His spirit is damaged. He should be easy to defeat. It's not as good as getting Yamato, but Wen is a strong b-daplayer. His energy will be a nice addition to our collection."
"Very well," Marda B told the group. "I'll allow it."
Li, however, did not look pleased. "You underestimate Wen," he said softly as he looked away from the others.
Meanwhile, Yamato and his friends had set up camp for the night. Most were asleep, but Wen was still wide awake. He stood several feet away from the rest of the group just staring up at the sky.
"I know what you're thinking about."
Wen turned and saw Gray walking towards him. "You're still up?"
The blonde-haired boy smiled. "Yeah. It's been quite a day. I guess I'm still a bit on edge."
"I know what you mean. The Neo Shadow nearly took out Yamato. I still can't believe it." He sighed. "It almost makes me wonder if Li was right. If we are facing an enemy an enemy we can't defeat. If…" He could not go on and turned his back to his friend.
"You really miss him, don't you?" Receiving no answer, Gray continued. "Wen, I hate to bring this up again, but is it possible that Li wanted to rejoin them?"
His companion shook his head violently and clenched his hands into fists. "No! He wouldn't do that!" Wen took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Something was off about him, Gray. Something wasn't right about the whole thing. Li was fine just a few hours before. He was going to report in with Armada. Then he must have run into Enjyu, and I don't know what happened after that."
"Is there any chance it was all a trick? Do you think Li might have had something else planned?"
"I don't know. But why couldn't he have told me?"
"Maybe he thought you wouldn't understand."
Wen closed his eyes and lowered his head. Gray placed a hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him. "This is so…painful. It's like I've lost a part of myself."
"I know what you're going through. When Liena was held prisoner, I felt like my whole world was crumbling around me."
"Yeah," Wen replied awkwardly. "Gray, I just want you to know that…I'm sorry."
His companion looked confused. "For what?"
"For what I did as part of the Shadow Alliance. For the pain I caused you and your sister." He kicked a small stone out of his way. "It seems so obvious now. Now that Li's gone, but I just couldn't, or didn't want to, see it back then. We've been trying so hard to make up for all of the horrible things we did. That's why I can't believe my brother would just go back now all of a sudden."
"You know that I've forgiven you. We all have. You've become a true friend, and we'll help you save Li."
Wen gave a small smile. "Thanks," he said softly. "You know, I'm going to take a walk before hitting the sack."
"Alright, I'll be around here if you need me."
Wen had started to feel the slightest bit tired and was about to head back just as he felt someone watching him from the bushes. He grabbed his King Bakuso and turned to aim at where he believed the spy was hiding. Before he could take a shot, the intruder jumped straight at him from the shadows. Wen was startled but maintained his battle ready stance as he recognized his enemy. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
Biarce calmly sized him up. He was clearly unimpressed. "I've come to offer you a deal, Wen. Rejoin the Shadow Alliance."
Wen laughed in his face. "That's never going to happen."
His nemesis was unfazed. "Fine. In that case, we'll just have a battle. You know you'll lose, and then you'll turn to stone like all the others. Is that really what you want?"
"Hmph," Wen scowled at him defiantly.
"I'd have thought you would jump at this chance. You know, to be with your brother again. You want that more than anything, don't you?"
He did. Wen was tempted to take the offer, but at the same time, he knew he could not trust this person. It was too risky. Besides, he could never betray Yamato and the others after everything they did for him. "I won't do it."
It was Biarce's turn to laugh. "You've made a foolish decision. Our game will be a direct hit battle, and once you lose, you'll end up helping Marda B anyway." He took the first shot. Wen barely dodged. Only his extraordinary speed saved him. He turned and saw the b-daball crash into a tree, knocking it from its roots.
Wen glared at his adversary. A part of him knew that he could not win. His opponent's b-daman was too powerful, but that did not mean he would just give up. Wen fired directly at Biarce, but he was too quick. He jumped out of the way just in time.
The Neo Shadow Alliance member laughed heartily. He clearly did not consider Wen a threat. This aggravated the brown-haired boy to no end. He would show him that Wen Yong Fa was no pushover. Still, he knew he would have to use a different tactic.
Wen hopped up onto a tree branch, hoping to have better luck from higher ground. He fired towards Biarce, then used his opponent's momentary distraction to hide himself in the treetops. At that moment, he could not help being grateful for his intense training with the Shadow Alliance. It had perfected his skills enough for him to remain absolutely silent while performing such a difficult task. Wen used the darkness and the tree branches to conceal his new position, but he could see Biarce shaking his head down beneath him.
Wen fired, but it was almost as if Biarce knew exactly where he was. As if his b-daman had somehow zeroed in on him. Wen remembered Biarce's battle against Yamato. It was said he had the perfect b-daman. Its abilities were unmatched, and they probably had not even seen everything it could do yet.
Biarce returned fire even as he jumped out of the way. The b-daball came too fast. Wen had no time to move as it broke the branch that supported him. He fell fast towards the ground but still managed to fire once near Biarce's feet before landing.
His opponent recovered first. Biarce shot at Wen and hit his b-daman while he was still trying to get up. The battle was over quickly. Wen had lost.
Biarce laughed. "You should have taken my original offer," he said. "But you can still feel honored, Wen. Your spirit will go to aid Marda B, the master you once served so faithfully in the Shadow Alliance."
Wen growled, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He had lost and could already feel his body turning to stone. In his last moments he thought of his brother. He had failed Li. He had failed his brother before even having the chance to save him.
"Wen!" came a cry from behind him. He heard footsteps racing towards them.
"Gray?" Sure enough, his blonde-haired friend was coming into view.
Yamato was close behind. He still looked weak from his battle earlier, but he was determined to help in any way possible. "Hey, Wen!" he called. "Gray told us you were taking a walk. When you didn't come back after a while, we got worried, and…" He gasped as he saw what was happening. The two boys rushed over to their friend.
Wen could not move. His feet had already turned to stone. He stood quietly clenching his fists and waiting for the end. He was filled with regret and losing hope.
Yamato ran in front of him and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "Don't give up! I beat this, and so can you. Do it for Li."
"I've already failed Li. It's too late."
"No, it's not. Wen, I've never known you to give up. Even at the worst of times. Don't start now."
"That's right," Gray joined in. "And we're here for you. We'll help you save your brother, but we still need your help too, Wen. Fight this."
Wen could feel more and more of his body turning to stone, but just having his friends there gave him renewed strength. He owed them so much. They stood by him and helped him when he left the Shadow Alliance. Their loyalty and friendship helped him to become a better person. He could not give up on their cause now. He believed they could win.
Then there was Li. Wen did not understand what happened, but he was going to find out. He was going to save him. He had to. He was not complete without him.
The stone was nearly up to Wen's neck, but it was his love for his brother and his determination to rescue him that finally made the strong-willed boy fight back. Biarce could feel it. He was surprised by the intensity of the resistance. Wen screamed as he struggled to keep himself together.
Yamato watched his friend fight against the evil b-daman. He wanted to help even if he still felt the effects of his own battle. He placed a hand on Wen's shoulder in an effort to give him strength, and Gray did the same.
With their help, Wen was able to overpower his opponent. He felt himself fly backwards from the force of the ending struggle even as his body returned to normal. He, Yamato, and Gray fell to the ground as Biarce disappeared once more. They took a moment to catch their breath before standing up.
"I'm glad that's over," Yamato sighed. "Wen, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Thanks, guys. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here."
"Don't mention it," his catlike friend replied. "I'm glad we could help. You're our friend, Wen. We don't want to lose you."
Wen smiled. "You know, after this, I'm just more determined to find Li. I won't give up on him either. No matter what. I'll kick his butt back over to the good side if I have to."
Gray chuckled. "Come on. Let's return to camp. Terry and Bull will be worried about us."
"You failed me again, Biarce."
"But I didn't." He could sense the big eyeball was displeased with him but went on anyway. "I managed to test the enemy. Find out more about his convictions."
"Is that so?" Cain turned to question him.
"Yes. I offered him the chance to join us first. After all, if Li Yong Fa could be persuaded to come back to our side, why not Wen? You must admit that the brothers are strongest when they fight together."
"This is true," their master confirmed. "But he refused you."
"Yes. He is too hardheaded and loyal to Yamato. Plus, he wants to free you from us, Li."
Li turned to him with an unreadable expression on his face. It did not go unnoticed by Cain. Even brainwashed, could there still be a part of him that was happy Wen had escaped?
"I have a better idea on how to break the spirit of that loudmouth," Biarce continued. "Wen Yong Fa will be defeated by his own brother. We'll send Li to face him in battle. Wen's emotions often control him. He'll be weak. Surely this will be more entertaining than just taking his energy now. Besides, Yamato and the others will also be discouraged once they see such a close family destroyed."
"Agreed," Marda B told the group. "Li, I trust you will succeed in battle against your brother."
Li bowed. "Of course."
Cain stared at him again. He was not so sure. Something in Li's expression was not right. He looked almost unhappy at the thought of facing Wen. Cain had to wonder if there was still a part of him that loved his brother. The two had proven to be very close in the past. Was the bond between them strong enough to overcome even Marda B's control? Cain believed they had reason to worry.