Once again the swirling vortex-like sky surrounded the three people, as Emily looked away in awe once again.
"This place… still creeps me out," Emily said, looking around at the sky.
Dan rolled his eyes as he ignored his sister's comment, as he threw a gate card down on the ground. As he looked towards Drago to make sure they were set, he noticed something about Victoria out of the corner of his eye.
"Why does this girl….." Dan started, placing one of his hands on his hip, while trying to get his thoughts strait.
"This girl what?" Emily asked.
"No…It's nothing, I must be imagining things" Dan replied, "Alright Drago, you ready there bud?"
"More than ever" The Bakugan replied, before curling up into its ball form.
Emily crossed her arms and rolled her eyes when she looked towards her brother. She knew he was hiding something that was bother him, but she couldn't figure out what. She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the two to start.
"Can you two just start already? I wanna go home" Emily replied, with an annoyed tone in her voice.
Dan let out a sigh before throwing out Drago to the field, as the group then saw the familiar fire tornado appear and the mighty dragon roar that followed.
"Ah, the famous Pyrus Delta Dragoniod, or "Drago" as you call him. Let's see if he's able to handle my Grifftrix"
"Right, sure, be cocky." Dan replied with an eye roll, "I'm pretty sure you'll just lose like the rest of them."
Emily just face palmed, she clearly wasn't in the remote mood to deal with this, but alas she was stuck here. She just rolled her eyes and sat down on the floor and crossed her arms. Oh how she hoped that it would be over soon.
"Darling!" Shouted a feminine voice. Her purple boa wrapped around her neck as she walked into the room, "I'm back from my little trip."
She walked into the room, looking around for her oh so loved 'darling' and frowned when she didn't see him "Darling?" she called again. Nobody was there. She let out a frustrated sigh and a huff, "Now where could he have gone" she murmured to herself. It was weird; he wasn't the type of person to go out unannounced. She questioned for a moment, Vicky isn't here either. Odd, she's almost always with him.
"Ivy?" said another voice, to whom the girl recognized.
"Peotas Darling!" She exclaimed, as she adjusted her hat as she walked towards the ground. "There you are! I was looking for you" she said with a frown.
"Were you? I apologize, I was out with Victoria. We were….apprehending someone" Peotas said, in a perplexing manner.
"Ooooooh?" she questioned with a smirk on her face, "Dearie do tell; let's grab a seat shall we?"
Peotas merely rolled his eyes at her reaction. It was such….an Ivy tone; sly, intrigued, and most importantly, a hint of lust.
"Of course Ivy" he managed so say, as the two walked over to a few chairs and a table in the warehouse. "So, what would you like to know?" Peotas questioned, taking a seat.
"First off, why would you move out into a warehouse with poor Victoria? You know how she is with…dark, dreary places" Ivy asked with a frown.
"Ah! Well, I know it's not the most…colorful of places, but it'll do. You remember that one time…I told you about that girl?" Peotas asked.
"Yes, of course I do. Why do you ask?" Ivy questioned.
"Well…let's just say, our search for that girl finally came to a close, and we're starting to initiate stage two of our plan" Peotas hummed.
Ivy froze in shock. They found that girl? Oh what was her name again? It was escaping her lips….."Darling that's fantastic!" She exclaimed "I'm so proud of you, where is she?"
"At the moment? Well, she should be watching a brawl between Victoria and Daniel" Peotas explained.
"Wait. Daniel. Daniel I know that name….." Ivy hummed, as she looked up at the ceiling blankly for a few seconds, before snapping her fingers "Ah! That's Emily's brother, yes? You found him too?'
"Of course we did, they're living together after all" Peotas hummed "and before you ask, yes, they know they are related to each other as well"
"Ahh" Ivy hummed, for this was fantastic news for the female. She smirked "Soo, when do I get to meet these people?"
"Anytime, in particular. Their battle should be long over by now, I'd personally go out and find one and that's about it" Peotas replied "Oh, watch out for Emily though. She's a flyer, and might try and escape easily"
"Hmmm" Ivy paused "It doesn't matter who I start with, right?"
"As long as you talk to both of them eventually, it doesn't really matter" Peotas explained.
"Ah, fantastic! I think I know who I want to start with. This will be…a wonderful experiment. Here's to hopping we can initiate step two with much success" Ivy said with a smirk "Now, with that out of the way, I shall be on my way" she paused, as she fixed her boa "I'll be back later with the results."
"Good luck Ivy! I hope you come back with some good information" Peotas shouted, as the female walked out of the room, and then the warehouse on her mission.
"Why did you-ugh!" Emily snapped, as she backed away from her brother. Her eyes were brimming with hatred "Why couldn't you just listen to me?!"
Dan sighed as he looked at the scenery around him, they were back in the park. Sure, the battle was over. Sure, they had won. Sure, he was happy. No, his sister probably hated him for not listening to her.
"I already told you Emily, I've been battling for a while with Drago, I know what I'm" he started, before being cut off.
"No! I don't want to hear it I warned you about what she could do! I sensed it and it nearly costed you the battle!" Emily snapped.
"But we won didn't we?" Dan chimed in, "So what's the big fuss you're making exactly?"
"What fuss?! It's the fact that you're completely ignoring me!" Emily yelled.
Dan sighed and shook his head "Look Sis I can" he started, but was cut off again.
"No" Emily paused "I don't want to hear your excuses anymore" She then turned her back to Dan, her tail flicking slightly back and forth in a tense manner "You may be my brother, but we are not family." Those were her last words before she jumped into the air and took off into the skies.
Dan looked up at his now escaping sister and couldn't help but frown. She just ran off, again. How many times was she going to do that? He's obviously trying to connect with her, but he can't figure out where the wall is. Is it from his side, or her side?
"Um, if you're going to just stand there in a daze, I'll be taking my leave now" said a female voice, which broke Dan out of his train of thought.
"Wha?" he murmured, and then quickly turned around to notice Victoria "Also, just between you and me, I think it's a lot more of your sister then you. I would personally just give up on trying to connect with her."
Dan looked at her, and well now he was back in shock mode. Did she really just-no, she couldn't have. Was their relationship struggle so obvious? Maybe it was, but Dan was the one who was trying, well in his opinion anyway. Why would this girl just tell him to stop though?
"Who….are you?" Dan couldn't help but question.
"Me? Well, I know who I am, but I'm told not to tell you. I mean, you probably figured it out already, based on your expression earlier" Victoria started, before placing one of her hands on her hip. "Relationship troubles are hard, and that girl just seems to have given up on them. If she's not willing to talk, just let it go. Don't waste your time with someone like her."
Vicky then hummed as she walked away from the area that Dan was just left standing in. She looked towards Grifftrix with a perplexed expression, and let out a sigh when she was a far enough distance away from Daniel.
"You know how I hate lying, right Grifftrix?" Victoria asked.
"I know you do, but just remember, this is for the greater good. He will be pleased when you tell him, and that's what you want, correct?" Grifftrix replied.
"Yeah…I know. That girl though, she seems so lost than anything "Victoria said, as she turned her head for a moment "Something just seems…off about this whole thing."
"Peotas already explained the whole plan remember? There's nothing to fear, everything will turn out to be good eventually" Grifftrix hummed. "We just have to do our part, and then we will have our result."
"I guess you're right" Victoria paused, and smiled "Thanks Grifftrix, I don't know what I'd do without you."
"What am I going to do with that girl?" Dan asked, more out of desperation then to any particular person "She just doesn't understand!"
"Daniel I know you're tense" Drago started, as the bakugan flew in front of the pre-teens face "But moping around like this isn't going to make anything better. We need to find her."
"Find her? Drago, she just flew off, how am I supposed to find a person who just flew off?!" Dan snapped in anger, "I can't do much if she doesn't try!"
"Dan, calm down!" Drago stated, with a bit a stern tone to his voice "Everything will be okay, you just need to clear your head and explain everything to her."
"Pffft yeah right, okay. So, in the event that we even find her, you think she's going to want to listen to me?" Dan asked, raising an eyebrow "Just face it Drago, that girl hates me no matter what I do."
Dan just sighed as she sat down on the nearby park bench, his head staring down at the grass, that was blowing oh so slightly with the wind. He just didn't get it. What did he do wrong? Was he a little pushy? He could have been. He didn't feel like he was though. Then again, that's up to perspective if of the person. Maybe he did something wrong that he wasn't even aware of, and boy did he feel guilty about it.
Behind a tree Ivy stood, making sure her breath was slow and steady, in order for nobody to actually notice her. She checked her phone and looked at the picture, and then towards Dan, who was sitting on the bench. It looked like a match, yeah it had to be: brown hair, red and yellow outfit, and the green sunglasses. She also noticed the bakugan floating in front of him, and assumed it to be his guardian partner Drago. Peotas trusted her with this assignment….so she had to make sure she got it right without messing up at all.
Slowly moving away from the tree, trying to be silent as a mouse, she ended up on the pavement of the path. She noticed Dan, who was still looking down towards the ground, and had a slight smirk on her face as she fixed her hat, as she started to walk down the path with an exhausted form. She slowly came to a stop in front of the bench.
"Hello, sweetie, do you mind if I sit next to you?" Ivy asked, trying to sound exhausted.
The voice that addressed him forced Dan to break out of his thoughts "H-huh? Oh, yeah. You can sit here, its fine."
Ivy smirked under the hat, as she took a seat next to Dan. She fiddled around with her boa in a lazily manner, and looked at Dan when she was done. "Sweetie, is everything okay? You look rather frustrated."
Dan flinched at the voice again. Something felt, off, his parents always told him to not really talk to strangers. She seemed to be nice though, and it wasn't really like he had to explain everything. "Oh, it's nothing really. I just got into a fight with my sister is all."
"Your sister?" Ivy questioned, frowning "Younger or older?"
"Younger, she's about nine" Dan said, with a sigh.
"You know how the younger ones are though." Ivy hummed, "She's just probably having a minor tantrum or something similar. I'm sure everything will be fine sweetie."
"Fine? Well, I wouldn't exactly say everything will be fine" Dan muttered.
"And why is that?" Ivy asked curiously, tilting her head.
"I think she hates me. I don't know, I'm not really sure what I did wrong to be honest, but apparently she does. She avoids me as much as she possibly can, and then when she's forced to be around me, she always acts like she doesn't want to be there." Dan rolled his eyes "I don't know, maybe you have some advice or something?"
Ivy hummed for a moment as she looked up towards the now sunset in the colorful sky. 'Don't mess up your mission Ivy, you want information' she thought to herself. True, Peotas did give her a bit of information, mainly on the off chance she might of found Emily, but not too much. "Well, if you tell me a bit about her, perhaps I can help you more."
Dan thought about it for a moment, weighing his options. On one hand, he could tell this person a bit about his sister, not like the Emily would actually care anyway, or he could reject the offer and simply try to work with things on his own. Though, working on his own didn't exactly seem to be working. He just simply shook his head and looked at the female.
"Well from what I've put together so far, we were both separated after birth. I don't really remember my birth parents that well, since I was about three at the time we were separated. She told me mom and dad divorced, the reason she didn't really understand though. Our mom died when she was about five, and ever since she was on the streets. Eventually though, she made her way to Bayview, and we found each other eventually. Now she's living with us-us being my foster parents and myself." He paused, as he gaze shifted back towards the ground, the wind blowing ever so slightly "I guess it has a lot to do with how our lives are so different, and I'm trying to force her into mine or something, I don't know."
Ivy blinked at the information, as she started to process it all. So she was a stubborn and unwilling one. Had a temper, and didn't really like being around people. Something about her made her not care for her brother. Yet…maybe….just maybe. Something could be done about this. She hummed for a moment, looking back and the sky.
"Have you considered trying to give her, I don't know, possibly a gift of sorts?" Ivy asked.
"A…a gift?" Dan asked in a confused tone.
"Or something similar. Try doing something nice, ease her into it. You want her to feel welcomed don't you?" Ivy asked.
"Well….yeah. Of course I do" Dan replied. "But why would that change anything?"
"She might have a change of heart as a result" Ivy started. "I know she's young, but she's been through a lot. I think what she really needs, is some comfort. Comfort so she understands that she isn't alone in this world anymore. Personally, I think she's just traumatized by the whole experience of losing her mother still."
"Really? You think so?" Dan asked, surprised. He honestly didn't expect to get much advice out of this conversation, but he was pondering what he could do…and he was starting to formulate an idea.
"I know so. Trust me, it should work." Ivy hummed, with a smile that looked really genuine on her face. "I am a girl after all."
Dan laughed at the statement, girl pride. He shrugged and guessed it was a thing. "Thanks" he said, as he then stood up from the bench "It's getting late, so I should probably start heading home now. Thanks for that advice….I didn't catch your name?"
"Ivy. It's Ivy sweetie, and it's my pleasure" Ivy said, aslo getting up off the bench "I'll be on my way too then, if you have to be somewhere. I have my own plans to attend to anyway. It was nice meeting you…." She paused
"It's Dan" he said, as he grabbed Drago and placed the bakugan in his pocket.
"Well, it was nice meeting you Dan sweetie, I hope I see you again in the future" Ivy said with a smile, and with that she started to walk down the path.
"That was…a different experience" Drago said, as he looked up at Dan from the pocket.
"I know, but I might have some ideas now. Let's get going shall we? I want to surprise her with some stuff within the next few days" Dan said, as he finally went to go grab his bike, placed it back on the path, and started riding back into the streets of Bayview.
Ivy hummed to herself in approval as she heard the cheers coming from the pre-teen down the path, and the sound of gears moving as the bike hurried down the path into the streets. That's when her nice sweet smile that she showed Dan oh so many times became what looked like a devilish smirk. With a whip of her cell phone, she adjusted her boa and dialed a number.
"Hello? Victoria speaking" said the voice on the other side of the phone.
"Vicky sweetie!" Ivy started "How are you?"
"Oh, Ivy! Hi, I didn't know you came back. I just got back to the warehouse a couple of minutes ago actually. I'm doing fine, thanks for asking. I'm assuming you want Peotas?" She asked.
"You know me so well, could you go and get him please if you don't mind?" Ivy said with a hum in her voice.
The line went silent for a moment, as Victoria went to go find Peotas. Ivy rolled her eyes as she stood on the path in the park, tapping her foot in a slightly impatient manner waiting for some sort of response to show up. "Ivy?" someone eventually said.
"Ah Darling there you are!" Ivy said cheerfully "I talked to the boy."
"Ah, Daniel?" Peotas asked, "How is he, did you get any information?"
"I got quite a bit actually, and I gave him some advice. Tell me…you want Emily right?"
"Yes, I do. That's the grand scheme of our plan after all" Peotas replied.
"Do you have any idea on how you're going to get her?" Ivy hummed.
"Unfortunately, no. I don't, that's my one problem. Why do you ask Ivy?" He questioned curiously.
"Oooooh" she cooed, with the devilish smirk on her face becoming wider "Then do I have a plan for you."
A/N: Aha! I live guys ;A; Sorry about seeming so dead, you know Junior year kinda sucks XD. But I am back with a new chapter and hoorah! Thank my friend story wolf for proofreading this for me 3 She's awesome, and she has a really cool sonic fanfic I suggest reading! :D Anywho thanks guys for sticking with me as I somehow find time to write this sucker lol. I'm slowly making progress :p Enjoy guys 3
Also to that one guest review, I won't say anything~ It could happen, or it couldn't. I dunno yet. I'll say this much though, if it DOES happen, it certainly wouldn't be in this book(Did I mention this is part of a trilogy? no, well now I did lol)
Until next time! -Emily