Duels and jealousies
Daniel rubbed his eyes, still full of gunks, and let out a loud yawn.
A gust of wind whistled in the arena underpass. The crisp air pinched the boy's cheeks, who tightened his jacket.
He cupped his hands and took a deep breath. The energy of the fire was nothing more than a dim light, from which he was able to evoke only a slight warmth on the fingertips.
He looked up into the corridor: thin spirals of smoke and orange sparks rose from the hanging torches, which after a brief vault vanished.
Why did they never change them in the morning? They weren't in the land of Aquaria!
Bah, at least Draco would have been glad to see him up so early.
He picked up his pace and finally went out into the square. Absolute silence enveloped the basalt battlements, which in the half-light resembled a single smooth black wall. There was no one.
Above, beyond the poles of the velarium, a halo of orange light advanced in the sky.
Daniel frowned and probed his connection with the bakugan in his mind. The heart was beating a little faster, but it radiated a feeling of tranquility and the breathing was regular.
Maybe he was still sleeping. Oh, he would have made him weigh it for a long, long time to that big stick!
"Hey, Kuso!" someone shouted at the other end of the arena.
Keith raised his chin in a gesture of greeting, then came to meet him. Behind him, Helios was curled up in the stands. He rested with his head on his paws and his eyes half closed, but he was probably already awake.
A tingling spread all over Daniel's skin.
Fantastic, right in the only time he got up at dawn ...
He returned the greeting and then looked away, feigning disinterest. He took off his jacket and a cold shiver ran down his back.
"I didn't think I'd see you here at this time."
Keith was a few steps away from him, a veil of sweat covered his pale skin and his hair was gathered in a thick ponytail at the nape of his neck.
Daniel bit the inside of his lip to keep himself from laughing. He looked like a rag doll.
"I was hoping to do some solo training. But life is full of disappointments. "
He opened the training bag and took the bandages for the hands. As he wrapped them, Keith stepped even closer and looked up.
"What about Draco? Usually he is the early riser. "
"It will come in moments. Why are you so interested? "
The boy snorted. "Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed. I was just asking, since we haven't seen each other for a couple of days. "
Two wonderful days.
Daniel squeezed the bandages tighter. The hands were numb; the sensation on their fingertips was gone and now they craved the warmth of his element again.
Keith clicked his tongue. "Anyway, any news on your mysterious white bakugan?"
Didn't he have anything better to do?
"No. You might as well look for it yourself instead of asking us. Or is your dragon too clumsy with females? "
A few sparks crackled between the blondie's fingers. "I would say quite the opposite, but if I were you I would down a peg. You don't want to end up smashed on the wall like a bug again, right?. "
A guttural laugh came from the stands. Helios bared his fangs and gave Daniel a crooked smile.
His heart pulsed harder. "You ... You just had good timing."
"Thanks, Kuso, but I would never have made it if you weren't so distracted as not to see Helios's tail." Keith's giggle made a dimple in the corner of his mouth.
"Not to mention the even earlier tournament. Remember the quarter-finals? You almost scared me with that blaze at the beginning of the fight, but you know what they say: all smoke and no roast. "
The boy's anger increased. He could feel it gather in the center of his chest and boil in a lump the size of a fist. He clenched his fists but didn't feel anything. Anything.
Since Draco was so far away, he didn't even have a spark of energy inside him. Only that anger, which begged him to come out.
"Jokes aside," Keith went on. "How about a little scrimmage? Now I mean. "
Daniel's hands tingled under the bandages again, as if searching for the sword. He wanted nothing more!
But Draco ...
A strange feeling ran through their bond. A kind of warmth spread from his cheek to his chest. For a second his heart fluttered and felt lighter, almost weightless.
He was with someone. He seemed… Embarrassed. What was he doing?
"So, Kuso, are you there? I'll give you the first move, since your bakugan isn't here. "
He roused himself and grabbed the sword. "Whenever you want."
Draco's sensations bothered him, like insects buzzing around him. What was there to be so happy about?
Helios got up from the platform and took off. The air rumbled against the membrane of his wings, ruffling Daniel's hair. He went to take up positions at the top, just below the velarium of the arena, and the two boys stood on guard.
Keith's sword was smaller than the others and so thin that the edge was barely visible in profile. Among the warriors they called it "Viper".
The dragon's throat opened and a torrent of reddish flame erupted.
Daniel concentrated on calling to him as much fire as he could. A thick tongue of fire came to him and coiled around the sword, climbing up the fuller to his hands. Shivers of pleasure went through his numb muscles and the energy of the element resumed flowing in his body.
He looked at Keith, ready to parry his blow. A halo of heat radiated from his sword.
It would have been rude to keep him waiting any longer ...
He squeezed the handle with both hands. He loosened his shoulders and focused his energies on the blade. He whirled it over his head and a whip of fire hit the sand of the arena.
The Viper danced in Keith's hands with fluid movements and captured the fire before it reached her. The boy's body was engulfed in a whirlwind of flames and sparks. Its dark shadow danced between it with the grace of a dancer. Then he stopped.
He planted the sword in the ground and it all exploded in a red-hot cloud.
With one arm Daniel made a circle in front of him and then summoned more fire. The flames crackled merrily on his skin up to his elbow, but the wind that hit him nearly knocked him back.
"Too reckless, Kuso. Always too reckless. " Keith cleaned his nails with the Viper tip. The dimples appeared again in the corners of his mouth. "Your Draco would tell you as well, if he wasn't busy with… anything else."
He felt those palpitation again. The faint joy of his bakugan tickled the skin of his face.
Could it have been ... No. He would never have gone looking for that dragoness without him!
He shook his head, as if to banish those feelings, and closed his empathic bridge with Draco.
"And you are always the same fop. Are you at least capable of summoning some real fire? Or are you too afraid of ruining your styling?"
The dimples disappeared and his opponent's clear eyes turned serious.
The Viper drew a flaming arc over his head. Daniel also prepared a new blow and felt the sword bubbling in his hands.
Two flames of fire collided in midair with a deafening roar. At ground level, a ring of dust rose and reached the edge of the arena.
Daniel took cover behind the sword, his arm muscles pulsing with energy. He didn't have to give up. He had to resist! At least until that fop got tired.
A cold sensation began to rise from the legs. His knees trembled as he struggled to withstand the attack. Everything around him was enveloped in a red light, so intense it hurt the eyes.
He gripped the sword hilt tighter. A little bit'. He would soon get tired!
Tiny cold needles pricked the skin at the height of the abdomen. The energy of the fire flowed from his body to the sword and the flames he had evoked, making him feel the cold of the morning again.
He took an uncertain breath. The dry air irritated his lungs.
He pushed harder with his arms, but Keith's wall of fire didn't move an inch.
How much elemental energy could he have accumulated in those withered arms?
Drops of sweat dripped from his arms. His whole back was now numb from the cold.
The crackle of the flames had become deafening.
He gasped heavily. The sword shook in his hands and he was nearly engulfed in fire.
Then it all ended.
He stopped feeling pressure and his fire went out too. A tremor went through his legs and the hilt began to slip away from his hands.
Daniel saw everything blurry. He opened and closed his eyes a couple of times.
Footsteps on the sand. A blade hissed in the air, very close to his face.
He moved instinctively. The screech of metal scratched his ears and met Keith's clear eyes.
"Ah, then you are still awake!"
Daniel slipped away and released the sword. He dropped a blow from above, but his opponent swerved to the side. In a flash the Viper flickered in her hair. The cold plate touched his ear.
He gathered all his remaining strength and struck a side swipe. Keith took a step back, allowing him to raise his guard.
The swords clashed again and again, at a brisk pace. But Daniel felt his arms heavy and cold as blocks of ice. He didn't have much fire left ...
He looked at his opponent. Those stupid dimples had reappeared on his pale face!
No, he couldn't let him win!
He drew on every ounce of energy he had left, every spark of energy that still warmed his body and picked it up in his hands.
The swords crossed again.
Keith's face was very close to his. Daniel could feel his breathing on his own skin.
"You have improved a little, I grant you. Are you going to give up now? "
"Never," Daniel whispered.
He slid the sword down and a flame lit at the tip. A thin veil of smoke rose from his opponent's straw-colored hair and his grip on the Viper loosened.
Now!
Daniel launched himself at him. He raised his sword one last time, his muscles shooting pangs of pain. The air hissed against the metal. Keith's guard was off.
It would have been enough to touch his throat with the edge of the blade ...
The crease of a smile appeared on his cheek. His whole body, from the waist up, lit up like a torch. The sweat evaporated from his skin with a sizzle and a flash of light dazzled Daniel.
The Viper struck another blow, which snatched the sword from his hands. The sole of a shoe hit him in the chest and the next moment he was on the ground. The whole spine, up to the nape, throbbed painfully.
"Nice try," Keith said, looming over him. "One way or another the tournament will be interesting, at least. Now, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Remember to let Helios know as soon as there's any news about that white dragoness. "
The dragon's footsteps made the sand of the arena vibrate. Daniel leaned on one elbow and narrowed his eyes: he could see all the stands tilted to the right. "You haven't told me yet why you care so much."
"Adult dragons stuff. Nothing that would concern a puppy like you. You and Draco should try harder if you don't want someone to talk to the general directly, "Helios grumbled.
Keith mounted him and they took off.
What was he talking about? Bah, curse that day they chased that damned bakugan! If only they had never met her ...
Daniel sat up and reopened the empathic bridge with Draco. A suffused heat immediately radiated from the center of the chest. The dragon was happy and serene like a puppy ...
He thought back to that heartbeat he had felt and an irrepressible anger rise inside him. Draco had left him alone to fight! And all to flirt with that stranger!
Suddenly he hold back his thoughts.
No, Draco was certainly not the type to fall in love at first sight. But then how to explain those feelings?
Author's note: Hello everyone! I am deeply sorry for missing our usual date for the new chapter, but I had problems with the website and other stuff…
I'm afraid that, from now on, it will take me two weeks to update new chapters. I hope you will forgive me.
Remember to let me know if you are liking the story so far and to save it as a favourite so that you don't miss any update!
In the next chapter we are going to see the Two Cores!
