Character development… HNNNNNNNG, I love to talk about how great it is despite the fact that I'm not that good at it, but regardless, hope that the emotional scenes convey actual emotion and they aren't just two mannequins speaking in monotone. Also, if something seems off to you or you especially like something, leave a review and tell me what it is and why, it helps A LOT (this is my first major project after all). Enjoy All Knighter: Reckless Endangerment!
While having been previously awoken by the alarm, he chose to stay closed, preferring to wait to be alone before acclimatizing himself to his surroundings.
Tp tp tp… Clank.
He opened himself slightly, looking out of his shell. Greyson had exited the room, closing the door behind him. He was alone.
Leonidas popped open fully, taking a moment to rotate around and view his surroundings. Greyson's room was as it had been the previous night, the Darkus Bakugan still sitting on his window sill.
Leonidas looked below himself for a moment before looking over toward Grey's bed. Had he moved closer? Regardless, he quickly tuned his sense of hearing, curious as to what was going on downstairs.
"Here you go sweetie!" a more feminine voice came.
"Thanks Mom… Bye Dad.". Distinctly Greyson's voice.
"See you later bud!". This one was male, definitely. Leonidas continued listening, hearing the clanking of a door, probably the front, before the area was once again overtaken by the sounds of the kitchen. Pots clanking, the sink running, a pleasant smell wafted upstairs and tempted Leonidas to investigate the lower level. He glanced outside for a moment, the mechanical roar of an engine drawing his attention, an automobile pulling out of the driveway, reversing into the road, and driving off. Granted, Leonidas had no idea what any of these were called, their names dancing as a curiosity in his head while his mind moved to other thoughts, mainly those of what Grey had said last night…
"I trust you."
"My offer still stands."
Why would the child trust him? What had he done to warrant it? He hadn't been nice to him at all yet Greyson acted like a guardian in return. Leonidas grumbled, confused and unsure of what to do next. Until he heard Greyson coming back up the stairs that is, Leo unsure of how long he had been lost in his own head for.
Grey opened the door and entered, not taking particular note of Leonidas, who had previously shut himself off. He walked toward his closet, getting changed out of his sleeping attire and into day clothes, sporting an outfit familiar to Leo. The Darkus Bakugan opened slightly, meekly observing as his brawler picked up a school bag and began placing things into it. Pencils, notebooks, other items that Leonidas also didn't know the name of, he only realized then that he was indeed an alien to this world, and it would likely benefit him to have more information, among other things, on it.
"Hey…"
Greyson cocked his head over from his desk to the origin of the sound, seeing Leonidas' open Darkus ball form sitting on the windowsill, looking at him with inquisitive eyes. His suspicion from before was confirmed; Leonidas had moved some distance along the window ledge toward him, now essentially next to the middle of the bed, staring at him. "Hey." Grey responded, his voice slightly more enthusiastic than the Bakugan's. "Why did you say you trusted me?" Leonidas asked bluntly, as if he wasn't asking but making a statement. Grey thought for a moment, the answer popping into his head rather quickly. "Because I do trust you." he replied, placing a few more items into his bag. "Why?" Leonidas inquired once again, the human detecting a distinct hint of aggression in his voice, attempting to think of a response before the Bakugan's temper grew angry. "Well… Because you trust me." Greyson said plainly, hooking his backpack onto his back, turning to face Leonidas, hands on the straps. "What?" the Darkus draconian responded, his voice almost monotone, his confusion clear. "Think about it." Grey prompted, walking closer to Leonidas before getting onto the bed, kneeling on it and looking directly at him.
"You got shot out of a white light, you had no idea where you were, and yet you trusted me as a brawler for you."
Leonidas turned sideways, considering the information provided to him.
"And when we fought Masquerade, you went against an enemy that, well, you were clearly scared of… But still you trusted me enough to brawl together!" Greyson continued, tilting his head slightly and smiling. "You see?".
The Darkus Leonidas continued staring at the ground, still processing the information given to him. He had indeed trusted the child to brawl with him even after his enigmatic entry, he chose to indulge his violent nature, he was there during the brawl with the frenchman…
"I know you moved closer after I talked to you last night." the brawler added, hunching slightly to meet the Bakugan at eye level. This was something he could not deny, he had moved closer. On his own authority no less. The child was right, and though Leonidas felt some force inside himself told him not to, he said what he intended to anyway.
"Last night. You said your offer still stood?" he inquired, his voice sounding somewhat meek. Like if his aggressive tone was not a result of personality but as if he was putting it on, putting up a facade. "Yeah… You wanna take me up on it?" Greyson confirmed, tilting his head to the side once again. Leonidas looked up at the human, his eyes glazing over his grey hair and discolored eyes, green on the left, blue on the right. He then looked away, looking out the window at the warm Wardington skyline.
"I… I don't know where I am, or what I am… I feel like I'm lost and I'm meant to go somewhere but I don't know where that is and… I don't know anything about this world… I want to learn… So I can do what I was meant to, so I can find out what I was meant to do!"
Sensing the return of Leonidas' passionate yet aggressive tone brought Greyson some relief, though his minds was more occupied on what the Bakugan had just said. What I was meant to do… Nevertheless, Grey wasn't going to sit there in silence. "Is that your roundabout way of saying yes?" he asked, lowering his head so it was below Leo's, an attempted sign of respect on his part. Leonidas remained silent for a long time, looking down at the surface of his perch while Greyson waited intently for an answer.
"Yes…" Leonidas replied.
"Well then Darkus Leonidas…" Grey began, holding an open palm out toward the Bakugan, offering a new perch. "Partners?". The creature in question quickly rotated, looking down at the new platform for a moment before doing something that would change his very existence forever.
"Partners!" he responded, hopping into the palm of Grey's hand as the the typical tone of his voice returned in full power. Greyson smiled, closing his hand around the now ball form Leonidas. "Yeah… It'll be great." he said warmly, then trying to come up with some final way to finish the conversation in a better way.
But he didn't. It'll be great is what it was, great is what it would be.
Greyson placed Leonidas into his pocket, the small creature poking his head out in order to maintain clear communication with his brawler. The child then exited his room, navigated through his house, went out the front door, and walked into a bright new day, lit by the warm Wardington sun in a blue sky.
School went on as a usual day would, given the extra fact that, having cemented a partnership, Leonidas seemed much more talkative and curious than his previous behavior would imply, Grey being asked several questions that a typical five year old would.
"What is that?"
"What are those things?"
"What is the light in the sky called?"
It did make sense Grey thought, given Leo was new to the world and didn't have the years of experience living in it that Greyson did. Nethertheless, time moved on as it normally would, class passed by, and eventually the final bell rang, signalling the release of the Wardington youth. As was the common routine, Greyson headed toward the school atrium, prepared to spectate, and possibly participate in the fighting.
"Thas' pretty cool!" Kai said, sitting aside Grey on one of the atrium tiers, sipping from his usual beverage (whose straw was impaled into the bottom of the box). "What got em to change?" he asked, his omni-attributed accomplice digging through his bag in a search for his brawling equipment. "I dunno…" Grey replied, glancing down at his pocket and hearing the faint sound of a Darkus Bakugan snoozing. "Maybe he grew on me." he speculated. "I am AMAZING after all!" Greyson concluded, adding a hint of theatrical flair to his words, leading Kai to chuckle and ruffle his compatriots hair. "You're a riot Grey." he said, smiling. "I know!" Greyson replied, continuing his fake theatrisism and subtle undertone.
"HEY NERD!"
"Oh dear god why me…"
Greyson and Kai looked up from their conversation and the former's bag excavation project to see Shuji, standing there like he owned the building, pointing a finger at Grey as if he was prosecuting him for murder. "Hey Gray, or whatever your name is-"
"It's Greyson, yeah…"
"- I want a rematch! Mono e mono!" the boy said, almost yelling as he did so. Grey took a moment, noting on how Shuji lacked his traditional accompaniment in Akira, which did make sense given the environment they found themselves in. He then shot a glance at Kai, sucking on his juice box like a child and looking back at him, giving a shrug. "If you want to…" he said, finishing the contents of the box with juice in it before lobbing it at a nearby trash can.
It missed.
Greyson simply shrugged back, reaching into his bag and, after a moment of searching by feeling, pulling out his brawling gear. "Alright Shuji, I'll take you on." he said, smiling a warmly smile. "That is if you're so intent on losing 24/7.". "HA, NO WAY I'M GONNA LOSE AGAIN!" Shuji replied as Greyson stood up, affixing his equipment to himself, then walking over to face his opponent, pulling a field card. Leonidas, having been awoken by the prior almost-yelling of Shuji, quickly floated upward and out of Grey's pocket, his Darkus shell popping open as he neared his brawler's shoulder, perching on it. "We gonna fight?" he inquired, Grey glancing down at his shoulder, giving him a stern nod and a grin. Leonidas responded similarly, giving an aggressive "Hmmp" before shutting into ball form, his brawler picking him up in his free hand before looking back to Shuji, who also had a field card primed. "Let's do this Leonidas!" Grey roared, flipping his field card as it glowed in synchronization with Shuji's.
"FIELD OPEN!"
The attribute wheel materialized on the ground below the two brawlers and began to spin, a veil of coloured light surrounding them as reality began to warp. Kai also stepped into the ring, wishing to see the action, but something else caught his attention as he did so. Outside, somewhere in the distance, he saw another light pillar, a Bakugan field definitely. "Huh, guess someone else is brawlin', neat." he noted before looking back forward, the field's formation masking his view of the formation. "This fight'll be more interesting anyway." Kai thought, sticking his hands in his pockets and preparing to watch the show.
Meanwhile however, an intertwining destiny was placing its roots down in another pocket dimension, notable as the field Kai had seen just before Shuji and Grey had begun their fight, inside this miniature world, a battle had already began.
Stinglash quickly skated to the side, using the tips of its numerous legs to quickly locomote circles around the slower Juggernoid it was fighting against. The Pyrus Stinglash quickly skated through a wave of fire provided by the gate card, claws outstretched, prepared to strike at its Aquos opponent. Quick to respond despite a typically slow nature, the Juggernoid foe retreated into its shell, Stinglashes claws making barely a dent into the thick carapace. "Hey Juggernoid!" a voice came, the Pyrus Bakugan looking toward the source; Juggernoid's brawler.
Rikimaru was average height, red hair blazing outward like a star. His dress included a white undershirt, a blue long jean jacket, grey pants, average shoes, and a chain worn around his neck. The Aquos brawler drew an ability card, raising it and yelling; "DEPTH TORNADO!", leading the card to glow in a blew light, Riki launching it outward toward his Bakugan. Juggernoid roared, retreating into its shell as its body began floating into the air, a whirlpool of water erupting below it. Stinglash quickly retreated backwards, moving to a defensive stance, stinger poised and claws ready. The whirlpool below Juggernoid continued to expand as the Bakugan began to spin, the water soon reaching his Pyrus foe's feet, quickly destabilizing the insectoid and sending it screeching toward the epicentre of the move. Rikimaru grinned, watching as his foe's Bakugan was dragged closer and closer to its demise, soon finding itself under the mass of the still swiftly rotating Juggernoid. "You're done! Juggernoid go-" Riki began, finding himself interupted.
"Stinglash Ability Activate: Frame Fire!"
Rikimaru's opponent, who we will call Rusty as that is his name, held forth a glowing red rectangle, its Pyrus power being quickling transfer to the boy's Stinglash. A coating of fire quickly enveloped Stinglash, displacing the water around it and disintegrating the whirlpool, its liquid form dissipating into nothing rapidly. The Pyrus Bakugan in question quickly looked up and grabbed the spinning Juggernoid's shell with its flaming claws, arresting its momentum instantly. It was but a moment before Stinglash opened its jaws and spewed out a burning fire toward its now captive opponent, Juggernoid roaring in pain before Rikimaru's scarred vision was overtaken by a wall of light.
"I… Lost…" he said, dropping to his knees as his Juggernoid's ball form bounced off the ground and rolled toward him. "I LOST AGAIN!" Riki yelled, his voice having a tone of despair one would typically find at a funeral. "Of course you did." a voice came, Rikimaru looking up to see Rusty standing there, his accomplice standing a bit further back on his phone. Rusty wore a simple tan overcoat and a red undershirt, sporting a pair of casual track pants and sneakers, his maroon coloured hair glowing under the sun. His accomplice as far as Riki could see wore a similar outfit, grey hoodie, cobalt hair, jeans, and a pair of hiking boots. "I used Pyrus Normal, my Bakugan's gpower was over 300 units higher than yours." Rusty explained, adjusting his square glasses on his face in an attempt to look intelligent. "Even if depth tornado had worked, Stinglash would have still beaten your Bakugan to the curb.". "B-but…" Riki began, Rusty walking closer as he began to tear up. "I couldn't… I just…" he continued to continue, distracted as a hand appeared in front of his face, leading him to look up. His opponent had lowered himself to a crouch, offering a hand to help Rikimaru up. "You can do better, you just need to think before you act, you know?" he said, giving a small smile and a helpful look.
SMACK
Rusty stumbled back, falling onto his backside as he quickly pulled his hand to cover a now painful spot on his face. "Rusty!" a second voice came, the boys accomplice running over to see if he was okay. Rusty meanwhile, had his vision directed straight forward, as was his hearing, at the boy who had just struck him over the face. "I AM GOOD AT BAKUGAN, YOU JUST CAN'T SEE THAT!" Riki yelled, stumbling to his feet, basically crying at this point. "Rusty, are you alright?" his friend asked, kneeling down and examining the bright red mark left by Rikimaru's impact, running a hand against it gently. "I'm fine Indigo, it's okay…" he replied, looking up at his opponent, face distraught with tears and "suffrage". "This is why no one wants to brawl with you Riki!" Indigo yelled, moving his head and looking directly into Maru's upset eyes. "You're just a big baby who can't accept that he isn't as good as he thinks he is!" he continued, pointing at his with a free hand, the other one held by Rusty. "NO! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" was Rikimaru's "reply" before the boy turned around and booked off, crying like a young child.
A few seconds of confused silence past before the duo said anything.
"Are you actually okay?" Indigo asked, placing a hand gently over the mark Riki had left. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine…" Rusty responded, looking up at the still fleeing Rikimaru,gripping his companion's other hand tightly. "He's some piece of work though…". "Yeah." Indigo confirmed.
"Thank god the only thing he can hurt is his own ego."
Meanwhile, in a similar timeframe as the previous events, a second battle was raging in its own pocket of reality. Shuji watched helplessly as his Haos Bakugan went flying back toward him in ball form, bouncing to a stop before rolling near his feet, eventually hitting his shoe to arrest its momentum. The Darkus Griffon it had once called its opponent looked down at them, mild sparks still dancing around its horn as his face shifted to a grin, the chimera letting out a victory roar, almost destabilizing the now Haos brawler as he looked down at the light Bakugan near his foot. "Dang it, you trashed my Serpenoid!" Shuji yelled in frustration, the mention of the Bakugan's name sending bad echoes through his head. "That tends to happen when you go up against me!" Greyson replied, shrugging and putting on a face as Griff returned to ball form, shooting down and landing into his hand. "Huh, that actually worked." he thought, lowering his arms and looking at his now ball form beast. "Good job Griff!" the brawler said, rubbing the Darkus Bakugan with his index finger, who responded by raising and lowering its wing, communicating his pride. There was two more gate cards set down on the field, 3 battles had been fought by far, Greyson winning two of them. Just one more was needed in order for him to win. The bad news was that Shuji owned both remaining gate cards, and throwing down his own was a one way trip to having cross card abilities played on him. Grey began to think about what he could do to turn the odds to his favour-
"BAKUGAN BRAWL!"
"Problem solved!" he said plainly as Shuji launched out a Bakugan at the gate card closest to Grey, his projectile rolling to a stop before popping open. A wave of light expanded outward as the beast opened, everyone present squinting slightly as a Haos Mantris rose from the vortex. The insectoid slowly pulled itself out of the terrain via its quad legs, rising up and staring down at its foes, blades primed. "It's always a Mantris with him isn't it?" Greyson noted, glancing over to the Darkus Leonidas perched on his shoulder, who turned and gave him a similar look. "Let me at em!" the Bakugan said, the excitement and aggression in his voice clear. "Let's do it!" Grey responded, quickly taking hold of Leonidas and arching his arm back.
"Bakugan Brawl!"
Greyson shot Leonidas at the gate card at velocity, the Bakugan winding between Mantris' legs before rolling to a stand. A dark field of energy shot out from the terrain, concealing the Darkus monster's form as his stand commenced. Darkus Leonidas flew upward out of the field, dark energy still dissipating off his body like volcanic ash as he did so. He quickly lowered himself onto the field in a controlled descent as Mantris turned to face him, his contact with the terrain still making some impact despite his slow downward speed. The dark draconian made eye contact with his foe, his breath sounding like miniature roars, while the opposing insectoid simply stood there, as if its body was paused, triggering a natural alarm within Grey, who quickly consulted his bakupod for more data.
"Haos Mantris 320 g's, Darkus Leonidas 340 g's." it chimed. Leonidas had the advantage, which was why Grey was suspicious as to why Shuji hadn't done anything to counteract. Usually he would lead with an ability card or something, but instead Mantris laid still, unmoving. "Oh my god, he's actually using some sort of strategy…" Kai noted, Greyson just hearing him due to his distance before his focus was averted; Leonidas was ready to pounce, and he assumed the Bakugan would do it with or without his authority. "Alright, I'll go first!" he said, pulling an ability card and hoisting it in front of himself, still wary of Mantris' movement.
"Ability Activate: Theta Claw!"
Leonidas' claws glowed a purple light as the ability card Greyson held disintegrated, its energy quickly jumping to the Bakugan. The Darkus monster raised its clawed hands, which quickly were enveloped in a dark energy, extending them into razor sharp blades, prime for cutting. Leonidas grinned for a second before averting his focus to Mantris, bending his knees and preparing. He then launched himself at the Haos Bakugan, claws outstretched forward. "YOU'RE GOIN' DOWN INSECT!" he roared, delivering a cross slash across his foe, who responded by raising its arms to block, using its blades as a sort of shield. Not to be deterred, Leonidas quickly delivered a second attack, and then a third, his move shifting into a flurry of slashes that the insectoid Bakugan was clearly having a hard time resisting.
"Haos Mantris power decrease to 270 g's, Darkus Leonidas power increase to 390 g's." Greyson's bakupod chimed, the brawler quickly looking back up at the fight. This was indeed odd, Shuji had not activated a counter ability, nore did his Mantris make any meaningful attempt to counter.
"GATE CARD OPEN: SUPERNOVA!"
It was the gate card.
The terrain beneath Leonidas and Mantris glowed in a white light, its effect taking hold immediately. Leonidas felt his energy drain while Mantris felt itself being empowered, the former not giving up on its assault despite this, continuing to slash at its foe. "Haos Mantris power increase to 390 g's, Darkus Leonidas power decrease to 270 g's." Grey's bakupod chimed, the brawler being sent into a mild panic as Mantris switched its strategy from a defensive one to an offensive. The Haos insectoid quickly swung its claws outward, making an impact against Leonidas and sending him backward, struggling to regain his balance. "Your toast now!" Shuji roared, a sentence that for once might actually hold true. "Leonidas, go defensive!" Greyson commanded, knowing an offense would be both dangerous and ineffective, his confidence dying as he saw the look on Leonidas' face.
"Oh, YOU'RE DEAD NOW!" he roared, the Bakugan immediately charging back toward his opponent, who was now not only ready to fight, but it now also had a power advantage. "Leo, wait!" his brawler yelled, only to find his focus once again averted as Shuji engaged the second tier of his plan.
"ABILITY CARD ACTIVATE: SLICE CUTTER!"
Mantris' bladed claws quickly began glowing in a Haos light, extending in a similar manner to Leonidas' Theta Claw; equally as sharp, equally as harmful. It was at this point that the Darkus Bakugan of the battle realized his mistake, attempting to arrest his momentum and drive himself backward via his wings.
But it was too late.
Leonidas quickly realized the impact was inevitable, and instead drove his clawed feet into the terrain, quickly slowing him down, yet not to a level where he could dodge the unmoving Mantris. His Haos foe quickly swung both of its glowing blades downward, Leo responding by quickly swinging his claws upward and grabbing the incoming razors. He grunted, the pain of holding two knives back being rather pronounced, before Leo glanced over at Greyson, who was already regretfully priming a response.
"Ability Activate: Rho Gun!"
Still struggling, Leonidas watched impatiently as the energy from Grey's glowing ability card transferred to his wing tips, electrical energy continuing to build up as the ground beneath him began to indent due to the force behind Mantris' attack. "C'mon, COME ON!" roared, feeling the full straint the attack was placing upon him. Rho Gun, as if it had been listening, came to the rescue, the energy converging in the tips of Leonidas' wings, primed to fire. And fire they did, two thin beams of Darkus energy launching at Mantris' blades, Rho Gun's effect taking hold as they lost their Haos glow near instantly.
"HAHAHA! HOW'D YA LIKE THAT!" Leonidas roared, pushing forward at Mantris' still incoming claws, weakening their leverage somewhat. Matris responded, making a sound that was likely the insectoid equivalent to a grunt before quickly sliding its blades out of Leo's grip, disbalancing the Darkus Bakugan as he fell forward somewhat. Quickly shooting a knee out, Leonidas stabilized himself before he hit the ground, glancing his head upward after a moment of recovering.
SHRRRRING
The Darkus ball form quickly shot back at Greyson, who failed at an attempt to catch it. Mantris, satisfied with its victory, let out a sort of insectoid roar, not too dissimilar to Griffon's previous one, before returning to ball form, firing backward at an ecstatic Shuji. "I WON! HECK YEAH!" he yelled, jumping up and down excitedly after catching his returning champion. Kai observed this, partly annoyed by the ego trip Shuji was on about his single victory, before shifting his focus to Grey, who had walked over to pick up Leonidas' ball form. Greyson slowly picked up the ball form of Leonidas, cupping his hand as the Bakugan popped open. "What just…" he began, a clear level of disorientation in his voice. 'Well, Mantris sprung a trap on you, I told you to back the heck up, you promptly didn't do that, and then you got slashed by it since it still had the higher gpower." Greyson summarized, a level of annoyance in his voice equal to Leo's confusion. "You mean I…" Leonidas started, his voice and Grey's focus on him trailing off as the brawler's attention was diverted back toward his opponent, yelling like an excited child.
"I WON, I DID IT, I BEAT YOUR STRONGEST BAKUGAN!" Shuji roared, clear wonder and excitement behind his voice. "The fight ain't over yet big guy!" Kai yelled back, crossing his arms and looking to Greyson, nodding his head for him to continue. "Yeah… Yeah! You've still got a long way to go Shuji!" Greyson added, glancing down at Leonidas for a second before placing him into his pocket, drawing out his previous Darkus Bakugan in reserve. "I'll deal with you later…" he murmured, instead shifting his focus to the Griffon in his hand. "Let's do this Griff!".
"Bakugan Brawl!"
"Aaaattteention staff and students, anyone wishing to participate in this week's art club should head up to the Art Lab immediately."
The sound of reality turning to normal coincided with the field collapse, the pure white terrain and elemental skies of the field being replaced by the flooring and roof structure of the school atrium. Greyson let out a loud sigh as he caught his Bakugan, the look of surprise still permeating Kai's face. "Dude, did Shuji just-" he began, before being interrupted by the boy in question.
"YEEEHAW, I WON!" Shuji roared, thrusting his Bakugan above his head like a sports player holding a trophy. "I BEAT GREYSAN, I BEAT GREYSAN!". "Yeah, you did." Greysan responded, Shuji stopping himself, surprised by the calm nature of his opponents response. "Pretty good strategy, springing trap cards then blitzkrieging my Bakugan. Good job!" he continued, giving his foe a thumbs up, which Shuji responded to with a happy grunt and a grin. "That was nice." Kai said, Grey returning his brawling gear to his bag and slinging it onto his back. "You really mean everything you said there?".
"Yeah, but next time I see him I'm gonna-"
Meanwhile, in a location the brawlers frequented frequently, another story was unfolding, one that would soon cross over into our heroes' own timeline. Rikimaru continued running through the woods, tears streaming down his face as his ramblings went on. "I'm not weak, I'm not weak, I'm a good brawler, I really am-" he repeated, the boy grinding to a halt as a feeling of dread and fear entered him, seemingly from nowhere.
"So, you want to be strong?" a voice came, Rikimaru swinging around to its source. A shadowy figure stood on a thick tree branch, one leg against the trunk of the plant. He had a calm stature, and though he was somewhat shadowed, a gleaming mask came shining through the darkness. "W-who are-" Riki began, interrupted once again as a projectile came shooting toward him, the boy struggling as he attempted to catch it. Opening his hand over the acquired object, a blue Bakugan sat in his palm, Rikimaru recognizing it from the web, which he regularly surfed like the cool square he was.
"It's an Aquos Siege, a strong warrior." the figure said. "If you can defeat Greyson Noboru and his Leonidas with it, you may keep it.". "R-really?" Rikimaru replied, looking down at the Bakugan with a sense of childlike wonder in his voice. "I wouldn't lie to you. Farewell Rikimaru." the figure concluded, Riki looking up to him, only to find that he was gone. "H-hey, WAIT!" he said, somewhat panicked.
"Who the heck is Greyson Noboru!?"
Masquerade had not disappeared at all in fact. He had simply jumped down from his perch and began moving through the brush out of the Aquos brawler's field of view, leaving Rikimaru with a sense of wonder to who he was. Reaper popped open on the Darkus brawlers shoulder, curious as to his operational philosophy. "Why did you sent a child after Leonidas?" he asked, bobbing over slightly to see his master's face. "Chances are that Leonidas isn't worth our time. That Aquos Siege should be more than enough to put him out of commision, even if the brawler is a bit… Unskilled." Masquerade explained, his face looking dead forward as he continued walking. "Why? It sounds as if you want to fight him again.". "Well…" Reaper began, stopping himself sensing his master's curiosity. "It's nothing." he concluded, closing back into ball form and retreating into a coat pocket. Nevertheless, Reaper couldn't help but wonder about his previous foe. "I wonder what he's doing right now…" he thought, slowly letting himself drift off.
"What is he doing right now…"
"Are you alright?"
"..."
"Are you stewing?"
"Yes…"
"Do you want me to use the toothbrush?"
"..."
"I can't hear you."
"Yes…"
Grey smiled, picking up the Darkus Bakugan and the Lance of Silence's Demise, otherwise known as a toothbrush, beginning to gently brush his companion. "So you like, lost the fight?" Yui asked in confirmation, her face brightly lit up by her computer screen. Greyson had since retreated home, having set up a voice call on his laptop, resigning himself to an afternoon of relaxation and online gaming. "Yeah, thanks to a CERTAIN SOMEONE deciding that bull charging an opponent with a high power rating was a good idea…" Grey responded, looking down at Leonidas with mild frustration, the Bakugan providing no comment aside from a simple; "Ahhhhh, that's that spot…". "Speaking of Bakugan, Yama, heard anything from our friend in the white coat?" Kai inquired, slowly screwing the cap off of a large carton of his favourite beverage. "Yeah…" Yama responded, the sound of his typing on his computer fully audible to all. "he's gone completely dark, from the talk of the trown… talk of the town to a ghost, no one has any news on him at all." he continued, looking back up at the webcam.
"his last brawl that any of us should know about was with grey and leonidas."
"I guess we must have scared him out of Wardington for good! Guy couldn't handle our extreme powa!" Greyson responded, spinning around in his chair, arresting his momentum as soon as Leonidas spoke up. "I didn't win that fight. It was… A draw." he said, his voice somewhat muffled due to his closed form. "What? What do you mean?" Grey asked, tilting his head slightly as Leonidas popped open. "Reaper ended that fight as a draw intentionally. If he wanted to, he could have rammed that polearm right through me and sent me h… To the Doom Dimension." he explained, Greyson ceasing his toothbrush movement. "Could that be why the field collapsed?" Alice questioned after a moment of silence. "Probably." Kai responded. "Neat…" Greyson added. "But why would Reaper-" he started, being interrupted before he could finish his sentence.
"Greyson, could you come down here please?"
"Comin' Mom!" he replied, quickly swiveling back to his laptop. "I'll catch you guys later." he said, turning off the voice call and shutting the device, absent mindedly placing Leonidas into his pocket as he headed out of his room and down the stairs.
The lower floor of Greyson's house was a simple affair, a living room, a front door, a kitchen area, a bathroom door, and a back door. Grey naturally headed into the kitchen, where his mother laid waiting. "What's up Mom?" he asked, entering the kitchen as he ran a hand through his hair.
Grey's mother was an average woman, having brown hair similar to that of her son's before an incident involving a lighting storm and a baseball bat. She wore an orange and white hoodie, paired with blue jeans and fluffy pink socks, and was busy dicing up vegetables when Greyson walked in. "Grey, would you mind running to the market over the river? I forgot to buy beef." she said, looking over her shoulder at her son, both individuals at approximately the same height. "Right now?" he asked, receiving a nod and a smile in confirmation. "Alright!" he confirmed, turning and heading toward the door, noting that he still had his brawling gear hooked to his hip, but making no attempt to remove it as he put his shoes on. "I'll be back in a bit!" Grey said, opening the door and exiting the house, striding down the front path, and making his way toward the Wardington Market.
"Where are you going?"
Greyson looked down toward his pocket, the small purple and black head of Leonidas poking out and looking back up at him. He hadn't even registered the fact that he had placed him there. "Huh, forgot you were in there." Grey replied, the Darkus Bakugan floating out of its resting place up to the brawler's shoulder, gently landing on it and looking toward the child. The two continued walking for a while in silence, only entertained by the sounds of the urban environment, before eventually Leo spoke up.
"Hey… Earlier, during the fight…" Leonidas began, unsure of what exactly he was going to say. "You wondering why you lost?" Grey asked, glancing down at the Bakugan on his shoulder, Leo slightly retreating into his ball form, almost embarrassed. "Well, you see Leo, you-"
"Don't call me that."
"What-"
"I said don't call me that!"
Greyson stopped walking for a moment, stopping and looking down at his shoulder, Leonidas staring back at him with fire in his eyes, both of them remaining still for a few seconds before the Bakugan quickly retreated, turning away and staring at the ground, leading to another extended silence.
"Fair enough, I'll stop." Grey said, starting to walk again. The Darkus dragon slowly turned back toward his brawler's face, looking up at him with an intense curiosity.
"You see Leonidas, a Bakugan battle isn't just a free for all, it's more like a chess match. You see…"
"Reckless?"
Some time had passed, the Darkus Bakugan on Greyson's shoulder listening intently to his brawler's instruction on why he had lost the fight, quitely noting the changing scenery as the two approached a large white bridge. "Acting without thinking of the consequences Leonidas… You do it a lot actually!" Greyson added, walking along with a spring in his step. The bridge Leonidas had noted was one of many methods of crossing a river that bisected Wardinton's centre from its urban areas, but it was strangely empty during normal hours, with some people even deciding to walk on the street instead of the sidewalk. Not Grey however, who resigned himself to traveling along the sidewalk, a barrier between him and the motorway. "I'm not reckless!" the Bakugan retorted. "I think we both know that's a lie." the human responded.
"Grrrr!"
"Aww, you know I'm right!"
"HEY YOU!"
Greyson and Leonidas both looked up, a blue coated redhead standing in front of them, pointing toward the brawler as if he was accusing him of murder. "Are you Greyson Noboru?" he questioned, slightly unnerved as the boy continued walking forward despite the accusations. "Yep, that's me." Grey replied, placing two fingers to his forehead and shooting them off, a way of saying hello. "My name is Rikimaru, and I'm here to battle you… Hey wait!" Riki cried, Greyson walking right past him with disinterest. "I'd love to, but I gotta head to the market. See ya around Rikimaru!" he said, continuing on with a usual spring in his step. "B-but, I…" Riki replied, at a loss for words, having fully expected his would be foe to stop.
""So you're not going to brawl him?" Leonidas asked, looking up at Grey with pleading eyes. "Not really in the mood… Also that guy knew my name and probably came here to challenge me specifically… Which is creepy as heck…" he replied, continuing along the bridge as Rikimaru's confused sputters slowly faded from his hearing. "Hmmmp, I've been waiting for a chance on-"
"-AND I'VE BEEN SENT BY MASQUERADE TO DEFEAT YOU!"
Greyson stopped dead in his tracks, Leonidas almost rolling off his shoulder due to the sudden stop. Rikimaru, noticing this, grinned intensely, his previously shy and scatterbrained nature melting away as he saw his opponents reaction. "Masquerade…" Grey echoed, his mind going into overdrive as he tried to figure out his next move. "I take it this means we're fighting?" Leonidas asked, the aggression and excitement within him almost uncontainable by his voice. "Alright Rikimaru." Greyson said, spinning around and instinctively drawing a field card.
"I didn't know Masquerade sends out housecalls, but I'll take you on!"
Riki grinned, pulling his own field card and holding it close to his chest. "Let's do it then!" he yelled, ready to fight.
"FIELD OPEN!"
Reality once more grinded to a halt as the two field cards glowed in their respective lights, the attribute wheel materializing below them, bridging the gap between the two as time began to slow. The slow breeze got slower, and an incoming car arrested itself to a crawl, Greyson actually catching a glimpse of the driver's confused face before it was faded out by the field. White terrain, elemental skies; it was time to brawl.
"Gate Card Set!" was yelled by both brawlers, each of them launching a gate card to the opposite side of the field, the two rectangles expanding to bridge the gap between them. "Blue light, he's an Aquos fighter." Greyson noted, glancing down at his Bakugan holster for a moment, having two in reserve aside from Leonidas, before looking back up to Rikimaru, who he had just noticed was equipped with a Bakugan shooter similar to Masquerade's. "Not going to lead?" his Darkus companion asked, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. "I wanna see what he does…" Grey replied, keenly watching his opponents movements, finding his curiosity horrifically satisfied as his foe dropped an all too familiar card down into the terrain.
"Doom Card Set." Rikimaru echoed, the card in question dropping down to the ground, sliding into it like a knife and letting out an array of purple shockwaves. "Theatrical!" Greyson commented loudly, attempting to taunt his opponent, which worked partly, Riki quickly grabbing one of his Bakugan and loading it into his shooter.
"Take this! Bakugan Brawl!"
Juggernoid shot out toward Grey's gate card, rolling to a stop and popping open, a wave of water rising around it as its stand began. The shell of the creature quickly surfaced out the liquid, the Aquos juggernaut striking its legs and head out of its shell, ready to fight. "Aquos Juggernoid 280 g's." Grey's bakupod chimed, the brawler quickly deciding on his next move. "Alright, I'll lead with…" he began, his voice trailing off as he noticed Rikimaru laying down another gate card, this one right beside his already standing one. "He's up to something…" Greyson thought, quickly taking hold of his Darkus Griffon and arching his hand back, still sure on his strategy.
"Bakugan Brawl!"
Griff shot outward toward the same gate card as Juggernoid, arching over the armoured Bakugan and landing with a roll, a dark spiral twisting upward to conceal his standing form. Two wings shot out from a figure within the twister, the hurricane dissipating to reveal the Darkus Griffon floating in the middle of it, letting out a low growl at its opponent. Greyson, knowing it wise not to let his opponent have the time to properly scout the scenario, quickly prepared his next attack, hoisting an ability card up.
"No one hurts the Darkness Pupper on my watch, Ability Activate: Griffon Stance!"
The aerial Darkus Bakugan began glowing in a purple light, the effect of the ability taking hold, preparing Griffon for an array of attacks suited to the scenario. He looked down, observing his opponent who had turned to face him, grinning lightly in a fashion familiar to his brawler. "Rikimaru's play…" Grey noted, staring at his opponent, bound to do something. Riki, seemingly in response to his foes previous move, hoisted an ability card of his own.
"Ability Activate! Dive Mirage!"
Rikimaru's armoured Aquos beast found itself sinking into the terrain of the gate card, the ground itself being converted to a semi-liquidus state beneath it. Juggernoid quickly disappeared from view, the still flying Griffon glancing around in an attempt to get its bearings and find its opponent, a faint glimmer in the corner of his eye alerting him to his foes location. Juggernoid had moved itself via Dive Mirage to Rikimaru's most recently laid down gate card, and was now pulling itself out the watery ground, out of Griffon's range.
"Hehehe, he's running scared!" Leonidas mocked. "No… He's definitely up to something…" Grey replied, his brain kicking into thinking mode. "If he intentionally threw down a Bakugan onto a gate card I owned, but then retreated… He's either testing the waters or he's trying to draw more of my Bakugan out." he continued, contemplating his next move, his train of thought brought slightly off balance as Rikimaru launched out yet another gate card, this one landing next to Grey's card and the residency of Griff, expanding in a blue light. Greyson remained silent, watching as Rikimaru launched a Robotallion toward his newly placed card, the Bakugan standing in a whirlpool or Aquos energy, the brawler's mind plucking at straws for what Rikimaru's strategy may be. And then it hit him.
"He's preparing a chain attack." Greyson said, all playfulness fading from his voice, his eyes narrowing at his opponent. "A what?" Leonidas questioned, looking toward his brawler's face in confusion. "An attack that needs multiple Bakugan on the field to work, he's probably going to throw down his third and sweep Griff and whatever else I throw down after my next move…" Grey explained, the calm in his voice underlined by a mix of dread and fury.
"So what's the, plan?"
"He can't activate a chain attack if one of his Bakugan is knocked down."
Greyson looked down at his shoulder, Leonidas looking back up at him with murderous puppy dog eyes, his excitement exploding as the brawler took hold of him. "Leonidas…" Grey began, arching his hand back.
"Take him down!"
"ON IT!"
"Bakugan Brawl!"
The Darkus ball form of Leonidas went flying toward Rikimaru's most recent gate card inclusion, Aquos Robotallion standing sentry, the Bakugan bouncing a few times before rolling to a stop. Darkus energy shot upward as the creature's meek ball form was masked, a new figure slowly rising in the negative light, eyes glowing behind its cowl. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN SHINY!" Leonidas roared, his aggression fully unhinging as he charged out of his dark vortex, immediately tackling the opposing Robotallion to the ground. This wasn't so much a problem for Greyson as it was before; he needed Leonidas to blitzkrieg the Bakugan to prevent what he assumed under good knowledge was Rikimaru's strategy.
"Aquos Robotallion 300 g's, Darkus Leonidas 340 g's." his bakupod chimed, giving Greyson some boost in confidence. "Alright, this guy's going down!" he mumbled, quickling pulling out an ability card, prepared to assist in Leo's takedown.
"Ability Activate: Water Refrain!"
This was not Grey's voice.
Rikimaru held forth a shining ability card, a blue light transferring its power over to his Robotallion, the energy then draining into the ground, sending ripples across the battlefield as Leonidas began glowing in a blue light. "What's this huh?" he questioned, still wrestling with Robotallion, who currently had a massive draconian arm around its neck, almost choking the Bakugan.
"Water Refrain is an ability that makes it so that the opponent can't use any abilities, beat that!" Rikimaru said, shooting a hand out at Greyson, confidence on his sleeve.
"Water Refrain is an ability that makes it so that the opponent can't use any abilities for a short amount of time." Grey responded, satisfied for a moment as Rikimaru did not say anything else, Greyson shifting his focus toward the fight at hand. He couldn't activate any abilities, and he was on a foes gate card, but he did have the higher gpower for now. "Leonidas!" he began, the Bakugan slightly averting its focus from the fight to look at him. "Just kill him, fast!". "Will do!" the Bakugan responded, shoving Robotallions head into the ground. "Leonidas has a 40 g advantage, he should be able to do this unless Riki pulls something else…" the brawler noted, watching Rikimaru carefully, his heart dropping as he saw the boy make his move.
"Intercept!"
The card below the two fighting Bakugan suddenly began to glow a blue light, everyone glossing over Rikimaru's terminology jump as the two fighters of the field paused in their places, as if the fight had been frozen in time. Aside from eye movements and breathing, neither fighter made any moves.
"Intercept is a gate card that-
"-Stops the current battle, introduces another Bakugan, I have one myself, you need to stop before you trigger what I think you're going to trigger!"
"Hmmp, a chain attack? Watch me!"
Greyson mumbled something profane as his eyes locked onto the Bakugan being loaded into Riki's shooter. He shot it out with the typical Bakugan brawl, the projectile shooting out toward Leonidas and Robotallion's paused gate card, the Bakugan rolling to a stop and popping open, eyes glowing as a blue light surrounded it. A torrent of water shot upward, further than what Leonidas could see with his frozen head, continuing to rush upward until it was beyond even Grey's view. A knight in shining blue armour, armed with a long spiraled spear jumped out of the spire, aiming itself toward Grey's Bakugan with a leg outstretched, Leonidas locked onto it with his eyes, the rest of his body incapable of movement. The newly spawned Bakugan delivered a heavy kick to the Darkus dragon's shoulder just as the gate card registered its entry, Leonidas going flying back to the near edge of the terrain as the fight returned to normal.
"You okay Leo… Nidas?!"
"I'm… I'm fine, find a way to take this prick down!"
"R-right!" Greyson said, quickly consulting his bakupod, bad images and sounds dancing in the back of his mind. Aquos Robotallion 300 g's, Darkus Leonidas 340 g's, Aquos Siege 350 g's." it chimed, Grey starting to panic as he looked up again, his attention drawn by moving figures and a cackling laugh.
"YOU'RE DONE GREY!" Rikimaru yelled, pulling out a new card and holding in front of him. "God damn it!" Greyson said panicked, quickly looking back at his standing Bakugan. "LEONIDAS, GRIFF, BRACE YOURSELVES!"
"Ability Activate: Tsunami Wave!"
Riki's gate card glowed in a blue light, Siege taking a new posture as Robotallion stood back. Leonidas quickly crouched and raised his arms, Griffon lowering himself into a curl, both of the Darkus Bakugan viewing the Siege with focus. A wave of water seemingly materialized out of nowhere, slowly rising at the border of the field on Rikimaru's flank. It thickened for a moment before Siege drew its lance down, the tidal wave beginning to rush forward.
"Big wave, Leonidas can't use abilities…" Grey thought, watching Rikimaru's Juggernoid get quickly swallowed by the colossal barrier.
"Juggernoid wasn't immune, Siege is, how to avoid…" He continued thinking, watching as the wave enveloped Siege, unmoving.
"How to avoid…"
"How to avoid…"
"How to-"
"LEO, GRIFF, FLY UP, GO UP!"
Griffon quickly glanced back at Greyson, but Leonidas did not hesitate, immediately crouching and forcing his wings downward, ejecting him into the air at high speed. Griffon followed, pouncing into the sky with a thrust assist from his wings, the wave barely glancing his snake like tail as he cleared it. "YES, IT-" Grey began, interrupted as an ear splitting sound entered the area. It was the one from before. With Masquerade.
Grey quickly shifted his head toward the destination of the tidal wave, watching as a massive rush of water was sent into an opening dimensional gateway, reality itself seeming to glitch as an ear piercing buzz went off. Juggernoid and the now waveborn Robotallion were both sucked into the water, being sent off into the horrid location with fear in their eyes. "Did he just…" Greyson began, quickly looking toward Riki, the child being obstructed by a body of water and a figure in the dark.
Siege was not pleased with this, his attack only having taken out two Bakugan; of his own team no less. No matter, these two would be defeated one way or another. The Aquos knight in shining armour quickly took its spear into one hand, driving the tip of it upward through the water.
Above, the water level rose suddenly, nearly driving Leonidas off balance as the current took his foot, the Bakugan correcting for this wing a quick wing burst, his mind almost dismissing a sudden water splash if it hadn't been for the putrid whine that was cast into his ears. Both Leonidas and Greyson recognized that, Leo as a Bakugan cry, Grey as a longtime companion.
"GRIFFON!"
"GRIFF, NO!"
The brawl watched as the silhouette of his favourite Darkus fighter was pulled under the water, traveling toward the portal at projectile velocity. The child didn't notice his continuous iteration of the word No.
He did notice a second silhouette chasing Griff however.
The wings, the spiked tail, it was Leonidas. "Wait, LEONIDAS NO!" he roared, panicked as he began running toward the Doom portal, some reckless part of his brain telling him he could save them.
They continued toward the portal.
"No no no no no no no no no no!"
They reached the portal.
"NO NO NO NO NO!"
They disappeared.
"NOOOOOOO!"
A few seconds passed.
"NO, LEONIDAS, GRIFFON, NO!"
And then came the scream.
The noise trumped the previous portal sound by a factor of a thousand. A sick electronic screech mixed with amplified static, the wave of water from Siege's attack vibrating under the sound wavelength. Greyson and Rikimaru both dropped to their knees, Grey taking hold of his ears as he felt them electrify with pain.
"What is going on?!" Riki yelled, out of earshot with tears in his eyes
Greyson looked up, the water having dematerialized around the portal, its border crackling with lighting. And within those borders.
Grey's heart stopped.
Darkus Leonidas was gripping onto the portal with all four appendages at play, his clawed hands and feet gripping into the portal's borders as if they were tangible objects. He was holding it open. "Leo…" Grey sputtered, his gaze quickly averting to the creatures face; his eyes were glowing a bright purple colour, his jaws holding something. It was a leg, ending in a paw.
It was Griff.
Leonidas slowly reeled his head back, Greyson lowering his hands as his mind stopped registering the intense shrieking noise given off by the portal. The Darkus Bakugan kept reeling his neck backward as far as it would go, the veins on his body standing out as Griff came into view. Leonidas then, in one fell swoop, let go of his companions leg, bitemarks engraved into the chimera's left foreleg, and let go of the portal's sparking white border with one of his arms, quickly snatching the creature's furry mane with his claw. "Leo… YOU CAN DO IT LEONIDAS!" his brawler roared, his shock turning to power as he quickly got to his feet, yelling his beast on with flying arms and a disregard for his auditory reception. Leo grunted, continuing to reel his arm backward, Griffon almost fully out of the Doom Portal, the Darkus amalgamate looking to him, clearly weak and in a lot of pain. "GRAB ONTO ME!" Leonidas commanded, Griffon quickly swinging himself around, latching his paws onto the Bakugans shoulders, then moving his hind legs into a similar position, hugging his savior tightly, tail coiling around both of their bodies as the Alpha reused his arm by latching it onto the border of the Doom gate.
Leonidas let out an aggressive sigh for a moment before he drove all four of his appendages together, an attempt to close the portal.
It was working.
Leonidas' entire body strainted as he drove the portals edges further together, Griff hugging him around his torso, Greyson continued to yell encouragement at him. He was going to do this, he had to do this! He pushed onward, the borders of the Doom gate straining more so than him now, continuing to be pushed closer together until it happened.
It closed. No explosion, just closure.
Leonidas drove the electrical border of the dimensional hole shut, the screeching noise and that of the gate itself ceasing to be as the purple gate ceased to exist, as did its electrical border. A shockwave of energy was sent out from its origin, visibly sweeping across the field, shattering every gate card it came into contact with and sending window sized fragments of them into the air. Siege and Rikimaru watched in awe and terror respectively. Another individual simply said this:
"YOU DID IT!" Greyson roared, his heart beating again.
Leonidas, having no method of holding himself up due to the lack of the Doom portal, immediately fell downward, his attempt to stabilize himself via his wings failing due to the wait of Griff, still hugging him tightly. The Darkus Bakugan fell to the ground with a thud, Leonidas landing into a sitting position as he attempted to prevent himself from fully falling onto his back. He remained there for a moment, simply breathing heavily as his muscles calmed from their strenuous use. "Leo!" he heard, his eyes quickly rolling up to look down at his brawler running toward him. He then looked at Griff, still pinned to him, Leonidas only now noticing the pain of having four sets of claws dug into his hide, holding on for what the creature likely still assumed was dear life. "Griffon." he said simply, taking hold of the Bakugan's shoulders and lightly pulling at them, Griff opening his eyes and slowly reeling himself back, shaking. "Are you injured?" he asked, looking into the Darkus being's eyes with a different kind of passionate flame. Griffon sputtered for a moment, incapable of speech, before he buried his head into the draconians shoulders, whining and crying in despair. Leonidas, slightly surprised, went to move him, but instead decided against it, letting the Bakugan vent into his shoulder; he needed to let it out. Greyson stopped and stood there for a moment, his focus on Leo switching from excitement to curiosity. He held Griffon like his Mother would hold himself, staring at the ground and holding him while he cried.
"Leo…"
Leonidas glanced at Grey for a second before averting his focus back Griffon. The fight wasn't done yet. He could, even now, sense Siege watching them, probably laughing at them… This would not do.
"Griff." the Bakugan said sternly, Griffon removing his head and looking into Leonidas' eyes. "Are you hurt?". Darkus Griff sniffled for a moment before giving out a passionate bark, a signal alien to Grey, clear to his monster. "Good." Leonidas said, motioning for Griffon to get off him as he stood up, the fire returning to his voice.
"We've still got a job to do!"
Leonidas and Griffon both stood up, turning to face Rikimaru and Siege. Greyson, viewing them like an excited child, also turned, his mind still holding back the flood of thoughts on what had just happened, instead turning his focus to Rikimaru, who looked ten times as dumbfounded as he did.
"W-w-wha… HOW ARE YOU STILL HERE?!" he screamed, consumed by confusion.
"YOU'RE PATHETIC, THAT'S HOW!"
"Jesus…"
Rikimaru, fully taken aback by the fact that he had just been insulted by a Bakugan he thought dead, struggled to find words, quickly consulting his bakupod for information.
"$ &*$^ (*$^& #$^ $^ #&$ #($% ($&%# $% $% $%#&$% "
"Y-you… You can't d-d-do this, t-this is cheating!" Riki countered, fully terrified as he realized his plan had fully failed.
"Listen here you little prick." Leonidas said plainly, the aggression in his voice someone muting as Rikimaru stared ahead, Leonidas and Griffon walking forward, Grey following along with the act.
"You're a cocky lunatic, you sent two of my kind to the Doom Dimension, and you almost killed my friend." he said, slowly approaching as anger seeped into his voicebox, his head pointed downward so Riki couldn't see his eyes. "In my eyes, you deserve a similar fate to those who trusted you."
Siege stuck its spear out to the side, a message telling the three oncomers to stop, which they did.
"But I'm not gonna banish the messenger, no…" Leonidas said, aware that Rikimaru was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"But that Aquos Siege that swept its friends off to it…"
Leonidas raised his head, starring Rikimaru down with glowing purple eyes as small fragments of the gate cards began to fall like glowing snowflakes.
"TRAITORS DON'T GET MERCY!"
Leonidas' claws flared outward, Griffon crouched down in a pouncing stance, and Greyson quickly grabbed hold of his remaining ability cards, looking up at his Bakugan for a second, feeling their hearts beating as one.
"Let's do this thing!"
Leonidas immediately charged forward, the pure white terrain beneath his clawed feet as he ran along. Griffon stayed back, sensing Grey's card selection and assuming a stance, crouching lightly with his horn aimed forward. "Ability Activate: Griffon Roar: Crystal Cannon!" was yelled by Greyson, holding forth an ability card whose energy immediately transferred toward Griff's crystalline horn. "Lay down covering fire, let's go!" Grey commanded, Griffon immediately taking aim toward the Aquos Siege, careful not to hit Leonidas as a bright purple laser beam launched from his head spike. The cannon launched toward Siege, who simply shifted into a liquidus form, sliding slightly to the side, and reformed, surprised and stunned when the horn cannon swept to the right like a blade and made a slash-like blast mark across its chest. Colour him even more surprised when he saw a Darkus dragon come flying at him like a projectile, claws outstretched. Quickly, Siege thrusted his lance upward to act as a barrier toward Leonidas, the Darkus Bakugan instead grabbing it and flipping off Siege, tearing the spear from his grip in the process. Leo, acting quickly, immediately swung the lance over his head and back into Siege's head like a hammer, the side of the spear that made contact cracking, as did the knight's faceplate. "Leonidas, here!" he heard Grey yelling, eyes darting upward as he saw the boy hold a glowing card and a Griffon charging a second shot.
"Ability… Screw it, ABILITY ACTIVATE: ALPHA BLASTER!"
Leonidas' muzzle immediately began charging with electrical energy, Siege stirring slightly as he attempted to gain his bearings. Out of the corner of one eyes, a distant figure with a glowing card and a canid with a glowing orb on its face. To the other, a closer dance of sparks coming from the face of what seemed to be a draconian.
Oh… Wait!
Grey shot his arm into the air before locking it down forward.
"FIRE!"
The two projectiles shot outward from their respective sources, Griff's faster, Leo's more powerful, each beam displacing the still falling, glowing card fragments from around them.
"SIEGE, NO!"
BLAAAAAAAAAATTTZZ
And then; Kaboom.
"oooONK HONK HONK"
The car from before continued moving on, the confused driver swerving slightly as he moved passed the two kids, one of which was breathing heavily. Greyson stood panting for a time, barely catching his Bakugan without losing his balance. He continued starring downward for a time, trying to catch his breath and muster the energy to stand up straight. This came to him as he heard a certain child begin to cry. "I… I-I l-lost! Again!" Rikimaru cried, collapsing to his knees and starting a full scale emotional breakdown. "H-he told m-me if I used Siege, I c-c-could b-beat you, I…" he continued, breaking down as he failed to notice his enemy walking toward him.
Riki was grabbed by both his shoulders, being hoisted up to his feet with a grunt from Grey, the boy staring forward into a pair of discoloured eyes. "You, are never, going to be strong if you think power comes from physical ability alone." Greyson said sternly, his eyes piercing Rikimaru's, observing the full spectrum of emotions his tear coated eyes were going through.
"You aren't going to get better if you rely purely on big Bakugan and brute force attacks. It might sound shallow coming from me, considering we did just break the field, but it is true. Nothing is going to come of you continuing like this, you have to change to get better."
The red headed child stood there for a second, continuing to stare into Grey's eyes before looking downward. "M-masquerade said I could keep Aquos Siege if I beat you…" he said softly, feeling a weakness in his knees. "A Bakugan doesn't need to have a gpower to be good." Greyson replied, taking his hands off of Riki's shoulders. "Masquerade's a bad person, he sends Bakugan to the Doom Dimension without a second thought, without any motive behind causing their suffering." Leonidas added, perching himself on his brawler's shoulder. Rikimaru didn't say anything, instead letting out a sigh and staring down at the floor, the scope of what he had done fully hitting him. He stopped crying, instead raising his arm in front of him and unclipping the shooter the enigmatic brawler had given him, letting it drop on the ground. Grey and Leo glanced down at it for a moment before looking up, Riki having turned and started to walk away. "Hey, are you gonna be okay?" Greyson asked, tilting his head slightly in a mild confusion.
Rikimaru glanced back, smiling. "Y-yeah… Thanks Greyson Noboru!" he said before turning back forward, running along the bridge until he was out of view.
"Well…" Leonidas began. "That was exciting-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Greyson began screaming, dropping to his knees and holding his ears. "Greyson! What's wrong?!" the Darkus Bakugan asked, panicked by his companions sudden change in mood. "THAT WAS NOT OKAY, NONE OF THAT WAS OKAY. I ACTED LIKE IT WAS CAUSE OF THE ADRENALINE BUT IT WAS NOT, NOT OKAY!" he responded, yelling like a maniac and holding his shot ears. "Hey, HEY! Calm down!" Leonidas said sternly, Greyson stumbling to his feet and latching onto the railing on the side of the bridge, taking a moment to breath before saying anything else. The Bakugan remained silent for a moment before continuing. "Are you alright?" he asked, floating up and perching himself on the railing. "Y-yeah… That was just… A little…" Grey said disjointedly, searching for words as his head stabilized.
"Intense?"
"That's… One word for it…"
"You wanna tell me just what the heck happened in there?" Greyson inquired, supporting himself on the railing of the bridge. "We defeated the crying child." Leonidas informed, his voice plain and unassuming. "I meant the other thing, the thing that may have given me permanent hearing damage." the boy corrected, leaning backward with his back to the railing, looking down at the shooter Rikimaru dropped.
"You saved Griff."
"The fight would have been harder if I hadn't."
"You called him your friend."
Leonidas stirred a little, turning and looking out over the river. The sun was some distance above the body of water, but its reflection still sent a warm light cascading throughout the valley it was in. "During the fight… You called me Leo." Leonidas said, lowering his head slightly, drawing the attention of Greyson, having gone to pick up the shooter and inspect it. "Oh… Sorry… Surge of the moment-" he began, interrupted by Leonidas' now compassionate voice. "No, no… If you want to… You can call me that." he said, glancing over slightly as Grey placed the strange device on the concrete barrier between them and the open air. "Really?" Grey asked, a sense of childlike wonder filling his voice. "Yes… But only you can do that, nobody else!" the Bakugan responded, his tone of speech flaring slightly as he spoke, leading Greyson to chuckle lightly, finding some amusement in Leonidas giving terms to the agreement. Then there was a time of silence, the duo both looking out at the Wardington sun over the water. "Leo?" Grey inquired. "Yes?" Leonidas responded.
"When you saw Griff getting flushed into the portal, why did you charge at him…"
"He was in trouble."
"But… I mean… There was no hesitation, it's like you knew exactly what to do when you saw that, when you grabbed the portal…"
Leonidas fell silent, looking down slightly as Greyson spoke.
"How did you know how to do that?"
Silence.
Silence.
And more silence. About half a minute of quiet was shared between the two.
"You know what, that's fine." Grey said finally, Leonidas turning to him as he picked up the shooter and checked the inside piece. "Hmm?" the Darkus creature vocalized, curious as to what Greyson meant. "We're all entitled to our privacy Leonidas, forget I asked." the brawler said, holding the shooter in his hand and arching it backward. "Now…"
"YEET!"
Kersploosh
"We were sent out to get something or other from the market, that we shall do!" he said cheerfully, putting a hand out for Leonidas to hop into. "Right!" the draconian replied, hopping into his partner's hand and being placed onto his shoulder. And with that, the two began heading toward their original destination, going to the market to buy some beef.
"Why did you throw the shooter into the river anyway?"
"I dunno, felt nice I guess, felt liberating."
"Shame, you could have used it yourself."
"..."
"..."
"Oh, GOD DAMN IT-"
And Now a Preview of Next Week's Episode: Quack Quack Bang Bang
"Greyson Noboru, I'm here to challenge you! My name is-"
"I don't speak english!"
Sorry I'm late...
I had this whole thing prepared, but here's the short version. I have a problem in how I tend to lose interest in things pretty fast, which I then pick up on later (which may be in small part due to my awful time management skills, an affinity for burning myself out, and the general fustercluck that is the rest of my life). I feel like this has happened to All Knighter (after only two episodes, damn it brain), and attempting to keep up with a weekly schedule along with school and work has left me really uninspired and unwilling to write. All Knighter isn't dead, hell no, but I'm gonna be liberalizing the schedule a bit so I can work on episodes in my own time and build up inspiration to do so without rushing episodes with an empty brain. That being said, I'm hoping our next episode is something special, as it features a returning fan favourite character(s), divergence from the anime storyline, and some good old fashioned heart to heart. Until next time, enjoy!
Also the Battle Planet Anime can go eat a lemon.