A/N: I have no idea why I make the opening few chapters so short in my multis, I guess I don't really have much to say when i'm building up to the chapters I'm most interested in. Also, I knew this fic wasn't dead yet!
And, as the five of them proceeded to talk about completely normal things that completely normal teenagers would, there was already another young acolyte in the thick heat of battle, already at the dojo. Alakshmi Verma, unlike Ken Okamoto, had decided that she would stay a duelist in order to keep the peace, as well as defend herself from any further attempts on her life. The 16-year old herself was currently in the midst to sparring with one of her teachers, Master Nadia Lobachevski, as two others watched from the sidelines.
"I certainly appreciate that she's branching out into other specialties," Master Kimora said to Master Chavez as they watched the battle, taking in every attack, defense, and offense. "But, is it just me, or does she seem to be pushing herself a bit harder than usual?"
"I don't think she's doing it on purpose, but there's probably a good reason for that," Master Chavez replied, eyeing the Light creature that she'd summoned to battle Rusalka. "Considering she majorly uses the enemies of Light, her tactics aren't resonating too well with it. And it was true, even as she landed hits and dodged with ease, the sentinel didn't seem to like her bossing it around, giving off a few annoyed zaps as she tugged and yanked her gauntlet, causing it to jerk around just as much. But, what she had managed was to knock the Water Master off her feet with a quick blast.
She walked over to Nadia, who was lying flat on her back and groaning a smidge, in slight pain. She smirked and said "Well, it looks like you forgot that oh-so important rule: If you take out the duelist, the battle's over half as fast!"
"And have you forgotten both that and not to take your eyes off your creature?" Nadia asked. Before Alakshmi could respond, Rusalka blasted her downwards with a physic blast, and spewed needles at the sentinel, banishing it before Alakshmi could get up. The Water master then lifted herself up off the ground, dusting off her coat, and extended a hand to help up her student. But, her student got up on her own and growled angrily.
"Oh, come on! I'm never going to get the hang of this, am I? I'll always be playing second fiddle to a group of children who're always one step ahead!" She kicked the ground in frustration, as Nadia attempted to calm her down a bit.
"Is that really what this was all about?" Nadia asked concernedly. "That you feel inferior to the-"
"It's not that I feel inferior to them, it's that I feel like a massive joke!" Alakshmi lowered her voice, trying to at least attempt to be respectful. "I have been dueling for six years and I haven't made one rung up in this little dueling pantheon, and they've only been at it for a few months, and they're already adepts! I've started from square one, and it just feels like the entire world is mocking me."
"Don't compare yourself to them," Nadia said, placing a hand on Alakshmi's shoulder. "It isn't your fault. Everyone learns at a different pace, and that doesn't make them any less talented than anyone else." The teen thought about this for a second, and nodded. It was the least she could do without directly telling her to shut up. "Is that why you used a Light creature?"
"Actually, I just wanted to see if any of them would even bother to listen to me," Alakshmi chuckled. And her gaze lifted when she saw Raiden, Allison, Gabriel, and Lucy enter the arena. "And, if you'll excuse me." She ran over to the edge of the coliseum, and hastily climbed up it.
"Hey, Shmi!" Lucy said, as she sped over to her. "You'll never guess what day it is today!"
"Did I miss a birthday or something?" She coolly asked, a bit puzzled by her sudden hyper-perky attitude in comparison to her normal laid-back one.
"Well, kind of!" Gabe replied. "It's been one entire year since our introduction to Kaijudo, err, at least mine as well as Allie's. Lucy is a little behind, and Ray is a little ahead." Lucy nodded cheerfully. Alakshmi, taken a bit aback by the news, gave a sort of forced smile. She knew that this was a big deal, as well as a happy celebration for them, but it only managed to make her feel all that more down about her own dueling problems. But, it wasn't enough to fully depress her, only for a bit of mild annoyance that everything seemed to be making fun of her.
"Congratulations," She said, in a voice that bordered on saccharine and barely repressed rage. "I'm sure we'll have a huge celebration in your honor, with cake and streamers." Avoiding direct eye contact with the two of them, she could see Allie and Ray speaking with Chavez and Kimora, no doubt informing them the same. "Go on with whatever you're doing, don't mind me." She said as she walked away from the groups.
Ray noticed her, and called out "Wait, Alakshmi! Don't you want to-?" She cut him off bluntly by yelling back "I'm out-dueled for the day, I won't be a bother." Ray watched her leave, feeling a bit guilty for some reason. What'd he say or do to make her feel so off today? He wanted to follow, but he was interrupted once again by Gabe's phone lighting up, as Sasha emerged from it with a loud angelic chorus.
"Gabriel, you and your friends are required…" she said, before taking in the atmosphere. "I apologize for any sudden interruptions, but there is a rather large uprising on the area of the Nature Realm directly beneath the Light Civilization, and it is not one of the usual tribe disputes."
"Well, so much for a peaceful anniversary." Allie grumbled. But, she knew that considering the last 'uprising' in the Kaiju Realm that went unchecked didn't exactly go very swimmingly, that this was a bit more important that just lounging around and relaxing.
Ray nodded. "Alright, let's- oh no." He'd reached into his backpack, only to realize that it wasn't his, if the notebook labelled 'Kevin' was anything to go by. He groaned in annoyance. "Oh, come on, not now! Must've accidentally got them switched at the smoothie shop." And, even with a small twinge of worry that Kevin might find his gauntlet, he knew that he wasn't that type of kid. "I'll just, uh, get a practice gauntlet…"
"Guess some things never change." Gabe said softly as Ray sheepishly made his way out of the coliseum.