Bakugan Battle Squad
Let the game begin
(Written by Hope as the co-author of this story)
"Hope?"
The barely audible whisper reached her ears as she shifted in her deep slumber and mumbled something incoherent.
"Hope...I'm serious..."
"Wha...?"
"Hope, you really need to see this...now wake up."
"Sky?" Her black eyes opened a crack.
"Yes. Get up." Sky Lark was present on her desk beside her laptop.
Sighing irritably, she left the comfort zone of her bed and discarded the sheets on the floor carelessly as she came over to the desk, "What is it?"
"You have an email."
"An email...at 5:30 in the morning? Are you kidding me?" Hope turned away from the desk and went for the door.
"What if it's something important?"
"Well whatever it is, it can wait."
Taking a few minutes to refresh, she came back with a glass of apple juice.
"Want some?" Placing the said glass beside her laptop, she booted up the device.
"You're always so generous but no, thank you." Sky Lark declined the offer politely, "Now, if you don't mind, I need to make myself useful."
Hope smiled, "You're so thoughtful, Sky." She clicked on the icon of mail and sipped the juice as Sky Lark labored to get her sheets back on the bed and fold them.
"Hm...let's see...email from unknown address...and you said it was important, Sky." Hope mused to herself and opened the message.
And the intensity of the words hit her mind full force.
"Hope,
If you get this, meet me at the park at midnight today.
Your brother, Lightus."
The now empty glass shattered on the floor loudly.
She wasn't breathing.
She couldn't breathe.
"Hope..." Sky Lark appeared behind her as she hyperventilated, "Hope...you need to calm down...what...-" He was cut off short when he too, got a good look at the message, "What the..."
"No...it can't be..."
"After all this time..." Sky Lark was at a loss of words.
Hope clenched her fists, "It's an impostor."
Sky glanced at her, "How can you be so sure about it?"
"I don't know..." Hope shrugged tensely, "It could be a trap for all we know."
"Always the logical one..." Sky Lark chuckled.
"Well whoever it is, we're going to find out soon. For now, let's go to the brawling inter-space."
"Right."
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The day passed by sooner than they expected. Spending the last two hours brawling, Hope was now standing beside a stall with a bottle of water as she stared off into space. It would be a lie to say she wasn't upset. The message from the morning had disturbed her greatly. Glancing at her black and silver wrist watch, she frowned at the time. She had two hours to kill before she could finally grace the park with her presence.
"Hope?" Sky Lark opened up from his ball form and perching up on her shoulder, looked at the watch too.
"Hm?" The teen had a pensive look on her face.
"Are you prepared? Mentally, I mean." The bakugan elaborated.
Black eyes darker than the night sky blinked as their owner was pulled back to reality, "Huh?"
"Are you ready to face him?"
"Hell yeah."
And with that, using her skills, she blended into the darkness that crept upon the place in a flash.
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The grassy field was empty. The swings moved back and forth lightly by the cool night breeze as their rusty hinges creaked.
"This is it, Sky." Her tone was defiant, "There's no backing down now."
"I'm with you at every point of life, Hope." The green and silver bakugan assured her.
Sitting in one of the swings, she sighed and after sparing a glance at her watch again, began to gaze at the endless shards of crystals spread across the dark sky.
'What am I supposed to say to him? Do I even have the right to ask anything? What if all this is a trap? But what if it isn't? What if he has returned...for me? Yeah right...like that's going to happen. But if it's true...and he's coming back, how can I tell him about my life? That I'm no longer the Hope he left behind all those years ago...that I've...-
Her train of thoughts halted abruptly when the swing she was sitting on, moved. Hands pushed on her back with feather-light touch, making the swing move to and fro.
Without looking back, she knew to whom those hands belonged. Not hesitating on her part though, Hope jumped from the swing and turned around sharply only to meet eyes the color of molten gold. She forgot to breathe.
"Hope?" Lightus swallowed before continuing, "Sis, that you?"
"L-Lightus?" Hope felt as though some invisible shield was blocking her voice. All thoughts left her mind.
"You...you've changed." Lightus was at a loss of words.
"So have you!" The girl snapped.
Lightus smiled sheepishly, "You talking about my eyes? Well, ever since I met Light Flame, my eyes began to turn golden."
"Light Flame?" Sky Lark hopped up on his brawler's shoulder.
"Yep, my bakugan." Lightus pulled out the ball, "And...you are...?"
"Sky Lark, Hope's chosen partner."
"Pleased to meet you." Lightus nodded politely.
Hope kept glaring at the teen in front of her. No doubt the fan girls would've been head over heels for his looks.
"So..." Trying to rid the atmosphere of the awkward silence, Lightus stepped forward and took a seat on the swing beside the one his sister had been currently occupying, "How's life?"
"A mess, thanks to you."
The bitter tone surprised the teen, "But I thought...I thought you would be happy that I came back."
"Happy?!" The girl skipped off the swing with a growl, "Happy my foot! Dammit Lightus! Do you have any idea how much trouble I got through, just because of you?! How many hardships I faced, only because you didn't show up?!" She was yelling now, "What happened to the promise you had made all those years ago?! ABOUT NOT LEAVING ME?!"
"Hope...I..."
"Don't give me that junk! You and your stupid reasons made me pay the price by giving myself up!"
Lightus gaped at his sister. Never once had they ever fought or argued. He narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean, 'giving yourself up'?"
"You heard me! I chose the demonic side of life...JUST BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"Snap out of it Hope!" Grabbing her shoulders, he shook the girl roughly, "Do you even have the slightest idea of what you're saying?!"
To his surprise, black eyes were swarming with crystalline drops as they trailed freely on pale cheeks, leaving silvery trails behind. One lone, broken whisper reached his ears, "Why did you return when it was too late...?"
All of a sudden, the area around them began to glow and in the next moment, the twins were transported to the bakugan inter-space.
"Huh? Is this..."
"This is where it ends."
The dark voice made Lightus look in front of him where his twin stood, glaring at him coldly.
Hope clenched her fists, "I've wasted my entire childhood waiting for you...but not anymore, brother."
Lightus brought out his guardian bakugan, "I don't know what's gotten into you, Hope...but I sincerely wish it wouldn't have come to it."
The ground began to rumble.
"BAKUGAN BRAWL! GUARDIUS LIGHT FLAME, STAND!"
"BAKUGAN BRAWL! RISE, VENTUS SKY LARK!"
"Light Flame at 1000G and Sky Lark at 1000G"
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"Light Flame let's stop my sisters madness gate card set."
"This isn't madness Bro" I could feel the darkness in Hopes voice and it made me sad to think that she blames me.
"Hope if this is the way it's got to be so be Ability activate"
"Sun Flame, Sky Lark was it why do you look like Skyress"
"Light Flame at 1200G, Sky Lark at 1000G"
"Light Flame that's a good point"
"He looks like Skyress because Skyress is his twin sister Ability activate Peacock storm"
"Light Flame at 900G, Sky Lark at 1300G"
"See brother you was always the weaker twin"
"We'll see about that Ability activate Golden Shield"
"Light Flame at 1300G, Sky Lark at 1000G"
"What how"
"Light Flame here we go Gate card open Guardius Generator"
"Light Flame at 1800G, Sky Lark at 500G"
"Guardius Generator is a gate card that takes 500 from any non Guardius Bakugan and gives it to Light Flame or any other Guardius Bakugan"
"Lightus this is going to win this for us"
"I don't think so Lightus Ability activate Ventus mirror"
"What does that do?"
"Ventus mirror makes the G power of both Bakugan the same"
"Light Flame at 1800G, Sky Lark at 1800G the battle is a tie"
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The battle ended in a tie and as I look over to where Hope is on the grass. "Hope are you ok, Hope wake up"
"Get away from her now you don't care about her"
"You're wrong Sky Lark I do care about her"
"Why are you holding that gold locket?"
"It's something I will never let go of Sky Lark" as I show Sky Lark the locket with the picture of Hope init. "Oh, Ok then if you do care about her you can 1 Join up with her or 2 Walk away and don't try to met up or Email her again"
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"Lightus is that you"
"Shun what are you doing here?"
"Looking for you, that girl sent us an Email"
"Let's get back shall we Shun"
"Ok"
Lightus: Done
Light Flame: About Time