"What do you mean 'You won't join the match against All Stars'?" Miho asked, staggered and frozen in place as she talked to the back of Sodoko in a piece of green area at their refuge summer camp.
"I just saw Saori texting Mako to come join us for a match." Sodoko responded, turning around to show her face disfigured by three long, deep slashes from top left to a chin, by miracle avoiding her eye. "I know they are friends, but I can't go to a battle knowing the enemy is breathing down my neck."
"She's not your enemy." Miho continued, trying to reason. "I know that she did a terrible thing, but…"
"But what?" Sodoko asked, noticing that her Commander was lost for words. "But she can make up for them?" She continued, taking a notebook from behind and looking into the notes. "Covering for plastic surgery and therapy will cost her a lot. She's lucky we kept her Grandmother around after this."
"Not we, but Saori and Hana." Miho made a counterpoint. "Besides, she is an elder."
"How detailed of you." Sodoko commented. "Yet you can't find even the most generic reason to convince me that I should decide 'Yeah, having my face destroyed isn't a reason to hate someone'."
"..."
"Listen, Commander." She continued, staring down Miho, who in turn got her hands close to the chest and visibly forced her head to stay up for eye contact, making for a miserable look. "I know you consider Mako your friend. Not only you, but all in the Anglerfish team do. I can't blame you for this…" Sodoko paused, taking two deep breaths. "What I will accuse you for however, is thinking that you know what others want better than we."
"What?!" Miho asked, almost jumping into the air from shock.
"You really think Mako wants to be back? Then why did she leave instantly after the Disciplinary action instead of staying around, trying to make up for it or even looking for a new school?" Sodoko proceeded with the speech. "You want to argue with me that I should forgive, yet she didn't even show the will for it. And I don't blame you for being cluelessly about it. I am the head of Public Morals Committee, not you…" She paused again, taking a while for Miho to get every word into the mind. "But why, do you think, you know, more about rules, than me?" She asked, taking a lot of small breaks between words as if she tried to make the whole sentence more clear.
"..."
"Silence, huh?" Sodoko asked. "Look, I don't want to be rude towards you, I never did. But sometimes you must realize your effort is for naught."
"... Alright." Miho agreed with a weak voice, as if she suffered a heartbreak. "I'll be going to organize others."
"Glad to hear it." Sodoko nodded. "I'll try to whip up my group to shape. Wish me good luck."
"Sure, sure." Miho nodded as the two girls part their ways, turning around and going to where they came from. But unknown to them, there was someone sitting in a bush. Which one? Nobody can tell but she, and he had a lot to think about from this.
"Command, the plan has complicated..."
"So, this place is?.." Rukuriri asked, looking ahead as she and Julie went up to a large, white building with bold yellow BCSP letters on the center of the upper signboard.
"BakuCity Support Point." Julie explained. "It basically serves as a place to support every brawler that is present here. Registering, providing equipment, even a few Bakugan for a start if one really needs them."
"Wow, that's… Organized."
"Do tell!" Julie waved her index finger with annoyance. "Nowadays Bakugan is just business. A good one in fact when you're as good as me."
"Really?" Monarus asked curiously.
"Winning matches apparently grants brawlers real money now." Julie said. "Not sure about the details but Dan said it's meant to be a secret within the top group."
"Top group?" Rukuriri asked as the two approached the glass double door that spread out wide before them.
"People who run the place and command everyday operations." Julie explained as they went inside a stereotypical interna corridor of a corporate building. You know, front covered with help of columns at start, nice tiles for a floor, maybe a flowerpot fern here and there. "Dan is on the top, I am just responsible for keeping new people in and making them welcome."
"And you like it?"
"I love it! You don't even know how many friends I get to make every day."
"... Wow." Monarus nodded, peeling from behind Rukuriri neck.
"Over there, J!" A voice nearby called out.
"Ethan! We're coming!" Julie responded, grabbing Rukuriri by the arm and quickly pulling her up to the window behind which a thin man with blonde hair and plain white t-shirt was seated. "Could you take care of her now, please?"
"Sure." Man gave a salute from the seat as Julie quickly disappeared, running in jumps like some sort of veteran ballerina. "She's always like this, so don't feel mistreated."
"… Sure."
"Now, ready for the boring part?" Blonde boy asked with a nice smile.
"Erm, of course." Rukuriri nodded.
"Sweet." Ethan asked, extending a keyboard and large screen from his right side. "Name? Doesn't have to be official. Nickname also passes."
"Da-! Rukuriri."
"Rukuriri? Nice name. Now to generate numbers…" He said, writing the name on the keyboard. "... Mhm, and the number?" He asked himself, looking to the right at the screen. "... Huh, and your attribute?" He asked.
"Haos." Monarus added, rolling along Rukuriri's neck up to the shoulder.
''Talking Bakugan? Lucky you." Ethan commented with a smirk as his desk suddenly spread out and from below came a plastic white card along with what seemed to be a large electronic watch with a rectangular screen. "Here, they're yours." He added, pushing both items with an 'all-in' hand gesture.
"Urm, thanks." Rukuriri nodded, cautiously taking both items away from her side of the desk and walking outside. "That was quick."
"You tell me." Monarus responded. "Now, how about you try this watch?"
"Sure, I guess." Rukuriri agreed, first hiding the card in a back pocket and then slowly taking the watch onto her right wrist. "Good for us they have regulated tightness." She added, slowly closing the white belt over it.
"Welcome, Rukuriri." Electronic voice called out as the screen opened up to her with a plethora of options and screens.
"What do we start with?" Rukuriri asked, looking at Monarus.
"Let's scan us and decide on the card deck." Guardian suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea."
"Have a nice meal." Soldier said as Mako sat down at the table with a hot mix of rice and veggies on the plate.
"Thanks." She responded before getting the fork into a mix for a bite. "*Munch, munch* Say…"
"Yeah?" Bakugan asked, turning around to face the imposing from perspective of a small toy ball presence.
"I was *Munch, munch* thinkimg. Who was your owner before me?"
"... What?" Soldier asked confused as Mako got over another large piece from the plate through mouth and down her throat.
"You did say that you made some mistake and spent a year under a bus stop in the middle of nowhere." She continued, then pointed the fork at him. "Who were you with before me?"
"... Do I have to talk about this?" Soldier asked.
"Not really." Mako responded. "But in the Semi-Final I still need you at your best."
"Fine by me." Soldier agreed, then looked aside after something. "You still don't want to wear the bakuwatch?"
"The battlefield synchronizes with the smartphone perfectly, I hardly have a reason to." Mako responded, returning her attention back to the food.
"Now that was close." Soldier sighed internally with relief while rolling away towards the bed. "Now then, better get sleeping, no idea if she won't have an intent for another match before the semis…"
Bakugan:
Haos Monarus - 330g
Haos Tuskor - 280g
Haos Siege - 270g
Gate Cards:
Haos - 30g
Haos - 50g
Additional Task
Ability Cards:
Lightning Shield
Shade Ability
Correlation Card Haos - Ventus / Haos - Darkus
"That's all we have for the starting draft." Monarus spoke as she and Rukuriri looked at the full deck display on the screen. "We'll need to earn something if we want to get better cards."
"I guess so. Luckily they also had rules inside of it" Rukuriri nodded. "Well, now we have to see how this goes-"
"Ey! You." Brash tone made them turn around and see a large teen standing rather close to them. "I heard from a friend over there that you wanted to battle me."
"Who?" Rukuriri asked, looking past him and noticing a grinning Lipton. "Oh…"
"So get ready to battle because I don't take no as an answer." Shuji ended, turning left and triumphantly walking towards a conveniently close arena.
"Do we go for it?" Monarus asked.
"I think we can." Rukuriri agreed. "But I will talk to Lipton after this."
"The match between Shuji and Rukuriri can now begin!"
"Gate card set!" Shuji shouted, tossing his card far forward along with Rukuriri on the other side, quickly forming a standard battlefield with green and yellow light rectangles expanding over it.
Shuji - 3/3. Rukuriri - 3/3
"What is the plan?" Rukuriri asked her Guardian.
"That's yours to decide." Monarus responded.
"Ready or not, here I come!" Shuji shouted, grabbing a green marble from a small container by the pants. "Bakugan brawl!"
"Just know that Ventus is a tricky element, easy to make opponents lose in it." Monarus ended as the ball stopped at Shuji's gate card, opened its form and transformed into a large humanoid raptor.
"Yeaaa! Ventus Falconeer stand!" Shuji shouted, raising his fist above himself just like his Bakugan took to the sky above the card.
"Falconeer? Hmm…" Rukuriri pondered, looking down into her watch that moved it's screen away to reveal a keyboard and turn up the battlefield analysis.
"Hello, Rukuriri. Opponent Bakugan is Ventus Falconeer at Three hundred g's, no other data available."
"We won't be able to safely approach him." Rukuriri commented, taking up a Bakugan from her pocket. "But we don't have to." She added before throwing the ball low.
"Huh?" Shuji asked, seeing white orb bounce twice from his gate card before stopping at Rukuriri one and turning into a Knight with white armor and spear, ending with a golden four-armed star in a ring frame. "Come on! Just jump on my gate card so we can fight!"
"No, thank you." Rukuriri responded.
"I will make you then!" Shuji boasted, taking an ability card from his jacket. "Ability card activate! Blow Away!"
"Ehh…" Rukuriri grunted, before her eyes went wide at the sight of a green vortex taking her Bakugan from below. "Siege!"
"Heheheh. Too bad." Shuji shrugged his arms, laughing a little. "I knew Ventus was a superior option." He added as Siege landed face-down on Falconeer gate card, activating it by accident and turning the whole battlefield green with wind whistling into ears.
Falconeer - 300g = 350g. Siege - 270g
"Well. He's done." Monarus commented as Falconeer dashed down and jabbed his beak into Siege's back, making him groan with pain.
"I know." Rukuriri responded as the white Knight turned into a ball and rolled down to her legs. "I'm sorry for being so careless." She said to him, picking the marble up from the ground.
"Caring won't save you, he's out." Shuji shaked his head as Falconeer went back into his hand and gate card vanished into the now normal arena. "Because I am The Ventus Master, whatever happens."
"Doesn't mean I cannot try." Rukuriri responded, taking another gate card between the fingers and throwing it right where Shuji's one just stood. "Monarus, areyou ready?"
"Naturally." Bakugan nodded, turning into the ball for her to easily grab.
"Here it comes." Shuji snarked under his nie as Rukuriri threw her Guardian onto the newly created Gate Card, having it reveal itself as a white humanoid butterfly.
"Woooow! You are beautiful." Rukuriri commented, looking up with stars i her eyes at the graceful posture hovering in the air.
"Oh, thank you so much." Bakugan responded sincerely.
"Bakugan brawl!" Shuji did his thing, throwing a green ball onto Rukuriri's original gate card. "Ventus Falconeer stand!"
"You didn't attack? Thank you very much." Rukuriri commented, taking the last available piece from her pocket. "All depends on you, Tuskor. Now go!"
"What now?" Shuji asked, as suddenly Falconeer found himself facing off against a giant white elephant.
Falconeer - 300g. Tuskor - 280g
"Gate card open!" Rukuriri shouted, lifting her right arm up as the arena's floor turned into a dazzling shiny dimension.
Tuskor - 280g = 310g
"How smart of you, but I have better cards." Shuji smirked, taking the ability card in between his fingers and positioning it for a frontal look. "Because I'm waaay better! Double ability activate!" He shouted, moving his index finger to reveal a second card hidden behind the first one. "Diagonal Correlation of Ventus and Haos plus Jump Over!" He added, while his Falconeer began glowing bright green and jumped over to Monarus' gate card thanks to a spiral vortex in his respective color.
Falconeer - 300g = 400g. Monarus - 330g
"Too bad, your butterfly is gonna be eaten for dinner!" Shuji boasted, while his Falconeer dashed down for a kill.
"Gate card open! Additional Task!" Rukuriri shouted, having Falconeer stop before he even got in range of Monarus, turning him into a ball and sending it back to Shuji's hands.
"Hey! What was that for?!" Shuji protested from his position, grabbing returning Falconeer into his hand.
"Just a little move to make you use two ability cards." Rukuriri responded with faked confidence as the battlefield turned back to normal and Tuskors' gate card became a bland, blackened rectangle.
"Won't help you in the end! Bakugan brawl!" Shuji shouted, throwing another Bakugan after Monarus. "Ventus Gargonoid stand!"
"There we go…" Rukuriri said, seeing a green gargoyle spin out into the air and face Monarus in the air.
Gargonoid - 330g. Monarus - 330g
"That won't be hard." Rukuriri said, taking a card from her collection. "Ability activate, Diagonal Correlation of Haos and Ventus."
"Oh, come on!" Shuji shaked his fists as Monarus gained a brand new glow.
Monarus - 330g = 430g
"And now, allow me to finish this." Monarus said, shaking her wind back and forth to send a wave of small white articles at Gargonoid that exploded at minimal distance.
"Gyegag! Hgaheg!" Gargoyle Bakugan cried out, eventually being bombarded into nosedive that ended with a brutal crash on the gate card and return in ball form under Shuji's legs.
"Shuji - 2/3
"Great work." Rukuriri said, taking returning Monarus into her hands.
"Oh, thank me?" Monarus asked with a repressed chuckle. "The cards were with you."
"Ey! How about you watch the battle?" Shuji provoked the other side, just as the Tuskor looked up after the rising figure of Falconeer.
Falconeer - 300g. Tuskor - 280g
"Oh no." Rukuriri said, realizing the mistake as Falconeer made one precise lash with his legs at the eyeline, sending Tuskor backwards into the ground.
"Oh yeaaahhh!" Shuji boasted, while Tuskor turned into the ball form and rolled back to his brawler, bumping Rukuriri into shoe at the end.
Rukuriri - 1/3
"I should have considered that you stayed there." Rukuriri said, crouching down to pick the marble up.
"That is some nice story and all. Maybe write a book about it." Shuji commented, stretching his knees. "But I kinda want to finish the battle, y'know? So don't make it harder than it needs to be."
"Sure, sure. Just wait a little." Rukuriri responded, throwing a gate card up close to herself. "Monarus?
"Yes?"
"Can we do this with a call-out like he does?"
"Let's do this." Bakugan nodded as she grabbed onto the ball and took up a gate card with another.
"Bakugan… Play!" Rukuriri shouted, throwing both items forward with enthusiasm.
"Erm… It goes 'Bakugan brawl'." Shuji corrected her as Monarus stood up on the centrally located gate card. "But whatever, Bakugan brawl!" He shrugged his arms, proceeding to throw his own marble into the fight.
Falconeer - 300g. Monarus - 330g
"What now?" He asked with a provoking stare.
"Gate card open!" Rukuriri spread her arms wide, causing the floor to gain shine as Monarus gained a spirit-like mist coming from below all over her.
Monarus - 330g = 380g
"Well, crap." Shuji cussed as his Falconeer didn't even bother dodging a kick between the eyes, the latter ending flipping 180 degree before turning into a ball and landing behind Shuji with two slow bounces.
Shuji - 1/3
"Good work, thank you." Rukuriri smiled, catching her returning Guardian back in hand.
"Would not happen without you." Monarus responded cheerfully.
"Gate card set!"
"But that still leaves his final Bakugan." Rukuriri commented, looking forward as from the newly formed gate card raised a green-shelled tortoise. "What is he looking like?" She asked, looking down onto the wrist watch.
"Juggernoid entered the battle. Attribute: Ventus. Two hundred and nineteen G's."
"Monarus, I think we still can get him. Are you in?"
"Yes~."
"Then let's finish this." Rukuriri smiled, grabbing Monarus un hand and making a wide swing. "Bakugan… Brawl!"
"Oh, now we play seriously." Shuji commented, looking forward as white marble rolled up to his gate card.
"Monarus, stand!"
Juggernoid - 290g. Monarus - 330g
"You even spelled it right." He added as a humanoid butterfly soared up above the ground. "But that won't help you. Gate card open!" He shouted, moving the open palm of his hand downward. "Characteeer!"
"What's that?" Rukuriri asked, noticing as the gate cards' texture turned into the one resembling Juggernoid.
"Check this out, girl." Shuji smirked. "Character gate card doubles the power of any Bakugan it represents." He explained as his Juggernoid began to glow with green shine.
Juggernoid - 290g = 580g
"So there is no way you can get out of this one!" Shuji added as his Bakugan looked up at Monarus and started to charge a green energy ball in his mouth.
"Any cards that could help us?" Monarus asked, looking behind at her brawler.
"I think I have one." Rukuriri responded, taking one in her hand and turning it around. "Ability card activate, Lightning Shield."
"Excellent choice." Monarus commented, suddenly having a bright yellow form bubble around herself and shield herself inside.
Juggernoid - 580g = 290g
"Oh, come on!" Shuji groaned as his Juggernoid released the energy ball.
"It must work." Rukuriri said to herself, looking briefly at the watch to check the power levels.
Bing*
"Well… Snap." Shuji said, seeing his Attack bounce from the shield and fall down, vanishing before it hit the gate card.
"Monarus, attack!" Rukuriri commanded quickly, moving her hand forward as if she was spreading seeds for chickens.
"Gladly." Monarus nodded, dashing forward with a blur before scoring a perfect kick in the head on Juggernoid.
"Gryyyyyy!" Ventus Bakugan roared, swinging his body to the right from knock back before losing balance and ending upside down with a solid thud.
"How could I be bested… By-By you…" Shuji stuttered, falling on his knees as Juggernoid turned back into a ball and flew back to him, hitting the floor a few times on the way.
"Game, set, match, Rukuriri." Wrist watch said, but Rukuriri paid no attention as she jumped forward to catch returning Monarus.
"We did it!"
"Of course we did." Monarus responded modestly. "But no time to celebrate, now we have something else to do."
"Oh, right. Lipton…" Rukuriri agreed, turning around and seeing the aforementioned school mate sitting on the stand right behind her, clapping her hands even though she couldn't hear a thing. "She seems to enjoy it a little…"
"There you are." Lipton said with a smirk, walking up to Rukuriri right in front of the arena. "How did you like it?"
"I welcome the change of pace, I would say." Rukuriri responded, taking a short sigh afterwards. "It is still a demanding game."
"Glad you liked it." Lipton continued. "But you probably want to know why I pulled you into this match?"
"Let me guess. To see if I have what it takes to be here?" Rukuriri asked, putting hands on the hips, forming triangles in spaces between them and torso sides.
"Almost." Lipton flicked her fingers with amusement. "To see how much damage Sensha-do djd to your confidence."
"..."
"Luckly, it isn't much. More like a specific phobia."
"That's not correct." Rukuriri pointed out. "I just had a few losses and doubted my skill. I do fear tanks."
"Even better." Lipton shrugged her arms. "Maybe after Earl Grey there is a place under the Sun for you…"
"... Excuse me?" Rukuriri asked, getting a card forced into her hand as a response.
"But since I appreciate your success, here is your reward." Lipton continued, before turning on her heels and walking away. "See you around, freshy."
"Freshy?... Oh yes, I'm a first year student." Rukuriri slowly realized, before looking down at the card she was given. "Monarus, what's your opinion?"
"Rapid Haos will certainly help us." Bakugan said, rolling over the shoulder to take a look. "What do you plan to do now?"
"Take a look around and familiarize myself with the place." Rukuriri said, slowly walking forward. "After all, Sensha-do isn't my concern at the moment."
"Mako."
"Yes?" She asked, walking up to the window and looking past the curtain with the Soldier waiting at the bottom.
"Is it natural for you girls to show up everywhere in school uniforms?"
"Unless it's a free day, then yes." Mako responded, looking around in an attempt to catch what Soldier was talking about. "Your point being?"
"The girl with the navy blue shirt." Soldier responded, directing his face a bit to the left.
"Huh…" Mako nodded, following his look to the side at a familiar face. "I remember her from that one time, she's Saint Gloriana."
"That's a long name."
"It's a school name."
"Bugger."
"But whatever, what's so weird about people trying different things anyway?"
"Well…" Soldier tried to speak, but suddenly happened to be lost for words.
"Now excuse me, but I feel sleepy again. Wake me up when we are meant to help Julio." Mako ended the conversation, turning around and walking away with narrowed eyes.
"Roger that." Soldier responded, looking back at the girl outside who happened to just engage in a phone call. "Roger… That…"