The second match of the semi-finals has come to an end. Julie has called for a short intermission to allow the brawlers and audience to stretch their legs, refresh and prepare for the final match of the tournament.
Caleb is relaxing in the waiting room, chilled out at the table with his hoodie off and wrapped on his chair, showing off his Pyrus-themed t-shirt underneath. He has his legs resting in an empty seat while he sucks on an ice lolly. Leonidas is standing in front of a small fan, letting himself be bathed in the cool breeze, "Ahhhh, this is the life, Caleb."
Caleb is leaning back in his chair, silently enjoying his frozen treat while being lost in thought. "Caleb?" He lifts his head to finally acknowledge his partner, "Hm?"
"Are you worried about that brawler?" Leonidas sounds concerned in his words.
Caleb shakes his head, removing the ice lollies to speak clearly, "Nah. We've taken on tougher Bakugan than him, we'll be fine," Caleb goes a bit silent again, "Well, it's not the fight itself that's on my mind." He looks up at the ceiling, trying to gather his thoughts. "It's more, the brawler himself. Watching him fight, he reminded me of…"
Caleb's train of thought is cut off as Julie bursts through the door with her cameraman following directly behind her. The sudden surprise visit throws Caleb off his seat and onto the floor. Microphone in hand, Julie beelines it for Caleb, "Hey! Caleb! Remember me! It's your old friend Julie!"
"Yes, I remember you, Julie. It hasn't been that long, has it?" Caleb gets back onto his chair while Julie pulls a little pouty face.
"Six years is still six years. And besides, it was too long for me to not see a friend," Julie brightens up suddenly, and gestures to her cameraman to come closer, "So anyway, I wanted to get in a quick interview with you and Leonida before the last match."
Caleb looks to his partner, "I mean, I'm okay with it if you are. What'd you think?"
"As long as I don't need to move from this fan, then ask away."
"Glad to hear it, right, Gorem?" To everyone else's surprise, Julie's partner Bakugan Gorem leaps out of her jacket pocket and onto the table, "Of course," he says in his deep voice, "I like a reunion between friends too."
The camera light turns red to signal that it's recording live, "Thank you both for agreeing to this. So, obviously, first question, how does it feel to be in the finals?" Julie asks the first question to the duo.
"Oh, well it's definitely a big moment. Not to brag, but it's not the first tournament that I reached the finals in," Caleb tries to say, his face blushing in embarrassment at trying to sound humble.
"Oh, that's right. Both you and Leonidas were the champion of a few tournaments back during Bakugan's early days. That's how we met, Dan introduced you," Julie can't help but ambiance about the past, losing focus.
"Yeah. Dan was the one to help teach me the game, and through him, I met you and the others. Those were different days," Caleb smiles brightly at remembering the past.
"Right, back to the interview. Next question, after being out of the game for so long, why did you decide to return and later compete in the tournament?"
"Well, you see, it's kind of," Caleb tries to think of an answer, but gets interrupted by Leonidas, "It's because of me. I hoped for a ride to Earth like the rest of the Bakugan living in Bakugan city and was reunited with Caleb. It had been so long since I felt the thrill of a good battle, so I persuaded Caleb to take part."
Gorem steps up, "Interesting. And what was your reason for returning to Earth in the first place? Wouldn't you have rathered stayed in our home world of New Vestroia?"
"Same reason you came back. The bond between Bakugan and Brawler is strong. Without, you feel empty inside." Caleb is touched by his words, "Wow, Leo. I didn't know you felt that way. You don't usually open up this much." "That's because I'm in a good mood. So don't get used to it," Leonida snaps back.
Gorem lets out a hard laugh, "I couldn't agree more. I missed Julie too. So I knew I had to return to her side once again."
"Next up, what are your plans for after the tournament if you win? Do you have a goal in mind for you and Leonidas?"
Caleb thinks about Julie's question, unsure of how to reply, "I..actually haven't thought too much about it. But I heard there's a vacancy for the number 1 ranked Brawler since Dan's leaving, so I thought why not take his place."
Leonidas chimes in, "Agreed. Dan was a hell of a Brawler, and Dragonoid, from what I've seen and heard since we last fought has come a long way. It's only fitting that a dragon, like myself should take his place."
Julie looks at her camera who points to a watch. She stammers a bit, "Okay, we've got time for one more question because I still have another interview coming. What are your thoughts on your coming up battle with Jayden? Nervous?"
"Well, actually I'm looking forward to it," Caleb lets it out, putting on a halfway convincing smile, "He has a lot of skill, and I think it'll be an interesting battle." Leonidas just softly exhales before the question is brought onto him.
"And you, Leonidas? What are your thoughts on going up against Beowulf?"
"What? That stray dog? Please. I've taken on opponents tougher than him. You should know, you were there for most of them. I just hope he can provide me with some challenge so I don't get bored."
"Thank you both for your words. That's all the time we got, so if you excuse us," Julie gets up from her seat, "We'll see you in the arena. Take care." Julie blows the pair a kiss. Gorem leaps into her hand, and they leave with the cameraman.
The duo is left alone again, but the mood has gone sour. Caleb is hunched over in the chair while Leonidas looks at him. "Caleb?" "Yeah?" "You….your ice cream is melting." Caleb looks down at his ice lolly with disinterest, seeing droplets of juice dripping from the tip, "Oh."
Jayden is in the hallway, purchasing a can of pop from the vending machine. "Water is better for you," Beowulf comments, resting on his shoulder. "I know, but I need the sugar," he replies back, cracking open the can. "Then why not an energy drink?" "Because I'd rather not pass a kidney stone."
The pair walk down the hall, Jayden taking a sip from his can when Julie springs out of the corner of the hall, catching Jayden off guard, and making him cough on his drink, almost spitting it out.
"There you are! You weren't in the waiting room, so I couldn't find you. Do you have time for an interview before your match?" Julie is just as excited as before, although hyped up by the rapidly decreasing time she has.
Beowulf jumps at the idea, literally leaping on Jayden's shoulder. Before he can say anything, Beowulf answers for him, "An interview? I've never had one before. Let's do it!"
Julie looks back at her cameraman. He gives her the thumbs up to start, "Great. So, first question. How does it feel to be one of the two finalists in the tournament?"
Beowulf answers first, "It's amazing. It reminds me of the sparing matches we had back home on New Vestroia." Jayden finally gets a word in, "Too bad it feels like a holo victory with all the Cyber Bakugan taking part."
Julie notices his tone, "Is there something wrong with them?"
"They're just imitations of the real thing. Fakers with no free will. They barely hold a candle to real Bakugan. Why else is it that the two finalists are Brawler with legitimate partners?" Jayden is smart enough to end his rant on a rhetorical question. "Do you have another question for us?"
"Uh…yeah. Um, what are your thoughts on your opponent Caleb, and his Bakugan Leonidas?"
"Leonidas is an interesting one. From what I hear he's pretty rare. And his power is nothing to scoff at. Saw it firsthand in his last battle. So I'd say he'd put up a good fight before Beowulf beats him."
"Pride come before the fall, Jayden. Remember that," Beowulf steps in on the topic. "As for me, in my time, I've never encountered a Bakugan like him on Vestroia. So I hope to learn a lot in our fight."
"Seems you have more positives to say when talking about Leonidas, but what about Caleb, his partner?"
"What about him? I mean he's not really my type, but maybe if we," Beowulf cuts in, "She means as an opponent." "Oh, right. Yeah, he's decent. Although with Leonidas as his partner, it's hard to gauge how much of his skill is legit."
Julie casually moves on, "This is your first tournament on record, however, you've been a citizen of Bakugan City for some time. How long have you been playing the game?"
"I played the game when it started, but only got back in after Bakugan city was built. The job opportunities lead to our move, and I shortly returned to the game. It's changed a lot."
"And, about Beowulf. While it's not uncommon for a Brawler to have a partner, was there anyone else you used to battle with?"
Jayden thinks for a moment as he just stares point-blank at Julie, "No. Never anyone else." Jayden's eye twitches as he has a flashback to before he met his partner.
"Great. Well, I look forward to the fight," Julie turns to face the camera, "Okay folks. I'll call it another 10 minutes before the fight, so make sure you go before then, otherwise, you'd need to hold it in. Laters!" She blows a kiss to the camera before cutting the feed.
Julie turns to thank Jayden for the interview, but he has already started to walk away. Beowulf scolds his partner, "You need to work on your social skills more. You were very rude."
"I answered her questions, didn't I?"
"You were too blunt. You need to work on your tact. Think of this as practice," Beowulf's scolding turns more into parental advice.
"Someone had to play the strong silent type, seeing how you jumped at the chance for an interview."
"I was excited! I've never done anything like that before. We don't have that on Vestroia. Most of your Earth culture is so interesting."
"Yeah, I know. I remember you waking me up one morning all like, 'Jayden, wake up! How did they get juice in a box?'"
"You will never let me live that down, will you?"
The time has finally come for the final match of the tournament. Julie is already at her podium overlooking the arena and audience. She looks down at a full house, every seat full with both brawler and Bakugan in attendance to watch.
"Welcome, welcome! Is everybody ready for the battle?" Julie is answered by a sudden uproar of cheers from the audience, "That's what I thought." Her podium lowers down. She appears on the monitors, "For this match, I have a special someone with me." Gorem leaps out of her pocket and lands on the flat surface, "Greetings." "That's right folks, this time my partner and I will both be watching this battle closely."
"Glad to be here, Julie. Both Brawlers have a lot of potentials to go to the top, so I'm pleased to watch them both go against one another," Gorem speaks up, his voice is picked up on the microphone.
"Speaking of, let's get them out here!" Both spotlights are drawn onto the stage, highlighting both sides of the arena. As if in unison, Jayden and Caleb step out of the shadows and into the light, approaching the stage. "This battle will determine who our next champion will be. The returning star, Caleb, and his partner Omega Leonidas, or the aloof loner, Jayden, and his partner Beowulf. This could be anyone's game, right Gorem?" "Indeed, Julie. Both have shown to have the skills, the power, and the resolve to make it to the end. All that's left for them to do is carry the torch and light that fire."
Both brawlers stand in their respective positions with screens in their faces displaying the other. "Jayden…," "Caleb…," Both Brawlers stare out into the void, making eye contact with each other while their Bakugan either hover or sit there unsure how to react.
Julie can feel the tension growing as she hovers above it all, "Let's get this show on the road, are you ready to meet our champion?" The audience doesn't disappoint her, leading to another roar of cheers. "Then open the gate!" The barrier is raised, and the arena is prepared.
"Gate card, set!" Caleb tosses a card into the arena. "Are you ready Leo?" "Always!" Caleb grabs Leonidas as he collapses.
"Let's not disappoint, Wolfie!" "I never have!" Jayden catches Beowulf in the air. In unison, both Brawlers throw their Bakugan, "BRAWL!" Thrown in the air, both Bakugan meets in the middle and clash in ball form. The force repels them back, and they land on the ground, sprouting out to reveal their true forms, ready to battle.
