"As long as you think you're going to be going somewhere, think big," - Donald Trump.
"Alright, everyone's here, right?" Marucho asked, his serious but tired blue eyes darting from face to face. Twenty people filled the room, and thirty eight eyes were fixed on the boy with dark circles under his own standing on his chair. All of them were serious, and all of them looked like they wanted answers. None of them were as sleep deprived as Marucho, though.
The original Brawlers were standing and sitting behind Marucho. Well, most of them were standing. Julie was sitting because the rock sent by the attacker on Gundalia had hit and broken her ankle, forcing her to use crutches for the next six weeks. She had suffered a minor concussion, but she was fine otherwise, and the concussion was so mild that she hadn't even needed bed rest. She had woken up just as soon as the Gundalians and Marucho arrived back at the Capital on Gundalia.
"Everyone's here," Shun affirmed after glancing around the room. Marucho nodded at him in understanding, then he looked down at the glowing table beneath his fingers. His fingers lifted and lowered swiftly just then, and small mechanical beeps reached everyone's ears.
"Okay, so all of you know why you're gathered here, correct?" he asked, tapping the icons with practiced ease. A chorus of affirmative statements were mumbled then, and he lifted his gaze from the table.
"Good," he said. He stood straight up, grasping his hands behind him. Drago floated over his head, and he regarded the group with a grave face. "First of all, you all know that Dan vanished from his home yesterday morning, correct?" A sea of bobbing heads met his question, and Runo, who was standing with Julie, Alice, and Shun behind Marucho, was surprised she didn't get dizzy from watching it. "Okay then. Do any of you have anything you'd like to confirm about the disappearance?"
"Well, you said he just disappeared. It's kinda vague. What happened exactly? How much do we know?" Ace questioned, resting his elbow on the white rim of the table and pointing into the air. Gus nodded.
"I agree. Runo and Alice were a little short with us on what exactly happened-"
"Sorry, but we told you everything we knew," Runo sighed. She kept twiddling her thumbs and wringing her hands. Gus and Ace turned back to Marucho as he started talking again. She licked her lips for the sixteenth time that morning and wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist, then reached for her cell phone. Before her hand could work its way into her pocket, though, a hand closed around her wrist. Runo glanced at Julie, who was looking up at her with an intense gaze from her seat next to Runo. Her crutches were resting against the wall a few feet away, but she didn't reach for them.
"Runo, thats the fifth time you've tried to check for a text from Dan in the past ten minutes," she whispered. Alice, who was standing to Runo's left, nodded in agreement. Runo glanced at her movement, taking in the pitying glint in her eyes.
"Runo, if he was going to text you, he would have already. Besides, they found his phone in his desk at home," she reminded the Haos brawler. Runo sighed, and Julie let go of Runo's wrist.
"We're all worried about Dan, Runo," Julie said softly. "And I know you're wired tighter than all of us, even Marucho. But you need to stay focused on helping to find him."
"Julie's right, Runo," Alice quietly agreed. "Checking your phone for a text from Dan every thirty seconds isn't going to help us. Besides, he lost your number, remember?" That was the code the three girls used for when they spoke about Dan's lack of communication with Runo. Runo's eyes dulled and she looked at her feet, and Alice realized she had said the wrong thing. "Oh Runo..." she murmured. Runo lifted her gaze, forcing a smile. Her eyes sparkled, though, and Alice felt terrible.
"It's fine, you're right. He probably just... lost my number." She grinned, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes were frosty and hurt, but hidden deep within them was a faint spark of hope that Dan still cared for her. Alice knew that the chill and pain could, and would, quickly turn to heated anger at the sight of her boyfriend, and with a sigh, Alice turned back to Marucho. He was explaining everything the police had told the Brawlers to the Vestals, Nethians, and Gundalians.
"They found his pajamas in the hamper, still soaked in sweat," he was saying. "And the shower was wet. So was the towel in the room, and there was water on the floor. The police think he woke up and took a shower to get the sweat off him."
"Did they find out how he ended up so sweaty in the first place?" Lena asked, adjusting her glasses. Marucho nodded, tapping a square on the table. A picture was pulled up, one of Dan's bedroom. Runo's untroubled facade melted when she noticed the torn sheets on the bed, and the dark patches on the sheets. Mira's eyes were wide, but her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Ace sat next to her, and Baron on her other side. Both of them were gaping at the sheets, and Mira lifted her gaze to meet Marucho's.
"Is this his bed?" Marucho nodded, pointing at the sheets. A circle was drawn around the tears in them in lime green, pointing out the rips easily.
"This is where his feet would have been," he said, tapping one area, "and this is where his hands were. The fabric is torn, though, not cut, so the police think that he had a really bad nightmare, or someone came and tore them themselves."
"But someone coming in and tearing them to mislead us seems unlikely." Shun shut down that idea before any of them had the chance to consider it.
"And Drago, you didn't wake up?" Fabia asked the Pyrus Bakugan. Ren and Rafe threw glances at Drago first, and then everyone else followed suit. Rafe was standing behind Princess Fabia, Linus to his right, and Ren sat to the right of Fabia. Paige, who stood behind Ren's chair, looked like she was trying to solve a tricky puzzle as she rubbed the back of her pink hair, thinking. She was the only one still staring at the picture on the table.
"No, I didn't," Drago told them. His voice masked his taut nerves professionally. "It's weird. If Dan was having a nightmare, he would have shouted, and I would have woken up if he had."
"Does Dan have security cameras in his room?" Rafe asked Marucho. Marucho stared at him, as did Julie, Alice, Runo and Jake. Shun looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and Rafe glanced at the six of them uncomfortably.
"No, he doesn't," Runo finally answered. "None of us do, except Marucho."
"Oh." Rafe murmured, falling into silence again. Marucho looked at him, concerned.
"It was a good question to ask, Rafe," he told the young Castle Knight. Rafe nodded at him, not exactly accepting the praise but not denying it either. Marucho and Shun had been notified by Princess Fabia that they were to be Rafe and Paige's teachers, so Marucho was trying to take on that role, along with the stress of operating Bakugan Interspace, finding his best friend, and keeping up his rank of third best Bakugan battler.
"Hey, no one touched anything on Dan's bed since he disappeared, right?" Paige asked.
Marucho frowned at her. "No, it would be tampering with the evidence."
"Did anyone notice how Dan's pillow is shaped?" Paige asked after a moment of silence, during which everyone had gone back to staring at the picture. Now, their heads lifted to her face, and she stepped around Ren's chair. She pointed at Dan's pillow, and its odd shape. "Look. It's like it was stuck to his back when he sat up, and then let go suddenly. The other pillow is propped up against the headboard. This one is flat on the bed a few centimeters away from the first one."
"Wow, you're right," Jake exclaimed.
"That observation is most impressive," Jesse remarked. Spectra nodded, interested to know just how Paige had picked that up.
"How did you notice that?" Baron questioned, apparently wondering the same thing as Spectra. Paige smirked.
"I aced the criminal investigation class at the Academy soldiers have to go to on Gundalia," she boasted. Ren shook his head, grinning, and held up a hand. She slapped it happily, and Fabia flashed her a grin.
"But wait," Percival protested. "I don't understand how this helps us."
"Well, this proves that Dan had a nightmare of some sort," Hawktor told him.
"That, or," Shun said stiffly, and he trailed off. The eyes of the onlookers in the room flicked back to him. Shun was leaning against the wall behind Marucho, his head tilted downward and his eyes closed. Hawtor and Taylean both floated near him, as Fabia had allowed him to take Hawktor back to Earth with him for their current adventure. Now, as Shun's sensitive ninja-ears had detected the turning of heads, he lifted his eyes, meeting those of Ren's. "Or, he had another vision." Ren's eyes widened. "Just like the one that set me suspicious of your facade when we got involved in the war."
"Or just before I returned from being the Perfect Core," Drago pointed out. Ren bit his lip.
"You think he might have had a vision?"
"Yeah," Julie nodded. Runo nibbled on the inside of her cheek, thinking as she tugged on one pigtail.
"You know, I don't think it's that unlikely," Baron remarked, rubbing the back of his head. All eyes turned to him, and he lowered his hand. "When we were stranded on Earth after Master Runo got stuck in between dimensions, Dan lost a battle against Spectra." Spectra crossed his arms and looked over at Baron. "The difference in power was more than five hundred points, and Dan lost Drago. He kept trying to get stronger to get Drago back, but he passed out."
"Well that's dumb," Mason smirked. "Everyone knows that in order to win a Bakugan back in battle, you have to have a Bakugan in the first place."
"Exactly," Mira piped up. "He didn't have one. He kept trying to get physically stronger, thinking it would help. I think he was just depressed."
"I would be, too, if I lost Contestir," Zenet agreed.
"Thank you, Zenet." The smile could be heard in Contestir's voice. Zenet smiled.
"Partners till the end!" She gave a thumbs up, and Baron smiled.
"Anyway," Baron continued, "Master Dan passed out, and I carried him back to his house. He was unconscious for a while, with a fever, and then this huge orange light erupted in the room. The next thing we knew, Apollonir, the Pyrus Soldier of New Vestroia, was there, telling us that Dan needed a new battling partner. And then, the light vanished, and Dan woke up. After that, he battled Spectra and got Drago back, but he told us that he had been having nightmares where he heard Drago screaming out to him."
"He said that in his nightmares, he was running, and he saw a black Drago screaming. His eyes were tearing, and he was thrashing," Mira told everyone. "Dan would cry out to him, and he thought that Drago was screaming in anger that Dan had let Spectra win. But it couldn't be further from the truth."
"He was crying out because he was sad that he had let Dan down," Runo said softly from her place behind Marucho. "And Dan had recurring visions of this. And then, after that, he told us that he had had a vision of Apollonir coming to him and telling him he needed to bring Drago back to New Vestroia. Because Drago is the core of New Vestroia, he had to remain there in order to keep the land in balance. But now he can move freely throughout the worlds, as long as he keeps a spark of his link with him."
"Okay then, so in short, Dan sometimes has visions that aid him," Lena summarized.
"Maybe he has some Nethian lineage..." Fabia murmured softly.
"Huh? How do you figure that?" Jake asked, looking confused. Fabia sighed.
"Nethians are known both for their combat skills," Linehalt said for her, "and also for their powers of prophecy."
"Really?" Marucho exclaimed.
"Oh no way!" Julie goggled.
"That's interesting," Gus acknowledged. Mira's eyes were wider than normal, but she didn't seem very surprised, just impressed. Shun didn't even acknowledge the statement and Fabia shot him a curious look.
"You told me when I was hiding you at my dojo," he said, and Fabia nodded in understanding.
"Nethians can have visions of the future, share dreams, and even tell if someone's lying," Ace surprised everyone by knowing. Mira and Baron stared at him.
"How did you know that?" Baron questioned.
"We forgot to tell you," Spectra said. "We unlocked all of the Phantom Data two days ago. We traced it's origin to Nethia, and there it had a background of Nethians and of the war. From what you're telling us, you have won this war, so our aid is no longer required."
"That is correct," Linus nodded.
"The abilities you just named are... scattered," Fabia explained, looking uncomfortable. "Most male Nethians lack the ability to have visions of the future and share dreams, but they can tell if someone is lying. However, most females lack the ability to tell if someone is lying. Lots of them can share dreams, but having visions of the future is a rather uncommon gift."
"Vestals sometimes have visions of the future as well," Spectra told everyone. "But as Fabia said, it is a rather uncommon gift. None of us have it, but Baron's little sister does. So does Princess Cassie, but both of their abilities are spontaneous. They get visions of different things at random times, and usually, they can't do anything to stop what is about to happen."
"I think that Hydron had the ability to communicate with the dead, since he was talking nonsense when he was in his cell just before we battled the Alternative," Gus announced.
"It is very rare to see a human with the ability to see the future," Marucho said. "But Mediums aren't as uncommon."
"What's a Medium?" Zenet asked curiously.
"A person that can communicate with the dead," Lena explained. "And Gundalians have the ability to hypnotize, if you develop it enough. We can shoot lightning, and communicate with each other organically. But Kazarina's effortless ability to hypnotize is strangely strong. That's the power of a Hypnosis Master. The cool thing about her powers is that she had no formal training. She just figured it out on her own."
Fabia and Ren both bit their lips at the same time, appearing troubled, but the movement was so indistinct that almost no one noticed. Besides, given the situation, it was natural for them to be tense. Julie, however, seemed to find it slightly amusing that the two who sat next to each other would do the same thing at the same time.
"But the visions that Dan has received... I don't know of anything like them," Marucho yawned, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes with his sleeved wrist. "Tristar, Akwimos, Elfin, do you think you can get me another cup of coffee?"
"On it Marucho!" Akwimos cried.
"Alrighty," Elfin said happily. The two Aquos Bakugan flew out of the room, while Tristar hesitated beside Marucho.
"Marucho, you can't push yourself like this," he warned. "If you keep doing this-" Marucho waved him off.
"Don't worry Tristar, I'll be fine," he insisted. "Can you just, please, get me that cup of coffee?"
"You'd better go to bed early tonight," Tristar threatened, but flitted out of the room with Elfin and Akwimos anyway. Marucho sighed, and Runo felt bad for the poor boy.
"Marucho, are you sure you don't want to take a break?" Ren asked, but Marucho shook his head.
"No, don't worry, I'm fine," he insisted. "Anyway, I think that Dan might have had one of his nightmare-vision things, and since his shirt and pants were covered in sweat..." He tapped a key on the table, and a picture of Dan's shirt and pants, still damp, appeared on the table, "he might have taken a shower to get rid of the sweat." He tapped another key, and another picture grew from under his fingertips. The picture was of Dan, dressed in his Pyrus Castle Knight uniform. He was smiling, and Runo brought a hand up to her chest. Her fingers clenched, her knuckles white. But no one noticed.
"I think that he might have grabbed his Castle Knight uniform out of habit when he went to take a shower," he concluded next. "After all, he's been wearing it since we left for Nethia, and it must have become routine for him." He yawned again.
"He used to take the dawn patrol with me," Shun said. "We'd wake up early, shower, get dressed, and then go outside to check the perimeter of the Castle first. We would run around the Castle twice for morning exercise, and usually he would beat me at races of stamina, when he tricked me into not using my ninja skills. Then we'd go and walk around one fourth of the third shield, then come back for breakfast after showering again."
"I guess that would explain why he grabbed the uniform," Ace said, ruffling the hair on the back of his head.
"Yeah, that part was explained," Jake restated. "But what happened after that? Where did he go?"
"That's just it. I can't figure anything after that," Marucho sighed, locking his fingers together and banging the sides of hands lightly against the table. "He just seemed to vanish after that. None of us can figure out what time he disappeared, but since it rained this morning, the scent trail was washed away too much. The dogs that the police brought in lost the scent trail as soon as Dan stepped outside."
"So he did go outside?" Taylean asked from Shun's shoulder. Both Taylean and Tristar had appeared in Bakugan Interspace just after they returned, and since Hawktor and Akwimos were both on Nethia, the two boys had needed new Bakugan. Both boys knew they needed stronger Bakugan, and even their previous Bakugan, Elfin and Ingram, had insisted that they select new, stronger partners. Elfin had chosen to remain with Marucho while Preyas returned to New Vestroia for a while, while Ingram and Shun departed ways. Shun and Marucho accepted the offer of partnership with Taylean and Tristar quickly, the combination feeling right. Now, though, Akwimos and Hawktor both remained nearby their former partners, willing to offer their services again if need be.
"Yes, he did," Marucho confirmed. He looked, confused, at the small Ventus Bakugan. "I thought I told everyone that...?"
"Nope," Tristar called from the door as it opened. Forty pairs of eyes flicked toward the three Aquos Bakugan that were struggling to support a travel coffee mug between them. Akwimos was stuck on the bottom while Tristar was struggling to grasp the handle in between his two metallic feet. Elfin was flitting around the mug, trying to keep it from tipping over between the three of them. After a few seconds, they had managed to bring it over to Marucho, and Elfin accidentally whacked against the mug. It tipped forward while she fell over backwards with a yelp.
Runo dove forward, landing on her stomach with a grunt, with her arms outstretched. Elfin dropped gently into her cupped and waiting hands, and Runo lifted her head. Elfin bounced in her hands, looking up at Runo in surprise as she sat up. Runo looked at Elfin, her face impassive, as she got to her feet. She held her hand out to the white strip of metal that lined the computer-table. Elfin hopped off, landing with a few clicks on the metal surface, and Marucho adjusted his glasses after setting the mug he had just barely caught on the white surface. Akwimos and Tristar were both lying on the table, exhausted from there efforts.
"Nice save, Runo," Jake praised her.
"That was indeed impressive," Jesse agreed.
"Thanks a lot, Runo!" Elfin bowed. Runo shrugged, forcing a grin.
"...It was nothing!" she said, returning to Julie and Alice. Marucho yawned again, blinked, and then continued speaking.
"Anyway, the police can guess from the dampness of the towel and shirt that he might have gone a few hours before Mrs. Kuso woke up. But that information won't prove as valuable as, say, a dimensional transport trail."
"A what?" Mason asked. Alice stepped forward this time.
"It's basically a bread crumb trail left by a Dimensional Gate," she explained. "Only it can't be seen with the naked eye."
"You have to use a special device that Dr. Micheal created with the help of Transporter Technology," Julie added. "It's hard to explain, though, so Marucho...?"
"Right," he nodded. He leaned forward and adjusted his glasses again, and then he reached far in front of him. He braced one arm on the edge of the table to keep from falling, and his index finger tapped a single, invisible square in the center of the table. A few large pictures appeared on the table, a few moving. The brawlers leaned forward in their chairs to get a better look at the pictures, and Gus glanced back at Marucho.
"What are you showing us, Marucho?" he asked. Marucho glanced at him, then over his shoulder at Alice. He nodded, and she stepped forward. She took her place at his side and tapped the table three times. Three more pictures appeared, and she used her fingers to push a few of the others away from the three she just drew up. One new picture looked like it had been taken with the negative setting on a camera. In the center of the frame of another was Alice's grandfather Micheal, wearing a strange set of green goggles and holding a white tablet. The third featured a diagram of the universe that contained Earth, Vestal, Nethia and Gundalia, and the galaxy that had hidden the Alternative and Zenoheld back when the Vexos were a threat.
"My grandfather has the technology to track Dimensional Gates," she explained. "He's really optimized it, so it's possible to view older trails, and track them more quickly. It still takes a while, but if Dan really has been transported to another planet or even universe, it would be worth it to take a look and see if there are any traces of a transport signal in the area." Alice looked around at everyone, then pointed at the picture of her grandfather.
"This is the device. There is only one so far, since he keeps trying to make adjustments to it. He's the only one who knows how to use it, too, so he will have to come here in order to use it," she said.
"Is this the same thing he used when we went to battle the Alternative when Keith ran off without us?" Baron asked. Alice nodded.
"Yes, exactly," she confirmed. "Now, if you'll have a look here..." She pointed at the negative photo. "This is the trail that can be seen by the goggles-"
"We don't care about what it looks like or how it works," Avior said rudely. Alice looked up, her finger poised above the picture. Mason glared at the small Bakugan on his shoulder.
"Hey, that was rude," he told him off.
"So? I thought the point of this was to find Dan," Avior growled. Mason frowned at the Bakugan, but crossed his arms and looked at Alice. She sighed, then glanced at Marucho.
"Should I go get my grandfather?" she asked softly.
"Yes, that would be a big help," Marucho nodded. Alice nodded to him. She turned, returning to Runo's side, and pulled out her DT card. Julie held up a hand before she could activate it, though, and Alice blinked at her.
"Uh, do you think you can hand me my crutches?" she asked. "You just happen to be there... and I'm in the mood for a coffee!"
"Oh, no worries, Julie," Alice smiled, reaching for the two metallic supports. She grabbed the two of them easily and pulled them over to Julie, who grabbed them gratefully.
"Thanks!" she grinned, and stood up, pulling them apart and tucking them under her arms. Alice nodded, and then the card glowed. Runo waved goodbye halfheartedly, and Alice's form was bathed in light. And then, she was gone, leaving behind a trail of sparkles.
Runo sighed, and Julie looked at her. "Come on, girl, smile, will you?" she grinned. "We've got a lead! We'll have your boyfriend back in no time, don't worry!"
"Julie!" Runo blushed.
"Boyfriend, eh?" a cocky voice questioned. Runo jumped, and gasps were heard. Runo glanced around, stiffening, and a hand came down on her shoulder. She gasped, whirling around, and the hand flew off her. Accidentally, Runo's arm slammed into Julie's front, unbalancing her. Julie fell down backward with a yelp. The crutches clattered to the ground loudly, and Runo's eyes widened as they fixed on her assailant.
The man was wearing a black tank top with brown suspenders crossing over his chest. They hooked onto his jeans, which were pulled up to his stomach. Straps were wrapped around his upper arms, buckled tightly. His jeans were blue and boots made their way to just beneath his knees. His orange hair was tied loosely behind his head, and even though Runo didn't recognize this new addition to the room's occupancy, the reptilian eyes were unmistakable.
"What do you want?" Runo demanded, taking a step back from the Gundalian. He smirked, and Ren shot to his feet.
"There is no way-" he gasped, his eyes wide in horror. The Gundalian in human guise smirked, his eyes flicking to meet Ren's. Ren's eyes widened even more, if that were even possible, and a positively evil smile made its way onto the Gundalian's face.
"Get back! Everyone, get away from him!" Ren ordered, ducking around his chair. "Rafe, Linus, Paige, keep Fabia safe."
"Right!" the three of them responded, Linus and Rafe moving to stand in front of Fabia. Ren, on the other hand, dashed forward as Julie pushed herself away on the ground. He snatched up a crutch and swung it at the Gundalian, who ducked easily. Runo took several steps back, staring at the alien in shock. Shun moved quickly to stand in front of her while Jake rushed to Julie's side. Ace and Spectra both stood up, protective of Mira, who had also risen to her feet.
"Geez Ren, so much for the warm... welcome!" he grabbed the crutch from the dark-skinned Gundalian teen, who stumbled forward from the force of Stoica's action. He caught himself, though, and staggered backward with his mouth open.
"How are you still alive?" he demanded. The Gundalian glared at Ren, and then his gaze fell on Julie and Runo. Runo was watching him nervously, but she was clearly confused. Julie looked like she was straining her memory as she propped herself up on the other crutch, studying the Gundalian seriously. The Gundalian smirked, and then turned back to Ren.
"Well, if you must know, we never died! It was all tricks! Every time one of us died, the Sacred Orb acted up, and we were transported away!" he cackled. Ren hissed, spreading his arms out to the sides.
"Why are you here?" he growled.
"Ren, who is he?" Rafe demanded. The Gundalian sneered at Rafe.
"Oh, I suppose you weren't on the front lines, were you, little boy?" he taunted.
"I am a Castle Knight!" Rafe shouted. The Gundalian rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, who cares?" he spat. Then, he turned to Ren, sneering. "Well? Aren't you going to let slip who I am, Ren?"
"Stoica," Ren snarled.
And thus ends chapter 8. I hope you liked it! Bet you weren't expecting that, after all that dialogue. Anyway, now the true story can begin! FINALLY! I HATED all that dialogue... but it was necessary. Ugh... I am SO glad that's over and done with.
That aside, review!