Chapter 5

"NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG." Luna snarled to herself in rage. "Dammit we're lost again!"

"It is not that bad-" Nocturne was cut off by the furious look sent her way.

"Yeah Nocturne! The resistance or better yet; the Vexos'll find our rotting bodies- oh, my bad, MY rotting body weeks from now and laugh because I probably walked one big circle until I collapsed and died!" Luna laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, that ain't so bad!" She stopped walking for a moment. "Sorry."

"You're only stressed. It's fine." Nightmare chipped in while hoping to ease the tension.

"Well, it's been what? Four hours we've been here? All the food's gone and I didn't pack water." Luna sighed. Getting lost wasn't too bad until you got hungry or thirsty, not that it would matter much if you died anyways.

"Actually," A familiarly, slightly whiny voice sounded. "it's been only three hours." Luna whirled around to see Lync and Shadow Prove had been behind her. Had they been behind her the entire time? Were they the humming she'd heard outside?

"The heck are you guys doing here?!" The girl demanded, glaring at the vestal duo. Secretly she was glad to see them, misery loves company, right?

"Simple! We were bored!" Shadow cackled for a moment before stopping and frowning. "We saw you, followed you and we got lost too!" He took out a Darkus Flybeetle. "So why don't we squeeze in a brawl while we're here?"

Luna face-palmed. "Are you insa- wait don't answer that. If we brawl here this whole place could collapse and then what? Your pals find our rotting carcasses weeks, even months later."

Lync looked a bit more hesitant while Shadow showed no signs of backing down. "You're just trying to save your own hide!"

"No, I'm trying to save everyone's sorry hides! I personally believe nibody wants to be buried alive under thousands of tonnes of ground!" She shot back, frustration rising.

Nightmare and Nocturne decided to pitch in. "We could escape with moderate ease, humans and vestals however, are another matter entirely." Nocturne started. "If we tried to dig you out we could crush you and if your vestal friends came to your rescue they would take far too long." The Darkus duo returned to Luna's coat pocket.

Shadow paused for a moment before snarling in frustration. He took several steps forwards, and unfortunately for anyone present, he decided to go kamikaze on the matter. as he was about to throw the Flybeetle the cave shook.

The floor suddenly cracked, and for a moment time seemed to still before the ground broke beneath them. Luna grabbed onto the closest thing, which happened to be Shadow Prove as they fell.

~-_.:\|/:._-~

Luna awoke with a groan. She felt cold stone beneath he and some sort of strange warmth above her- oh. OH. With some difficulty, she managed to roll Shadow off of her. The girl sat up and instinctually checked for her bakugan and she practically ripped them from the slightly tattered trench coat.

"You guys okay?" The two spherical bakugan unfolded and nodded. "Thank gorse for that." She noticed the Flybeetle form earlier and stuffed it into her pocket before her head turned to Shadow. She checked him for injuries and found he was fine. "Landing on me's pretty cozy huh? Time to wake up kamikaze kid." The girl shook him awake.

"Wha- oh hey I'm not dead." He blinked.

She sent him an exsasperated look. "That's because you landed on me."

He got up and shrugged. "Eh, whatever."

Luna and Shadow Prove lay there, spread across the cave floor, trying to think of what to do next.

They had fallen into this unknown area with no one around except for them. There were also tons of different paths to go down, but which one should they take?

The two sat far away from each other, Luna making up a plan and Shadow wondering about what had happened earlier.

They both got up and started scoping out the cave, seeing different exits. "This way." They both called in unison, pointing in opposite directions.

After a little arguing, some thrown rocks, and a sore Shadow Prove head later, they wound up rolling on the ground together, trying to win the little test of dominance. Shadow Prove ended up on top of Luna.

When Luna looked up she found herself very, very uncomfortable with the new position.

Shadow Prove was straddling her hips, and her arms were being pinned onto the cold rock. They were only a few inches away from each other, which made her blush, but her blush turned even darker when she saw how Shadow Prove looked.

After their little wrestling match there, his hair had been slightly messed up and he had a small glimmer of sweat on him. Luna could feel his hot, heavy breathing, and it made her quiver seeing the determined and hard look in Shadow Prove's eyes.

Shadow gave her a small grin of triumph, but that only made Luna feel even more uneasy.

"G-Get off of me!" Luna pushed up, panicking slightly, and after a bit of awkward wriggles and pushes, she managed to free herself and jump back as far away as possible from Shadow Prove.

"What's the deal-" Luna stared daggers at him, shutting him up instantly.

"Not. One. Word." And with that Luna spun around and sat on the ground, giving Shadow Prove the cold shoulder.

Shadow rolled over on his stomach and stared at Luna. "So now what?"

Luna spared a glance in his direction and let out a sigh. Shadow figured at least she wasnt angry anymore. She turned her head down, eyes closed.

"No idea. Guess we should just take a random tunnel." She got up slowly and started toward the nearest one, Shadow following closely.

They were just about there when they started to hear a sniffling and crying noise.

"What's that?" Luna frowned in puzzlement, straining her ears to listen.

Shadow Prove stared, unsure himself. Well, obviously it was someone or something crying, but who?

"Wait. Maybe it's Lync!" Luna started to walk sideways toward the area she thought it was coming from, Shadow Prove chasing after her like a lost puppy.

As they got closer and closer, they realized the voice indeed sounded smaller, younger.

They continued walking, Luna trying to stay quiet, with no help from Shadow and his two left feet.

When they finally reached the end of the narrow passage that they had gone down, they found Lync, sitting on a rock and crying.

Luna rushed to him. "Lync! Y'all right?" She stopped when she saw the tears. The girl pulled out a tissue and passed it to him, he accepted with slight mistrust before drying his eyes and cheeks.

That's when Luna noticed his shoulder, she couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the dislocated and bloody shoulder.

The reaction was not lost on him. "It's nothing."

"Are you kidding me? That's a definite dislocation plus whatever else happened to it! If you think you're getting out of here in that condition you're clearly mistaken." She rifled around her pockets for the compact first aid kit she had brought and practically ripped it out of the pocket.

"I don't need your help!" The pink haired boy snapped.

"You dolt, you won't make it far like that!" Luna replied.

"I- oh fine!"

"Okay well then, first thing's first. We've gotta stick your shoulder back in." She explained, putting down the kit and walking over to him.

Lync scowled. "You make it sound like I tore it off!"

"Yeah well putting it back in it'll hurt like it's no one's business, pal." Luna said. "Get up, and have these. It's all I got and trust me it'll help for later."

Lync hesitated with obvious distrust before getting up -wincing while doing so- and taking the aspirins with a slight grimace of disgust. Luna waited for a moment before gripping his shoulder and rotating it back into place with a stomach churning pop, earning an agonized scream from the boy.

Luna set him down as carefully as she could all the while repeating "Sorry, sorry." She figured the poor kid had been through enough with just a messed up shoulder and being lost in this damned maze of a cave.

Shadow Prove grimaced. "Ooh! Looks like that hurt!"

Lync glowered back at him angrily. "It did!" He snapped.

Enough of this. "Quit it guys! Now then, what about the blood?"

Lync looked away, holding his now fixed shoulder. "it's Nothing."

"That's not what your blood tells me, but if you want to leave it at that I understand." She was about to put the kit away when she heard him mumble something. "Did you say something?" He mumbled again. "Speak up, I can't hear mumbles."

His face went slightly red in embarassment. "I said a rock hit my collarbone."

"Ah, Okay well let's see it then." He pulled the collar of his shirt down a bit, revealing a rather nasty and jagged looking cut spanning frim his collarbone to his shoulder. "So that's how it got messed up." She opened the first aid kit and got to work. Luna pulled out a gause pad and stuck it on with some medical tape to the cut then put her stuff away. "That's all I've got. It's up to the painkillers now."

"Why help me?" The question came from nowhere.

"What do you mean?" Luna sent him a puzzled look.

"You could've just left me here or something. We're enemies, right?"

Oh! Luna waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, I don't usually leave anyone behind, friend or foe, but make no mistake, I'm not a gullible moron who'd take anyone with me either, someone's a threat; cut 'em loose." She explained. "You guys are in the clear, no biggie."

"That's good to hear I guess." Lync scratched his head absentmindedly. "You guys find a way out?"

"Nope." Came the simultaneous replies. The cave suddenly shook again.

"God dammit!" Luna snarled. The shaking stopped. "Hey, I can't believe that worked!"

Nocturne popped out of Luna's pocket. "Has anyone been able to make calls from gauntlets?"

An awkward silence descended upon the group.

"No? Then get to it!" She snapped.

Lync and Shadow checked comm channels, nothing but static came through. "Okay then, Let's try mine." She opened the comm channel to anyone who had a gauntlet, she picked up a Ventus gauntlet and opened the comm to it. "Eyo, Ventus guy? If you can hear this me and a few pals of mine are underground. We got stuck here after a cave-in. Sending any Resistance or Vexos members would be very much appreciated."

There was silence for a moment before a suspiciously familiar voice replied. "Luna? Is that you? Why are you underground? Is Dan with you?"

Holy jesusberries it was Shun! "Shun? Yeah it's me! The heck are you on NV? And Dan's back at the MB snoring away the Night. I got stuck down here with two Vexos members after a cave in."

"Okay then, I'll explain later anyways, you guys stay put, I'll come get you!" Without another word the comm channel shut off.

Luna started heading towards a tunnel that headed upwards. "Where do you think you're going?" Shadow demanded, he and Lync tailing her.

She turned back to him with a serious look. "You have any idea what might live down here?"

"No. Why?"

She turned back to the way she was going. "Then shut it and help me find a way out before something decides to make us appetizers." She sighed. "This is kinda like a decent movie I saw, it's called dead mine and it's a bit like our sitch now. Only difference being there were feral human test subjects roaming the place."

That certainly didn't help anyone's anxiety at all.

~-_.:\|/:._-~

Many tunnels and going up later

Luna paused, putting her arm up to stop everyone. "Y'hear that?" Everyone shut up, hearing a scuttling noise nearby. "Oh lovely. I'm loosing sanity like a flushing toilet." She activated her gauntlet's laser sword and glared at every rock in the area.

She internally cursed every word she knew like a big colorful rainbow of filthy words as she surveyed the area. Luna was at a major disadvantage; she didn't know if she was just being paranoid as usual or if there was some sort of creature here, if so, what did it look like? What was it's intentions, questions and more unanswerable questions.

Suddenly a figure dropped down in front of them and stood up. It pulled back its hood to reveal Shun.

Luna sighed in relief. "God damn it Shun! Don't sneak up on us like that! Freaking nearly turned you to ninja sushi...Ninjushi..." She deactivated the laser sword.

"Sorry, anyways how the heck did you end up way down here?" He asked, eyeing the two vestals behind her.

"Tried to take a shortcut, saw another cave entrance up ahead, assumed it was cover against potential sandstorms on the way and got followed in by these two." She jerked a thumb in their direction. "There was also a cave-in a ways back."

Shun face-palmed. "Alright well we better get out of here. Come on." he turned and went back the way he came, the lost trio on his heels.

After what seemed like days the musty, stuffy old air became fresh and cool. Soon they were met by the darkening skies of New Vestroia.

"Oh thank gosh." Luna sat cross-legged on the ground. The two vestals sat down as well, exhausted from their cavern trek.

"Never again." Shadow hung his head slightly. "Aw man I lost Flybeetle! Mylene will kill me!"

Luna sent him a bemusing look before fumbling in her pocket for a moment and pulled Darkus Flybeetle out with a triumphant smirk and passing it to him. "She can't kill you if you've got it."

He seemed puzzled by her generosity. "Uh, thanks."

"Eh, no problem." She tapped a pocket twice. Her two bakugan exited the pocket and flew to her shoulder.

"What would you do without me?" Nocturne remarked snidely.

"Not live?" The girl replied with a sarcastic tone of hope, earning her a tackle in the head by the little bakugan.

"Ow! Mudak!" She was tackled again by Nocturne and this time Nightmare.

Nightmare returned to her shoulder. "Dull the russian rainbow please."

"Oh ha ha." Luna scowled at the two. "chertovski zadnitsushlyapu..." Was muttered under her breath.

Nocturne internally scowled in disapproval. "Luna..."

Luna shrank back slightly. "Okay, okay!"

"Come on Luna! Are you just gonna sit there or are we going?" Shun was already a ways away, tapping his foot impatiently.

She groaned, this guy was serious business whenever she saw him. "Go ahead, I'll catch up!" He turned and continued back to the resistance base.

Just as the two Vexos members were about to look for the scout ships they'd flown on the way out they decided to be smarter and looked to the closer city. "May as well." Lync shrugged, heading to Alpha city.

The three passed the gates and were crossing through the park when they heard sniffling from one of the park benches.

The trio looked at each other with puzzled expressions plastered on their faces.

Luna stepped towards the nearest bench. "Hello?" She called, caution her primary goal all the while.

"Go away!" A sorrowful voice replied.

Curiosity killed the human Luna figured as she sent a look to her two bakugan and approached the bench. On it sat a small Aquos bakugan she'd never seen before. The poor thing was more sad than a wet salt cracker. "I said go away!" The sorrowful, feminine voice snapped.

"Aie carumba." Luna muttered. "What's got you so upset, little fella?" She asked as she saw Lync and Shadow Prove walking over.

"I... My brawler threw me away," There was an audible gasp from Nocturne and Nightmare. "he said I was worthless, that I couldn't win a single brawl I entered and it's true! We always lost and last night he got fed up and tossed me into the trash!" The bakugan sobbed.

Luna, for the first time in a while, felt one of those angers that made her body temperature go up significantly. It was one of those rages that told her to find this guy and beat him to death with a rubber band or a leaf and yes that was possible because anything could kill you.

She had a better idea. The girl looked down at the sorrowful bakugan. "Hope fades away when tomorrow holds no promises today. But today you are set free. For amidst the tears, amongst the fear, you now have a chance at redemption." Luna held a hand out to the puzzled Aquos bakugan, a sympathetic and understanding smile on her features.

With great hesitation the bakugan climbed onto her hand. "What's your name?"

"Well it's Fangoid, but my brawler just calls me useless." Fangoid replied. Luna scowled at the mention of such a terrible name, she was definitely going to have words with this guy.

"Well then, Fangoid, I guess it's time for a better name! How about Zyros? Sounds like it fits you." The Darkus brawler's smile returned.

Nocturne hopped onto Luna's wrist. "Most certainly better than what that daft scoundrel named you."

"Alright then! From now on I'm Zyros!" The Fangoid let her approval be known.

Time for the hard questions. "Any idea where your old brawler might be?"

"He said something about entering a tournament tomorrow with a new bakugan before throwing me out." Zyros replied.

"Wait! The tournament? Oh man I completely forgot I play in that tomorrow!" Shadow's eyes went wide in realisation. "Oh man! Damn it all!"

Luna face-palmed. "Is it one of those stupid partner brawls?"

"Yes."

She groaned in exasperation. "I'll go with you I guess."

The Darkus boy shrugged. "Sure, why not? Didn't really wanna have to ask Mylene anyways."

"Alirght then, guess you two should get home seeing as it's been a hectic day." The two nodded.

"Hey wait, where are you gonna sleep?" Lync asked.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Nah, sleep's overrated. I wanna explore anyways."

The pink haired boy shrugged. "Alrighty then." The two vestals walked off and disappeared around the corner of a building. Luna didn't miss the final look Shadow sent her way just before the turn.

The girl sat down on the bench with a sigh of relief and put the three bakugan on her lap.

"Tomorrow, we rise." She got up after a few minutes with an idea.