NOTE: Hey, sorry for the long wait. Really needed time to think this chapter through and this entire tournament in general.
I've also realized that this game makes explaining a lot of things difficult. Like, the Brawlers' Bakugan evolving off screen. Are we just to expect the anime events happened off screen or something else went down? I'll figure it out hopefully.
There's also the part of the game when Dan loses to Marduk off screen. Dan just disappears and leaves the MC to take the heat from the Brawlers. Like, wtf Dan?
Just so you guys know, I have the DS version of the game which isn't as cool looking as the other versions, but I still love. Started replaying the game too just to increase my feel for this story. I also looked at Drago's G power for this game and holy shit I forgot how high it was at the start.
Which version of the games did you guys own?
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 6: No Control
Haos Leonidas: 340 Gs!
Yuji stared at his Baku-Watch in shock and that wasn't just because of Leonidas' high battle power. It was due to the independent act of violence that his partner had just committed without him giving out a single command.
Leonidas returned to his partner in ball form, landing in Yuji's palm. The Bakugan opened up, enthusiastic about his victory over an enemy Bakugan. "That felt exciting! Crushing my enemy with everything I had was exhilarating! Let's keep going, Yuji!"
Yuji just stared at him, confused. "Leonidas…what was that?"
"What do you mean?"
"You can't just attack like that. You didn't give me or Shuji time to really give out commands," Yuji answered.
Leonidas was now confused. "Why should that matter? From what I've seen, that is nothing more than a waste of time. Time that could be used to break my opponent with my own power."
"But that isn't fair to them, Leonidas! This is all meant for fun not for you to kill someone!"
"There you go with all of that 'fun' thing again! I will not allow anything to get in my way of battling all Bakugan!"
Yuji was about to respond until a shrill annoying voice interrupted them. "HEY! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!?" Both turned to see Shuji stomping his feet in anger. "I DIDN'T EVEN GET THE CHANCE TO DO ANYTHING! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT BAKUGAN!?"
"S-sorry! I didn't know he would do something like that…!" Yuji apologized.
Shuji just growled, obviously confused and angered by his opponents. "Just hurry up and start your turn already! I won't let something like that happen again!"
"R-right…" Yuji reached down into his case to grab a different Bakugan. "I can't use Leonidas again after something like that. We'll need to have a talk after this is all- HEY, LEONIDAS!" Yuji screamed as he watched his partner fly out to battle on his own. Leonidas rolled onto the Gate Card.
The Haos Dragon roared loudly, ready to crush his next opponent. Shuji backed up slightly as Leonidas' predatory eyes bore down on him as if he was the dragon's next meal.
Shuji shakingly tossed out another Bakugan. The Bakugan rolled across the ground, stopping in front of Leonidas. "B-B-Bakuan, stand!"
Subterra Saurus: 180 G!
"Too weak!" Leonidas roared, grabbing Saurus by his horn. The dragon lifted the rhino Bakugan over his head and slammed it into the ground. Saurus cried in pain as Leonidas repeated the action over and over again.
Shuji scrambled to pull out an ability card. "A-Ability activate!"
Subterra Saurus: 180 G to 230 G!
"Not enough!" Leonidas spread out his wings. Taking to the sky with Saurus still in his grasp. The Haos dragon allowed Saurus to fall to the ground. Leonidas aimed himself downwards and propelled his body down towards the ground, speeding like a missile. "BEGONE!" Leonidas slammed his horn into Saurus' body, stabbing through the Bakugan. Saurus cried in pain as it turned back into a ball, rolling back down to Shuji's feet.
Yuji could only stare at Leonidas with a mixture of awe and horror. His partner was strong, undoubtedly strong. But his behavior terrified him greatly.
"What the heck was that!?" Runo cried after getting over her initial shock.
Alice gasped into her hand. "That was…I don't think I've ever seen a Bakugan behave like that before…"
"I've seen some Bakugan act wild before, but that was so intense. He didn't even give them a chance to really start," Dan said, worried.
"Leonidas behaved like a wild animal. As if he hadn't had a meal in months," Drago added.
Runo held up her Baku-Watch. "And did you see his G-Power!? What kind of normal Bakugan has a G-Power of 340!?"
"Well, not like Leonidas ever gave off the feeling that he was normal," Dan countered.
"He's Haos isn't he? Maybe Tigrerra knows him?" Alice suggested.
The guardian Haos Bakugan opened up. "I'm afraid I have never seen this Leonidas before. I would've known of a Bakugan that happened to be this violent. Sorry, Runo."
"Don't apologize, Tigrerra. We just gotta do something about this Leonidas," Runo said.
"What do you mean?"
The Battle Brawlers all turned to see Serena glaring at them. "What do you mean by that?"
"Serena…" Serenity tried to settle her daughter.
Alice attempted to quell the young girl. "Serena. We're not going to do anything bad. It's just…we need to make sure if it's safe for Yuji to be around Leonidas."
"Of course, he's safe around Leonidas! They're partners!"
"And there are dangerous Bakugan out there. We don't even know where Leonidas comes from," Runo said.
"You can't just label Leonidas as bad! It's just one battle-"
"And as we can see from the screen Leonidas isn't even bothering to listen to Yuji!" Runo counters. Everyone watched as Leonidas flew back out to battle on his own without Yuji's permission. The rogue dragon stomps out Shuji's team as if it was a cake walk. All Yuji could do was watch the horrendous battle from the sidelines. "See! He's out of control!"
"No, he's not!" Serena stomped her feet, face red with anger.
"Runo!"
"Serena!"
Alice and Tigrerra both pulled Runo back before she could anger the little girl further. While Serenity calmed down her daughter. "Serena, let's go check on your brother. Okay?" Serena just nodded her head, still glaring at Runo. Both mother and daughter retreated to go find Yuji.
Alice rounded on her friend. "Runo, you need to control yourself. Snapping at a little girl about something like this isn't right!"
"I have to agree with Alice here, Runo. While Leonidas was indeed out of control, you also need to keep your emotions in check," Tigrerra scolded her.
Runo shrunk under their combined scolding, feeling slightly bad about yelling at Serena. But that didn't change her opinion about the situation. Leonidas showed that he was incapable of listening to his own partner and was hurting other Bakugan. He needed to be stopped. "L-let's just go question Yuji! The longer he has Leonidas with him, the longer he could be in danger!" Runo rushed off to the waiting rooms.
Alice was about to hurry after her, but she remembered that there was someone else here with her. She looked back to see Dan sitting there, staring at the screen with a grin. "Dan? What do you think of all of this?"
The leader got up, brushing off his pants. "I think we should hear Yuji's opinion first."
"His opinion?"
"Yup! Leonidas is his partner, if this battle has made Yuji reconsider it then we'll take Leonidas from him. If not then we'll see how it goes," Dan walked past her to follow Runo.
Alice stood in place, a hand on her heart. "To hear how Yuji feels? We didn't even consider that before instantly deciding to take Leonidas from him." Alice felt conflicted now. She wanted Yuji to be safe, but at the same time Leonidas hasn't shown signs of being dangerous beforehand. "Do you still want to be partners with Leonidas, Yuji?"
He had won the battle against Shuji. But it didn't feel like he truly won. To show the bully just how much he had grown since a couple of days ago with a Bakugan of his own. Using strategies that he had spent nights thinking of to use in battle.
It had all been a waste, because Leonidas was just too strong.
Yuji sat in the waiting room accompanied by sounds of computers running. On the desk in front of him was Leonidas, the Bakugan had been silent after the battle. As if he could sense the unease and displeasure from his partner.
"Hm? You're still here?"
Leaving his thoughts, Yuji glanced at the entrance. Standing at the entrance of the waiting room was a small boy with blond hair. He wore a white and blue hoodie with dark blue shorts. He wore dark red glasses and white shoes. The boy entered the room, approaching Yuji.
The newbie scrunched his eyes at the boy, feeling as if he knew him from somewhere. "D-do I know you?"
The boy chuckled. "I would hope so. Though, it was improper of me to not introduce myself. I am Marucho Marukura of the Battle Brawlers," Marucho introduced himself. After giving his greeting something small and blue flew out of his pocket.
"And I am his magnificent, fantastic, wonderific, slaptastic, and majestic-"
"Preyas, please," Marucho sighed.
The Aquos Bakugan blushed, embarrassed. "Oh, sorry, Marucho!"
Yuji almost fell out of his seat. "M-Marucho!? Oh man, it's so cool to meet you!" Yuji thrusted his hand out for a handshake. Marucho returned the handshake. "Oh, and this is my partner Leonidas-"
"Yes, I know who he is," Marucho interrupted him.
"You do?"
"Yes, Yuji. I'm sure everyone knows who you two are after that battle against Shuji," Marucho answered. The mention of the previous event caused a blush to spread across Yuji's cheeks.
"...Right. Everyone saw that, huh?" He felt embarrassed. He had completely forgotten that the fights were broadcasted, which meant everyone in the city watched the slaughter fest of their battle. And his inability to work with Leonidas. Both his mother and little sister had seen that, along with his idol Dan.
Wow, he's one hell of a failure, huh?
Leonidas slightly shook as he felt the emotions radiating off of his partner. Confused as to why Yuji would be feeling so depressed after their victory.
Marucho pushed up his glasses. "That's exactly why I decided to come and find you."
Yuji left his self-deprecating thoughts once again. "What? Why?"
Marucho stared him in the eyes, making Yuji feel as if Marucho was taller than he actually was. "I'm here to take Leonidas from you."
Both Bakugan and human were put on alert. "WHAT!?" Yuji quickly placed himself in front of Leonidas. "Y-you want to take Leonidas? Why!?"
Marucho simply walked over to one of the computers, pulling up the final fight of the first round. The video showcased the violent actions of Leonidas against Shuji's Bakugan. "As you can see from the evidence here, Leonidas is too dangerous to be left alone. He's uncontrollable, violent, and doesn't properly battle. Using his higher power to brutally beat down his opponents without a single shred of mercy."
Yuji couldn't deny any of what Marucho just said, having witnessed it himself. But to hear it come from someone who doesn't even know Leonidas made him upset. "You don't even know Leonidas-"
"Do YOU know Leonidas?" Marucho countered.
"W-what, of course I know him!"
"Do you even know where he comes from? Because from my hypothesis, I believe that he didn't arrive on Earth the same way all of the other Bakugan did."
"He comes from Vestroia just like every other Bakugan! A-at least…he thinks he does," Yuji muttered that last part. Unfortunately for him Marucho heard him.
Marucho pushed further. "He doesn't know?"
Yuji kept silent.
Preyas turned to his partner. "Marucho, buddy? I don't want to be a spoil sport, but I think you're going too far."
Marucho glanced at his Bakugan then back to the uncertain face of Yuji. "You're right, Preyas. My apologies for coming on too strong. But you should listen to me and hand over Leonidas. Until we can be certain about his whereabouts and behavior, he isn't safe to be around. He could even hurt you."
Yuji snapped instantly. "Leonidas would never hurt me! He's, my partner!"
"If he truly saw you as a partner then he would've listened to you."
Silence followed Marucho's claim. Yuji stood frozen in his spot, digesting what he had just heard. He wasn't the only one, because Leonidas was in the same boat. The Haos dragon had been silently listening to the conversation, not interested at first. If the brat just wanted to complain about the way he battled then fine, but what bothered him the most were the topics about his partnership with Yuji.
These thoughts led the both of them to the question: What did it truly mean to be partners?
"Yuji? Yuji, are you in here?" Serena poked her head into the waiting room. Her eyes lit up once she spotted her older brother sitting at a desk, Leonidas lying in front of him. "Yuji! Leonidas!" She skipped over to the two.
"I saw the battle! It was super awesome the way Leonidas beat up that jerk Shuji! You guys rock!" Serena exclaimed, jumping around. Her mood lowered when neither reacted to her. They just sat there silently.
Serenity entered the room, sensing the negative energy coming from her son. She watched her daughter attempt to get his attention, but he was much more focused on Leonidas. Serena turned to her, obviously distressed.
"Mom… I think something's wrong."
"Marucho, there you are!" Runo spotted her small friend entering the hallway. "Where have you been?"
"Oh, I've just been observing the tournament. I'm still trying to figure out just who is orchestrating this entire thing," Marucho answered her.
Dan and Alice approached them; the leader happy to see his friend. "Yo, Marucho. Did you find anything yet?"
He shook his head, frustrated. "Sadly, I've yielded no results yet. It's strange that some mysterious donor would ask Alice's grandfather to help create the system used for this tournament. Yet doesn't want to reap any of the benefits from it."
Alice hummed in agreement. "Grandfather found it strange too. But apparently, he was given an offer that he couldn't refuse. At least, that's what he told me."
Runo huffed through her nose. "Well until we can figure that out, we have a rouge Bakugan to deal with-"
"I've already met with Yuji and Leonidas," Marucho cut her off.
"Huh?" His friends gasped.
"Yes, I talked with Yuji about handing over Leonidas to us," Marucho explained, shocking his friends.
"W-what did he say!?" Alice asked, concerned.
Marucho sighed. "He declined."
"What!? Did you not try hard enough?" Runo asked, suspicious.
"No not that. He was so strongly against separating from Leonidas, that I decided to let him see it for himself as this tournament continues. Yuji will eventually realize that Leonidas is a danger and will hand him over," Marucho explained his plan.
"That's genius, Marucho! Knew we could count on you!" Runo patted him on the back, almost knocking the boy over.
"B-but, wouldn't that just hurt Yuji?" Alice mentioned.
"Regrettably yes, but this is the best course of action. He's too stubborn to listen otherwise," Marucho answered.
"Well of course, he's stubborn about it. I don't think I'd just give up Drago if someone told me to," Dan spoke up.
Runo raised an eyebrow. "So, the loudmouth finally decided to speak up? Don't you want to keep Yuji safe?"
Dan rolled his eyes at her. "Of course, I want to keep Yuji safe. But being so adamant about Leonidas isn't going to help. If Yuji believes that Leonidas isn't dangerous then I'll believe him."
"And why is that?" Runo asked.
"Because he's, my student! And a teacher always holds faith in his students, no matter what!" Dan answered, confidently.
"Holding faith in him?" Alice repeated in her mind. "I should have faith in Yuji and Leonidas, just like Dan." She decided. Though, one question did peg her mind. "Does Yuji have faith in himself and Leonidas?"
"What does it mean to be partners?"
Yuji stopped drying off his hair, shifting his eyes to Leonidas. "What?"
Leonidas was silent for a moment. "We're partners, right?"
Had Leonidas asked this question before the tournament Yuji would've answered immediately. However, after everything that had happened today, he hesitated. "Y-yeah. We're partners."
"Then, do you know what that means? To be partners?" Leonidas asked once more.
Yuji frowned, not exactly knowing the answer himself. "I-I don't know, Leonidas. I mean, we have a common goal of battling to win the tournament, but our motivations couldn't be any more different."
"Do you think we can find the answer to it?"
"...Maybe."
Chapter End
NOTE: Uncertainty between Leonidas and Yuji here. They both need to understand what it means to be partners, and the only way to figure it out is through battle!
The Battle Brawlers are really antagonistic in this game, because of their suspicions of Leonidas. The only ones who aren't are Dan and Alice. Dan for obvious reasons and Alice, because she wants to believe in Yuji.
Some tournaments battles are gonna be skimmed over until we're at important parts of the game. Essentially Yuji vs Brawlers/Marduk/Masquerade are those important bits.
Stay tuned for more!