Chapter 14: Odin, Meet Odin.
Astrid's eyes were as wide as could be. She'd just cheated death, and now, there were two strangers in her room? And why was her Dad talking to them like he knew them?! She clenched her fists nervously, forgetting for a moment that her Bakugan was in her right fist. He reminded her by squirming until she loosened her grip. She placed him on her lap, as he regained his breath.
"Milady… Please, in the future, try to refrain from suffocating me!" He said breathlessly. The pure-blooded Asgardians in the room looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. Astrid flinched.
"Way to go, genius! You just revealed yourself to my dad and whoever the hell these people are!" She hissed quietly, right into her longtime partner's ear.
"My apologies… but you WERE crushing the air out of my lungs! I could not breathe!" He apologized. Astrid sighed. Thor turned to face his daughter.
"Astrid? You know of what is speaking? And you speak to it?" He asked.
"Yes, I do know WHO is speaking, and I am speaking to HIM." Astrid replied, correcting the Thunder God. He folded his arms.
"Excuse me… then who is speaking, and where is he?"
"He's right here."
Astrid raised up her beloved partner as high as she could. Thor bent down, and narrowed his eyes at the small sphere.
"...How does this sphere talk?"
He jumped back as the Ventus Bakugan opened, focusing on him.
"I am not just a simple sphere, sir. I am a Bakugan."
Frigga was immediately fascinated by the creature, and swept him up in her hands. She smiled at him.
"And just what in the Nine Realms is a… what did you say you were again, small creature?" She asked gently.
"I am a Bakugan, milady. We are from another world, and there are many other Bakugan of all kinds, gifted with powers all their own. As I am of the Ventus Attribute, I draw from the fierce storms for power on the battlefield."
"Incredible… What is your name?"
"I am the Thunder Warrior, Odin."
Frigga's eyes widened, and Odin (the Asgardian) stared at Odin (the Bakugan) incredulously. He walked over to Odin (the Bakugan), and narrowed his eyes at the Bakugan, looking down upon the valiant warrior.
"You say your name is Odin?" The ages-old king asked.
"Yes. It is."
"You should know that my name is Odin, and I refuse to let my name be borne by one so small and so-"
"Stop insulting him!"
Odin (the Asgardian) turned sharply towards the source of the voice. It was a furious Astrid. His cold and focused gaze turned to her.
"Have you even the foggiest idea of who it is you speak to?!" He demanded.
"It's true that I don't know who you are, but anyone who insults my friends at all, especially for things they can't help… I can't forgive them! It's not Odin's fault that he's like that right now! All Bakugan are like that when they're not being sent out in a Brawl! If you were to see him in his true form… massive, glorious, bursting with incredible power… you'd shut up in an instant!" Astrid snapped, face bursting with fury. Thor, Frigga, and Odin (the Bakugan) were nervous as the half-Asgardian and the pure-blooded Asgardian were glaring at each other, seemingly ready to end each other's lives then and there.
The tension in the air was thick. The silence was painful for the Thunder Prince and his mother, along with Astrid's beloved partner. At the same time, it was a battlefield for the centuries-old god and the Ventus Brawler. None of the observers could discern what either of them were thinking. Odin (the God) finally sighed and broke the silence. He brought his hand to his head, shaking the latter.
"And this is my granddaughter. She has your stubbornness, my son." He said. Thor chuckled a bit.
"But her mother has made sure that it has not transformed into foolish arrogance." Thor added. It was the elder man's turn to chuckle a bit.
"Is that so? I will admit that the Lady Jane has proven herself a standout amongst Midgardians." He admitted.
"Perhaps it is nigh time that young Astrid learned of her father's birthplace." Frigga suggested.
"In her current state, mother?! She would not survive a moment travelling through the Bifrost-Astrid!" Thor began, before noticing that Astrid's eyes had gone swirly. Frigga placed a gentle hand on Astrid's forehead.
"She does not have a fever. I believe that she just simply fainted." The goddess concluded. Thor breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank the Nine Realms…" He said, plopping down in a chair.
"She fainted… grand. Lady Serah will never let this go…" Odin (the Bakugan) droned. The ruling couple raised an eyebrow.
"Who is this Lady Serah you speak of?" Odin (the King) asked.
"Ah, you mean the daughter of the Man of Iron, correct?" Thor answered.
"Yes, indeed. She possesses a friend of mine, Brynhildr." Odin (the Bakugan) confirmed. Odin (the God) put his hand to his head.
"By all the Nine Realms… Something tells me that there is a long story surrounding you, all of your kind, and much more concerning those affairs." He droned.
"There is, sir. Perhaps we should request the aid of the Lady Sif in explaining this?" The Ventus Bakugan proposed.
"Lady Sif? What does she know?" Frigga asked, a hint of shock in her voice.
"That is a tale in and of itself. It is indirectly thanks to her that Lady Astrid and I were even able to meet."
Both the King and Queen let out a long sigh.
"I think it goes without saying that we have a whole collection of tales to hear." Thor summarized. The Ventus Bakugan chuckled a bit.
"Yes. There is much to be told." He confirmed.
"I do desire to see the friends that my beloved granddaughter has made in this Realm for myself." Odin (the King) announced, though not loudly.
"I do as well. Her friends may some day end up saving the Nine Realms… for only fate herself knows." Frigga added. Her lover simply sighed, not wanting to admit it, but knowing that, deep within his heart, Frigga was right.