Hey! I actually updated on time…sort of.

Anyways, thanks to my reviewers: RunoandAkizafan, JazzGirl123, ShiningSunrise, katzike123, lazy girl shut up, shadowwing1994, flippy17, AquosBrawlerStar, MarshmellowsSleeping, jackiechanadventuresfan16, and Blue eyes arch angel.

A quick reply to a review:(yes, I am aware of the replying system, but some people don't leave signed reviews, which actually doesn't really bother me one bit because I'm the one who enabled anonymous reviews in the first place. But there are some that need replying to and I shall reply to them here.)

Lazy girl shut up: Either you haven't read the entire story, my author's notes, or you're asking again because it's taking quite a while for Ren to show up. If it's the first two…well my advice to you would be to read the story and my author notes (the things in bold)…If it's the third one, I don't blame you. But he'll come soon. In fact…read the next paragraph…

Now for the moment (most of you) have been waiting for…in chapter 23 a certain SOMEONE with white/silver/gray hair and yellow reptile eyes shows up…I'll say no more here and leave you to read.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, during lunch…

"Well…we knew we were gonna have to face them sometime soon…" said Alice, looking extremely nervous.

"I just feel really unprepared, you know what I mean?" asked Billy.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine, Billy!" exclaimed Julie.

The Brawlers were sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria consulting the basketball game schedule Coach Fern had given to them the other day. They were to have a game today and it was with their own rival.

"Tuesday came so fast!" exclaimed Chan. "Monday went by like a breeze!"

"The Gundalians…just saying their name gives me the creeps," said Fabia.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself," said Shun, wisely. (A/N: Yeah, Harry Potter quote, whoo hoo! I just thought it would be something Shun would say.)

"Dude…what does that even mean?" asked Dan.

"Simple. If you're afraid of the Gundalians' name, you're only increasing your fear of the actual Gundalians," Marucho explained.

Dan scratched his head. "Again…what does that even mean?"

Runo rolled her eyes. "We're most likely gonna lose if we keep thinking about how the Gundalians totally kicked our butts last year."

"Bah, like Joe said earlier, the past is the past," said Dan, waving away Runo's explanation. "This year is OUR year!"

"That's the spirit, Dan the man!" exclaimed Jake.

Joe smiled. "We'll be needing lots of spirit for this game. And what better person to give it to us than Coach Kuso?"

Coach Kuso…that sounded a little weird in Dan's head, but he shrugged it off and asked Joe, "Are the Gundalians really that tough?"

"What do you think?" asked Joe. "They won the championships two times in a row and I don't think they want to ruin their record."

"So how do we move up into the championships anyway?" asked Billy.

"We're going to play three games in the semi-finals," explained Joe. "If we win at least two, we'll be bumped up into the championships."

"At least two?" asked Fabia. "We're dead."

"We'll be fine," said Shun, although Dan thought he could detect the tiniest trace of uncertainty in his voice, which surprised Dan, but scared him even more. If Shun was nervous, the team was most likely doomed.

After school…inside the Gundalians' gym…

"So…those are the Gundalians, eh?" asked Shun as the Brawlers watched their opposing team shoot hoops. It looked like they had perfect form, perfect throws, perfect everything. Sure, a few balls missed the hoop, but they were quickly re-bounded by the tall and high-jumping players.

Billy did a low whistle. "Joe's right. They are good."

"I wonder who's their coach?" asked Alice.

"Coach Barodius," explained Mr. Kuso, walking up to them. "We just introduced ourselves."

Dan raised his eyebrows. "You actually introduced yourself to the enemy?"

"Chill, Dan," said Shun, putting a hand on Dan's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with getting to know each other before a game."

"It's just formalities," said Coach Kuso. "He's quite nice actually."

"Really?" asked Joe. "Coach Barodius…nice?"

"Yeah, he wished us good luck and asked me how things were going for me since I'm a new coach…why, what's wrong?"

"Uhm…it's nothing…" said Joe, looking away to stare at the Gundalians who were now discussing some strategies.

"Who's their captain, anyone know?" asked Chan.

"From the looks of it…that kid talking to the coach…the one with silver hair…or is it white? I dunno it could be gray…" said Runo, trailing off.

"Huh, I remember that guy from last year," said Joe. "Ren Krawler, and yes he is the captain of the Gundalians."

"Humph," said Dan, growling at Ren's direction. "I'd like to show him a thing or two." As the captain of the Brawlers, Dan did not like competition.

"Careful," warned Joe. "He's the best runner on the team, I mean he steals basketballs like crazy! He can shoot, but he's quick, as quick as Shun and Fabia…possibly even faster."

"Speaking of Fabia…she's been awfully quiet lately…anyone seen her?" asked Alice.

The Brawlers glanced around, trying to find the blue-haired girl in the gym. It wasn't until Runo snickered that everyone turned around in her direction to see Fabia staring at Ren.

"I think Fabia finally found her type," said Runo, smirking.

So…finally, after 22 chapters, Ren Krawler has arrived! …Along with the rest of the Gundalians.

Please review and stay tuned for more chapters involving the Brawlers and their rivals!