Chapter 4: Aftershock
Review Replies
Aegis-Archives: I know you guys probably won't do it, and probably not even possible, but at least let me ask you this: Would it be possible to have the friend of all children make an appearance? Because I think this idea has potential.
ThermalsniperN7: You aren't wrong about it having potential, but we'll have to do some debating before we go with it.
Dragon Emperor0: Gamera is from a different franchise, after all.
-Dan Kuso's Residence-
In the bedroom of one Dan Kuso, the brunette was currently snoring himself away as the sun began to rise, indicating that it was morning, while his partner and best—Bakugan—friend was in the process of popping open as the sun hit his red exterior.
With a cavernous yawn, the Dragonoid stretched his body and shook the sleep from his toy-like body, before stopping mid shake when he heard tapping at the window behind him.
"Hm?" He hummed before turning and seeing a pink and white Bakugan tapping at the window. "Waivern?!" He gasped before he rushed to the window and worked as hard as he could to get the window open enough for her to get in.
"Good morning, Drago, you're well rested, I hope?" The female dragonoid questioned as she nuzzled her mate in greeting, which he returned.
"I'm quite alright, Waivern. But what are you doing here?" The Pyrus warrior questioned. "It's far too dangerous for you to be out by yourself, what if Masquerade or one of his minions found you?" He continued, his tone serious and full of concern.
"I stuck to the shadows of the plants and everything else. I know how to be careful." The White One told her mate. "As for what I'm doing here, I've come to bring you what I hope you will find to be good news." She continued.
"What do you mean?" Drago questioned, turning to face her as she got closer so she could whisper to him.
"I've come to tell you: You're going to be a father." She whispered in his ear.
This caused the Pyrus Dragonoid to freeze on the spot, her words slowly processing in his mind. Then he did the only sensible thing any male would've done…
He fainted.
This caused him to fall off the ledge where he previously was and land smack dab in the middle of Dan's mouth as he was snoring—almost causing the brunette to choke in the process as they both rolled and fell off the bed with a thud.
Waivern watched the two flail about with a sweatdrop on her head, wondering if she should've been a bit more slow about delivering the news.
After a moment, Dan was able to spit Drago out of his mouth.
"What in the world was that about, Drago?! Why'd you leap into my mouth?!" The boy questioned, sounding (rather rightly) peeved about choking on something being what woke him up.
"Fell, Daniel, I fell into your mouth." The dragonoid corrected as he shook himself dry. "And believe me, it was no picnic on my end either." He added.
"Yes, I'm terribly sorry for inadvertently causing that." The attribute-void Bakugan apologized, getting Dan's attention. "I had told him he was going to be a father, which made him faint and… Well, you already know what happened after." She continued.
"Wait, seriously?" Dan questioned, looking at his guardian bakugan.
"Are you that surprised, Daniel? Waivern and I are a mated pair, after all." Drago stated.
"No, I was just under the impression that most bakugan were formed from Vestroia itself." The brawler replied.
"That may have been true for the first bakugan, but indeed we are not unlike many other creatures who reproduce." Waivern responded as she looked at herself. "And it seems I will be the mother of two young dragonoids in a short time." She mused.
"How short are we talking here?" The brown haired boy questioned, coming to the conclusion that it would likely be either shorter or longer than a human woman's pregnancy time.
"Dragonoids like ourselves typically lay one or up to four eggs in a single clutch. And depending on the attributes of the parents, the incubation of the egg can last between a short period of six earth months or up to a year." Waivern explained. "Though the formation and laying of the egg would take a week and a day at most." She added.
"So it'll largely be a matter of keeping the egg guarded after it's been laid up to hatching." The teen surmised. "Sounds easy enough." He mused.
"Easy is not the word I'd use." Drago stated from his partner's shoulder. "Simple, perhaps. But protecting the egg of a dragonoid is never easy." He added.
"Yes. Dragonoids are already an exceedingly rare species in bakugan terms. Their eggs even more so." Waivern nodded. "So there will likely be bakugan who will try to take it from us." She added.
"Not if I crush them myself!" Dan growled, angered at the mere notion of the children being taken.
"Thank you, Dan." Drago nodded in gratitude.
"Hey, don't sweat it, Drago. We're friends, partners, remember? You've helped me plenty of times." The boy said as he held his partner and his mate up in his hand. "I think it's high time I start returning the favor." He smiled with a beaming expression.
"All the same, thank you." His bakugan smiled as the window was tapped by some small pebbles, causing them to look out the window and see Joe waiting for Waivern outside.
"That's Joe, I best get going." Waivern nodded as she went to join her brawler.
"Be safe out there, Waivern!" Dan called.
(Later)
A few minutes later, Dan was sitting at the couch with a bowl of cereal for breakfast as he flipped through the channels on the TV to find something to watch, settling on the History Channel.
However, as he was busy watching an episode on cars, the TV switched to a sudden news report about something that happened the day prior.
The collapse of the Janjira nuclear power plant.
"What?! What the heck happened there?" Dan wondered, nearly choking for the second time that morning—this time on his cereal.
"Do these collapses happen often?" Drago questioned.
"Not unless there's an earthquake or tsunami. Aside from that, the technicians are usually beyond careful, so a collapse shouldn't be possible." He replied. "What caused this?" He pondered, wondering what was up as he looked at footage of one of Janjira's smokestacks collapsing.
"Wait, Dan rewind that to when that smokestack collapsed!" Drago called, prompting his partner to do so, and when the image was paused, the dragonoid saw it. "Look there, in the dust. See it?" He asked, causing Dan to look closer until he saw the silhouette of something big, but couldn't make anything out.
"I see it, but I can't tell what it is." The human confirmed. "Could it be a bakugan?" He questioned.
"Unlikely. We bakugan still aren't capable of roaming freely on Earth unless the area is rich in energies from Vestroia." The Dragonoid replied.
"Then… What is this thing at Janjira?" Dan wondered with a frown as he looked at the frozen image on-screen.
"I don't know, but that's going to be a mystery for a long time, I believe." The Pyrus Bakgugan told his partner.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in the restaurant/residence of Runo Misaki, Alice was combing the girl's hair while the two were in her room, Tigrerra watching from a vanity mirror.
"So, Runo, you know Katie Lowery? The girl I told you about who lost her bakugan to Masquerade and quit as a result?" The ginger asked.
"I heard about her, yeah. Why?" The blue haired Haos brawler nodded in reply.
"Apparently she's getting back into the game, even swung by the store for some new Bakugan and cards." The gingerette told her friend.
"Okay… but I'm guessing there's something else?" Runo prodded.
"Yes, she's also not only completely changed her looks but also her attributes, now swapping from Haos to Darkus." Alice nodded. "But that wasn't the most shocking part." She continued.
"What is?" Runo questioned.
"She has a new guardian bakugan, one she had me upgrade with every Bakugan point she could spare…" The last of the brawlers replied. "And as I did, I noticed some similarities between it and the other Kaijugan." She added.
"Like what?" Runo questioned, wanting more info.
"It was red, black, white and blue. It bore a resemblance to Godzilla if he… had… crystals…" She trailed off as she stopped brushing her hair, and realized there was only one Kaiju who could fit that description.
"Oh no, you don't think…?!" The Haos girl gasped, reaching the same conclusion.
"She's partnered up with Space Godzilla." Alice confirmed with a nod.
"This can't be good." Runo gulped.
"Pardon my intrusion, but I seem to be confused." Tigrerra chimed in. "Just what makes this Space Godzilla so dangerous?" She questioned.
"He's a stronger clone of Godzilla himself, and was made by Godzilla's DNA combining with a comet and a black hole. He actually came close to killing Godzilla himself and Junior before the tables turned at the last minute." Runo explained. "There's also the fact he's a particularly vengeful Kaiju." She added.
"Which means that he's likely teaming up with Katie because he can relate to the desire for revenge." Alice supplied. "Which is actually what I'm worried about." She sighed.
"Why's that?" Runo asked.
"She doesn't just blame Masquerade for the death of her original partner, she also blames Shun." The gingerette sighed, looking out the window as she finished brushing Runo's hair. "Meaning that she could be planning on tricking Masquerade into giving her a Doom Card so that she can challenge Shun and send Skyress to the Doom Dimension in retribution." She added.
"I heard about that ordeal from Marucho; She asked Shun for help on the condition she beat him, and when she won, he went back on his word." Runo nodded before she groaned in exasperation. "That idiot needs to learn to be more selfless, and now look at what happened." She lamented.
"Seems his actions are coming back to 'bite him in the ass', as it were." Tigrerra nodded as Alice started putting Runo's pigtails up.
"That's an accurate summary." Alice nodded in agreement with a small chuckle.
As the two girls finished what they were doing, Runo turned on her TV so they could watch something together, only for it to pop open with the news and the footage of the Janjira disaster.
The duo could only gasp in horror as they watched the scene unfold, Alice covering her mouth in pure shock while Runo covered her eyes.
"Oh no…" The gingerette uttered, feelings of dread from this recent calamity flooding her mind.
"Those poor people!" Runo gasped, tears threatening to fill her eyes at the suffering she had to watch.
"This doesn't happen often, does it?" Tigrerra questioned, also feeling remorse for the people who perished and were being forced to abandon their homes in the wake of this disaster.
"No. The only causes for this kind of catastrophe would be either an earthquake, typhoon or tsunami." Runo told her partner, tears running down her face. "The safety precautions taken in these facilities are so careful that basically only those who specialize in nuclear engineering are hired." She added.
"Or nuclear physics." Alice nodded.
"Hmmm, I smell a rat here…" The tiger bakugan growled, feeling suspicious like Drago had before, getting odd looks from the two girls.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in the house—or building, rather—of Choji 'Manucho' Makamura, he was currently in the process of coding a few new brawling algorithms for future use while Preyas was busy… Sleeping.
True to form, the tricked out attribute chameleon was just as lazy as usual.
As the blonde worked, he pulled up the news feed which was–surprise surprise– Janjira's collapse.
"Wait, what?!" The blonde gasped in shock, which woke up his partner.
"Wh-huzza?! Huh?! Don't try me, I'm armed!" The bakugan blurted as he shot open, flailing around at some unseen threat, karate chopping in various directions.
"What in the world caused Janjira to fall apart?!" Marucho exclaimed in shock as he watched the news feed, getting his partner's attention.
"Huh?" The Aquos Bakugan uttered before he came over and saw the feed. "Uh, that looks extremely bad." He gulped.
"That it is, Preyas." Marucho nodded, before he paused the feed and started zooming in on something in the smokestack. "What is that?" He wondered.
"What?" Preyas asked before looking at what Marucho was looking at. "Uh, I don't recall knowing of any Bakugan that big." He noted in confusion.
"Whatever it is must be dangerous if it's responsible." The Aquos boy decided as he looked at the paused image on his screen.
"I'll say." Preyas nodded.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, at Julie's house, she was busy with her morning routine alongside her sister when the two of them spotted the news on Janjira.
"A reactor collapse?! How?!" The Subterra brawler gasped in shock.
"I'm not sure." Daisy said, shaking her head. "I mean, there haven't been any earthquakes or anything like that where your friends are, right?" She asked.
"No, and even then, they would've gotten online about the aftershocks." The younger of the two replied with a shake of her head.
Daisy blinked before she rewound the footage and paused on the dust of the collapsed smokestack, seeing the same silhouette Dan, Drago, Marucho and Preyas had spotted.
"What the…? What is that?" She wondered.
"I don't think it's a Bakugan. There are no areas rich in Vestroia's energies." Gorem commented. "At least not near there." The golem Bakugan amended.
"Then what are we looking at?" Julie wondered with a frown.
"Something that's going to be a topic of exploration for me." Daisy declared, pulling out her phone. "And I know just who to call." She added, picking up her satchel, which had all the ecutramonde of a reporter.
"Who?" Her younger sister questioned as her elder sibling dialed a number.
"Hello, Monty? Yes, darling it's me." The woman said as the person on the other end picked up. "Yes, I realize that today was your big meeting with Dr. Serizawa, but I have a potential scoop that I need your help—Oh. The meeting was canceled?" She questioned, surprised.
Julie blinked in confusion as she wondered who her elder sister was talking to.
"Anyway, I saw the news on Janjira's collapse, and I saw something big in the dust. Is there anything I should know about?" She questioned, and got a reply that Julie couldn't hear. "Oh, so it wasn't our boy. Unknown? I see. Well, thank you anyway." She nodded. "Oh, while I have you, Monterey, how free is your schedule? Open? Good! Then how about dinner tonight at say, seven?" She asked.
"Who is she talking to?" Gorem questioned.
"No idea." The Subterra girl shrugged in reply.
"Alright, I won't keep stalling you. Be careful today." Daisy said, getting a muffled reply. "Love you too sweetheart, bye~." She smiled before hanging up.
"Who was that?" Julie questioned as her sister put her phone away.
"Oh, just a potential boyfriend." Daisy replied with a grin. "He's a silver fox, and I like that about him." She added.
"Wait a minute, now I remember. Isn't he the guy you met when you were interviewing some people from that disaster analysis company?" Julie questioned. "What was it called, Monarch?" She added.
"That's the one. Those guys are gonna be all over Janjira to try and figure out what happened before long." The older silverette told her younger sister with a nod before sighing wistfully. "Monty is a wonderful person. Charming, rugged, shockingly self reliant and very good at what he does." She continued. "Out of all my previous boyfriends, he's probably the one I like the most." She added.
"Let's hope he's the one that you marry, then." Julie quipped with a twinge of envy, causing her older sister to smirk and blush.
"What, feeling jealous?" The elder sibling shot back.
"No!" The girl retorted before looking at Gorem, who held a steady gaze, before looking away from both of them. "Well, maybe a little." She mused indignantly.
"Called it." The eldest of the two chirped triumphantly as she hugged her little sister. "Don't worry, sis, you'll find a man worthy of you. Just give it time." She added as the two smiled at each other.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in the ninja compound of one Shun Kazami, the boy was as usual playing a small tune on a grass flute, when he heard a knock on the compound gates, and followed his grandfather to the door from the roof as the old man went to open it.
"Go away!" The man barked. "We don't want any visitors, well wishers or distant relatives!" He added.
"Then what about very old friends?" An equally elderly voice called from the other side of the door.
"What the…?" The old man uttered before he opened the door and saw another old man standing on the other side.
Said old man was in his seventies, had gray hair tied up in a ponytail and gold eyes, showing where in his bloodline Magnus got it from. His attire consisted of an old blue Japanese Imperial Navy pilot jacket, a white shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of boots.
The most notable feature was his crooked nose, likely from a time he had broken it in the past. He also had a cane to help him walk—a cane with two overlapping triangles on it, and a wavy ocean pattern. The symbol of a Samurai Clan.
"Well well well, if it ain't Saito Sakai, the Impossible Survivor." The old ninja chuckled. "Impossible Survivor" was a title Saito had gotten in World War 2, due to him surviving his Kamikaze run somehow. This also made him the grandfather of Magnus Fowl.
"Hmph, you're one to talk, Hagaromo. After all, people around our community have taken to calling you the Ninja-Nanja Hasbeen." The old kamikaze pilot retorted.
"Ah, shaddup! Not my fault people don't know anything about Ninjas these days!" Hagaromo shot back. It was at this moment that Shun joined them, hopping down from his perch.
"Grandpa, who is this?" He questioned.
"Hm? Oh, so you're the ninja boy that Magnus told me about." Saito commented as he looked at Shun, who was quick to figure out who he was.
"Wait, you're Magnus' grandfather? The kamikaze survivor?!" He gasped with wide eyes. Meeting a veteran of the second world war was already considered a special privilege, but meeting a kamikaze survivor was BEYOND rare.
Being related to one or both was something special all on its own, too.
"That I am." The man nodded before he turned over his shoulder. "Magnus! Stop fiddling with the car and get over here already!" He barked.
"Hold your horses, grandpa! I'm coming!" Magnus called before he rushed up to join them.
"So, why the visit?" Hagaromo asked, looking at the old war veteran.
The man then held up a pocket watch that he got after returning from battle, presented to him by Emperor Showa (Hirohito) himself. "You never came for our shogi match today." He stated.
"I knew I forgot something!" The old ninja groaned as he snapped his fingers. "Well, I still have a set in the house, we can finish it in the sitting room." He sighed before gesturing for them to follow. "Come on in, you two." He beckoned, opening the door fully for the two visitors.
"Need me to get anything?" Shun questioned, though he seemed more annoyed than accommodating.
"Get some tea made for us and get Magnus what he wants." His grandfather told him, causing the boy to walk away, rolling his eyes.
"Magnus, go help him." Saito told his grandson, getting a nod from his grandson. "… Nice boy you have there, Hagaromo." The old man said as they sat down at a small table in two easy chairs.
"Shun's my only grandchild that my daughter left me, rest her soul." The retired ninja nodded. "She passed away some years ago." He added, looking back at the two boys as Saito set up the board. "He can be a serious pain in the ass, but he's the kindest boy you'll meet, once you get past that attitude of his—something he gets from his mother and father." He mused.
"His father around?" Saito asked, getting a head shake.
"Been dead for years. Well, murdered is the more accurate description." He stated.
"What happened?" The Impossible Survivor questioned with a frown, wondering what happened to warrant such a description.
"Occupational hazard. You familiar with the company Monarch?" Hagaromo questioned.
"A friend of mine's son works there." Saito nodded.
"Shun's father, Subaru, was part of their containment division." The old man explained. "He died when an eco-terrorist group tried to break into one of their facilities—but his body was never recovered. Presumably because he was vaporized by an explosion." He added.
"That is unfortunate." Saito sighed as he took in the details. "Was there anything else on that, or was that it?" He questioned as the elderly ninja got his side of the shogi set ready.
"Apparently the group was trying to get their hands on some sort of experimental 'Dark Matter Containment System', which went haywire and nearly caused a miniature black hole—had Subaru not pulled a grenade and destroyed it before it could go off." Hagaromo explained. "He died a hero. That's all I'll say." He added as Shun came by with a teapot and two cups.
"Here." The boy said as he poured them a cup each.
"Thank you." The Samurai Clan member nodded as the teen left. "It is good that Shun's old man died a hero's death. Does he know?" He asked.
"No, and I prefer it stay that way. But if he joins Monarch, then he'll be privy to the truth." Hagaromo replied with a shake of his head.
"Magnus' parents also worked for Monarch, as scientists for a project they were working on." Saito explained as they started their game. "Both died when he was a boy." He continued.
"What were they working on?" The old ninja asked as he made a move with one of his pieces.
"I didn't get much, but I did catch details that it was related to something called the Titans, and that there were others. That's all I was able to glean." Saito replied.
"Strange, what could that refer to?" Hagaromo questioned, getting a shrug in return.
It was at this time that Shun and Magnus came into the room with mugs of coffee rather than tea and sat down on a couch, Rodan and Skyress rolling on the coffee table to open, right as the TV was turned on.
And true as before, Janjira was front and center.
"Janjira collapsed?!" Magnus shouted in shock, getting the attention of the two elders, who looked their way and widened their eyes at the news feed.
"That can't be right; there were no earthquakes or typhoons in the area recently!" Saito exclaimed as he got up and came over to them.
However, as the others were freaking out, Skyress and Rodan noticed the creature in the smoke stack, and shared looks at each other as they noticed what was to blame.
"That thing is gonna be a problem in the future." Rodan told his fellow flying Bakugan.
"Agreed. This is a bad omen." The jade phoenix nodded grimly in agreement.
Shun couldn't help but look down at his partner, wondering what they were talking about—before deciding to ask later.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, later that night, in the house of Zina and her cousins, the girls were currently trying to get the girl's aunt to spill the gossip about her date with the single father Laurence Lowery.
"Come on, mom! Tell us how he was!" Jewels exclaimed, an eager gleam in her eyes as she looked at her mother.
"Yeah! We gotta know if he's dad material for us!" Jenny added, looking just as eager as her sister.
Mina looked at her daughters before she looked straight at Jewels. "How was he? Alright, Jewels, just what do you think we were doing? This was only the first date." The blonde caramel MILF questioned with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed over her way above average bosom.
"I just wanna know if he's good to you!" The purplette said defensively.
"Well, while he was certainly an okay guy, but like I said, this is just the first date. I still have a lot to learn about him." Mina told her. "Though he seems to be a fairly decent father, seeing as he's tried his best to keep his daughter going after she fell into a deep depression." She added.
"Oh man." Jewels gasped. "Did he mention what caused her to go into a deep depression?" She asked, hoping she wasn't touching a sensitive topic.
"No, unfortunately. Which is why I'm not too sure about him yet." The blonde replied. "But that aside, what about you girls? Anything gossip worthy happen with you?" She questioned.
"We found out that Janjira collapsed yesterday when we saw the news this morning." The blue haired twin sighed in reply, recalling how she felt dismay for the residents forced to leave everything they knew behind because of that.
"Yeah, apparently it's got everybody pretty shaken." Jenny nodded. "We even decided to cancel a concert because we didn't think it'd be right to try and profit off of what happened." She added.
"Yeah. That was actually the last thing we expected to hear." Zina added. "… Though maybe you could try thinking about having the next few concerts build up funding to support the displaced refugees." She offered. "Once everything has settled down a bit." She added
"We'll go over that with our manager." Jenny nodded.
"Yeah. Those poor guys need all the support they can get." Jewels nodded in agreement.
Zilla, meanwhile, was deep in thought. He had spotted something big in the dust cloud the collapsed smokestack left behind, and he had some red flags going off in his head from that.
'Whatever that thing is, we need to be ready if we see it again.' He thought.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, at the park, the three siblings Shunji, Akira and Nene were all getting to know their Kaijugan partners while also bragging about what ones they ended up getting. Needless to say, they were all quite pleased with what they got.
"Oh man, we're gonna make short work of Dan with these guys around!" Shunji grinned as he looked at Megalon.
"Yeah, no way will they be able to stand up against a Kaiju." Akira nodded, turning to their little sister. "Say, Nene, didn't you say you got a friend who's got a Kaijugan?" He questioned.
"Yeah, Akihito, why?" The pinkette questioned.
"Well, you guys tested yours out, what can you tell us about them?" Shunji questioned, Megalon and Gigan turning confused gazes at Megaguirus, who just shrugged.
"Well, Aki did get Junior, and he apparently has a pretty solid grip on how to work with him." Nene replied. "I say we do a few casual matches to get a solid grip on how to work with ours." She added, putting her suggestion on the table. "Because I'm still figuring things out. But here are the basics: Kaijugan have naturally higher average power levels, and they have two attributes." She continued.
"Okay, that should help us come up with strategies." Akira nodded as he brought out a notepad with a pencil and wrote those details down.
"Alright, let's go!" Nene said, whipping out her card.
"Field Open!" The three called as time slowed around them.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, at the Eden flower shop, Pamela and her mother Theodora were busy closing up their store, when the older woman stopped what she was doing and nearly dropped a flower pot on the ground as the Janjira disaster played on the news.
"Oh no…" Theodora gasped.
"What?" Pamela asked before spotting the news. "What?! How?!" She gasped in shock.
"Wait, what's inside that dust cloud?" Biollante asked, causing Pamela to blink before grabbing the remote to rewind and pause at the indicated moment.
"Uh, that doesn't look normal." The Eden matriarch noted with a frown as she looked at the unknown silhouette in the cloud.
"What could it be?" The redhead questioned as they continued to look at the image before them.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in the same dark 360 degree computer room from before, Masquerade sat in his chair as he watched the Janjira accident from various angles and at various different speeds, snapping pictures of the creature in the smoke with a few clicks of a mouse, before entering it into his computer.
"Now, let's see what you look like..." The masked blonde mused as the computer started using the images to create a 3D rendered image of the creature that caused the collapse of the reactor.
What he got was definitely not a Bakugan.
It looked like a strange gray skinned creature with red eyes, a rotund body, a mandibled mouth and hook-like limbs. Like a cross between a roach larvae, a water beetle and a tick.
"What in the world?" Hydranoid uttered in bewilderment as he looked at the 3D image. "I don't recall ever knowing of any Bakugan like that." He commented.
"That's because it's not a Bakugan, Hydranoid." The blonde told his partner. "This is something completely different." He added.
"It is called a Sporgroithe." Ichi hissed.
"A parasite." Ni growled.
"It feeds on Kaiju. Eats them from the inside out. Leaves nothing behind." San added.
"If it's radiation it feeds on, then the radiation capacity of the Janjira nuclear power plant must've gotten its attention, and this is the result." Masquerade deduced, lacing his fingers together. "This changes things. Lord Naga won't be too keen on sharing the world with another powerful life form. Especially if it causes events that leave no world left to rule." He added. "Which means this creature must be dealt with. Permanently." He added.
"We won't have to worry about it for some time." Ni spoke up.
"It's true. From what we've seen, this Sporgroithe is alone, so it will take years to finish feeding on the radiation of the fallout." Ichi continued.
"Add to the fact this is a larva, it'll be too busy feeding to be concerned about anything else." San finished.
"Then we bide our time, so that we can continue our work to turn you both into the ultimate Bakugan." Masquerade nodded, sitting back in his chair. "Then we will find Waivern, take the Infinity Core, and with it, we will rule all of Vestroia and Earth!" He added before he, Hydranoid and Ghidora started laughing.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, back with the Hiroshima brothers, they were currently watching the collapse of Janjira on Aki's computer while Kita was busy at work.
"Something about this feels… wrong." Shiro noted with a frown. "I don't remember hearing about a typhoon near Janjira, let alone an earthquake." He added.
"Same here." Akihito nodded, not liking the look of the whole thing.
It was then that the door down stairs slammed shut as someone came into the house. "Boys! I'm home!" Kita called as she walked inside, taking off her sport coat and proceeding to strip off clothing article after article on her way to her bedroom, leaving her in just her bra and panties as she put the rest in the laundry—before putting on her bathrobe while her undergarments fell out of it.
"Hey, mom!" Shiro called, not taking his eyes off the Janjira report as the woman came into their room. Both boys weren't really that flustered about their mom's state of attire as it was pretty much her routine to get naked and spend the rest of the day in her bathrobe or pajamas after work.
… What? Pantsuits, stockings and heels may be hot as hell, but they get uncomfortable if you have to wear them for hours on end.
"So, since no natural disasters were reported near Janjira, what do you think caused the power plant there to collapse?" Akihito asked his older brother, turning his attention back to the topic at hand.
"No idea." The older of the two replied, shaking his head.
Kita, meanwhile, tapped her slippered foot impatiently as she waited for them to turn and face her. "Well? Aren't you boys the least bit interested about how my date went?" She questioned.
"Huh?" Shiro uttered before shaking his head and turning to his mother. "Sorry. We're pretty focused on what happened at Janjira right now. The nuclear power plant there just collapsed out of nowhere." He told her.
"I heard. It was a complete disaster." The woman nodded as she sat on the boy's bed. "Luckily it didn't cause a full on meltdown, but this is still a terrible situation." She added.
"Yeah. I still remember that family trip we took to Janjira for my tenth birthday." Shiro sighed. That had been quite the birthday, especially with the fireworks for the festival that had been in full swing at the time.
"That is true." Kita nodded solemnly.
"So… How did your date go?" Akihito questioned as he and Shiro spun around to face their mother.
"A lot better than I thought it would go. Apparently the man I went out with is a single parent too, so we found some understanding in each other." The green haired woman replied with a smile.
"Yeah, you mentioned that." Shiro nodded. "What was he like?" He questioned.
"Well, his name is Sekiro Hirashi and his daughters are Hinoa and Minoto. They're twins." The woman explained. "They also work as shrine maidens as well, though something tells me that one of them is no maiden." She continued.
"Let me guess: One of them is more outgoing than the other?" The middle child guessed.
"I'm of the same opinion." Kita nodded in reply.
"They seem like good people to meet." Akihito shrugged.
"I'll be honest, even though this was just a first date, I really am liking Sekiro. And… Well, when he held my hand when we were walking back to his house, I could feel myself getting an all too familiar fire in my loins—one that I haven't felt ever since your father." She added.
"So you think he could be a potential step-dad for us with that in mind?" Shiro questioned.
"It's too early to say for certain, but I do have that opinion." Kita nodded in reply, liking the way she felt around Sekiro.
"Well, if you think he's the right man for you, you don't have to worry about asking us about it." Shiro told her. "We'll support you." He added.
"Yeah!" Aki exclaimed as he moved to sit on his mother's lap.
"Thanks, boys." The MILF smiled as she pulled her sons into a hug with neither of them feeling the least bit flustered by the act.
When you have a bombshell like Kita for a mom, you tend to build up an immunity to certain things she does.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, at the shrine of Inari Okami that Hinoa and Minoto tended, the two girls were currently in the shrine's bath house bathing after a day of work, wanting to be clean before they went home.
"It has been quite the day, hasn't it, Hinoa?" Minoto sighed as she relaxed.
"Yes, it has been." Hinoa nodded as she scrubbed herself clean, holding her ample rack before letting them bounce a bit while she rinsed herself off. "I had a look at the news while I was on break, and saw that Janjira was abandoned because of a nuclear core collapse. I feel… worried for all the people that had to leave." She sighed.
"As do I." Mothra spoke up sadly, wishing she could help the poor souls that lost their home.
"Well if you ask me, this particular disaster seems to be anything but natural by any stretch of imagination." Battra stated, wings flapping as if to emphasize a point.
"How do you figure?" The outgoing twin questioned as she scrubbed her hair.
"I'm not sure yet as to how, I just have a feeling." The bakugan replied as the twins kept bathing, until they got out and headed back to their house.
"Girls, I'm home!" Sekiro called as the man walked into the house in his usual business clothes (blue slacks, a white shirt, blue tie and a corduroy business jacket), and briefcase in hand.
A briefcase that had a familiar M symbol on the latch.
"Hi, dad!" Hinoa called back.
"We were just about to get dressed." Minoto told him as she and her sister grabbed the clothes they had set out and put them on while their father was in the opposite room. "So how did your date go last night?" She asked.
"Kita and I had more common ground than I was expecting, and that helped things go smoothly the whole time." Sekiro replied. "One of her sons also works at Monarch as an intern, so I told her I'd be sure to keep tabs on him for her." He added.
"Oh, that's actually interesting." Minoto commented as she put her clothes on.
"Yes, and her two other sons are into that Bakugan game that's been going around." Their father told them. "Maybe you two could meet them?" He offered.
"Maybe we will." Hinoa nodded as she put her clothes on as well, before the girls suddenly got a message on their Bakupods.
"Huh?" They questioned before they saw Runo pop onto their screens.
"Hey there Brawlers, Runo here!" The girl said. "So you guys may have heard about the new Kaijugan that've been popping up all over the place lately." She continued. "Well, if you're one of the few who found them, come to the Misaki Family Diner tomorrow at noon. The brawlers and I will be waiting, see you there!" She added, signing off.
There was a beat of silence before Hinoa spoke up.
"Well, looks like we have somewhere to be tomorrow." She noted.
"Seems that way." Minoto nodded.
(The next day)
Katie leaned against a tree as he watched a group of kids come out of the brawling between space, three looked rather unremarkable, but it was the fourth that got her attention.
It was a redheaded boy with brown eyes, lightly tanned skin and red hair. Judging by the seafoam green and blue clothes he wore, he was an Aquos Brawler.
Looking through her list, Katie saw that this was Rikimaru, one of Masquerade's old Aquos minions.
"Aw come on! Only one fifty? What a rip off!" The redhead groaned as he walked away.
"What a sore winner." One of the kids sighed.
"And such a drama queen." Another added as they left, while Rikimaru passed where Katie was.
"Hey there, big boy." The girl purred as she stepped out from behind the tree she was near, deciding to use her sex appeal to draw the boy in. "I heard you're looking for a good battle." She continued, hands behind her back. "Wanna give me a go?" She questioned.
"Uh… S-Sure?" He gulped, flustered by Katie's looks and the tone she was using.
'Hook, line and sinker.' The blonde thought in satisfaction. Now for the killing stroke. "Alright, let's go." She grinned as she pulled out her field card.
"Yeah!" Rikimaru nodded as he pulled his own card.
"Field Open!" They called as time slowed around them.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, at the houses of both the Brawlers and the Kaijugan Brawlers they were all getting ready to leave and head to Runo's parents' restaurant.
"See ya, mom/dad/gramps!" They all called as they bolted out of their houses and headed on their bikes, on a bus, on a trolley, or on their skateboards to the restaurant.
After a while, everyone showed up and basically every seat was taken up due to the sheer quantity of how many Kaijugan there were.
"Hey Shiro, glad you could make it!" Dan grinned as the two did a predator style hand clasp.
"Wouldn't have missed this even if I was grounded!" Shiro grinned, and the Pyrus Brawler thankfully knew what he was saying.
"Man, I didn't expect so many Kaijugan Brawlers in here." Runo commented with a blink as she looked around.
"Let's see, besides me and Aki there's… One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine." The boy counted as he pointed at everyone that was present. "Nine total. Plus there's the rest of us." He stated.
"That's still a lot for a small diner like mine." The blue haired girl told him. "But still, it'll make addressing this whole Kaijugan thing easier." She added.
"Yeah, and there's some I recognize." Dan stated, pointing at a group of three at a table.
It was Shunji, Akira and Nene, and the two brawlers were able to finally see what Kaiju they had.
"Is that Megalon, Gigan and Megaguruius?" Alice questioned as she worked behind the bar.
"Looks like it. Didn't think they'd find any partners." Godzilla commented.
Shun, meanwhile, gestured over at Pamela and Magnus, getting the attention of the other brawlers to the Kaijugan with them.
"Wow. Rodan and Biollante look like they've found some good partners." Runo noted.
"Hmmm." Shun nodded.
"Let's see, who else is—hey, Marucho, take a look!" Dan exclaimed, pointing at another table where Jenny, Jewels and Zina were.
"Jenny and Jewels are here?!" The blonde boy gasped in excitement.
"Whoa! Would ya look at that bakugan Jenny's got! She's certainly a hottie." Preyas said as he looked at Manda.
"Manda and Anguirus." Gojira nodded. "An old friend and one who I could never get a read on." He mused.
Shiro, meanwhile, was actually more focused on Zina—as he couldn't keep himself from staring at her, and he wasn't sure why, but he could feel something in him draw him towards her, something primal, instinctual, even.
'Gotta keep myself together. I can worry about that later.' He thought, doing his best to not go nuts.
"That girl must be Zina, right Runo?" Dan questioned, pointed at the girl with Zilla.
"Yeah. And the ones with Biolantte and Rodan are Pamela and Magnus." Runo nodded.
"Then who're those two?" Alice questioned, causing Shiro to turn to a table where Hinoa and Minoto were tickling and doting on a defenseless Akihito.
"Wait… I recognize those two." Shiro stated. "They're my mom's new boyfriend's daughters." He added.
"Really?" The Haos Brawler blinked. "Huh. Didn't expect that." She mused.
"Guess that explains why they're treating Aki like he's their baby brother." Dan chuckled as they saw Nene try to force the two girls off of the boy—only for all the over stimulation from being so close to two beautiful women and his crush—to cause Aki to faint on the spot.
"Yeah, that does explain it indeed." Shiro grinned as the three girls fretted over the out cold boy.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in the battle space, Rikimaru and Katie were now in the process of starting their battle.
"Gate Card set!" The two called as their cards expanded.
Katie grinned as she locked on her launcher, before slowly taking out a card. "Say Riki, don't suppose you recognize this, do you?" She grinned, showing her Doom Card.
"What the–?! You're working for him?!" The redhead gasped as he took a step back in surprise and worry.
"Who, Masquerade? We have an agreement." The girl nodded. "I take out the trash for him, and he helps me with something of mine." She shrugged. "Don't take it too personally, it's just business." She added as she dropped her card. "Doom Card set." She added before taking out a bakugan. "Bakugan Brawl! Fear Ripper Stand!" She called.
The clawed bakugan immediately rose with a roar, and Rikimaru sighed at what he'd fallen into.
"This is gonna bite me, I know it." He groaned before grabbing one of his Bakugan. "Bakugan Brawl! Robotalion stand!" He called as his Aquos Robotalion rose up ready to fight.
"Darkus Fear Ripper at 320Gs. Aquos Robotalion 300Gs." The machines buzzed.
"Hmmm, okay." Katie nodded. "Gate Card set!" She called before setting another card down and then taking another Bakugan. "Bakugan Stand! Mantris!" She added as the bakugan appeared.
"Grrr!" Rikimaru growled as he realized that he was being given the runaround. "I'll show you to try it out when me!" He called, setting down another gate card. "Bakugan Brawl! Juggernoid stand!" He added as the turtle appeared.
"Juggernoid power level 310Gs. Mantris at 320Gs." The machines said.
"Hmmm, two Aquos Bakugan facing each other on the battlefield." Katie mused as she tapped her chin. "Throw down your Aquos Siege and you'll be able to use the Tsunami chain reaction attack to take every Bakugan out at once." She continued, causing Rikimaru to tense up the second she said that.
That was what he was planning to do!
'How is she seeing through me?!' He gasped mentally as his hands shook.
"Don't be so surprised, you Aquos brawlers always pull that stunt." The blonde smirked, taking out an ability card. "Honestly, you guys are so predictable, it's embarrassing—like reading an open book." She continued. "Ability Card activate!" She called. "Marionette!" She added.
Mantris chartered as lightning shot from its pincers and dragged Riki's Aquos Robotallion over to Fear Ripper's card, where the Darkus bakugan struck a powerful blow that sent the Aquos bakugan flying as a dark portal opened.
Robotalion became the newest resident of the Doom Dimension.
"Robotalion!" Rikimaru gasped before he turned a glare at the girl in front of him. "You're gonna pay for that!" He growled.
"Heh." Katie smirked, as if vindictively enjoying the reactions she was getting from the boy.
"Gate Card set!" The redhead called as he threw down another gate card. "Bakugan Brawl! Siege Stand!" He added.
"Oh Riki, when will you learn to stop playing right into my hands!" Katie said as she threw a bakugan down at Juggernoid's card. "Mantris Stand!" She added. "Gate Card Open! Character Card!" She added.
"Mantris power doubles to 620Gs!" The Bakupods buzzed, right as Mantris struck down on Juggernoid and sent it flying into the Doom Dimension.
"Oh come on!" Riki exclaimed in frustration. "Siege, you gotta survive this!" He exclaimed, looking at his 'partner.'
"It's not a good idea to give someone false hope." Katie stated as SG floated beside her, glowing with Darkness energy. "Ready?" She asked her partner.
"Indeed." The space Kaiju replied darkly as he went into ball form, allowing his vengeful partner to grab him.
"Bakugan Brawl! Space Godzilla stand!" She called.
"Wait, what?!" The redheaded boy gasped as Space Godzilla rose up with a roar worthy of a creature of destruction, his crystals shining brightly.
"Darkus Haos Space Godzilla enters battle at 440Gs. Siege Power level at 350Gs." The machines buzzed.
"Oh crap." Rikimaru cursed. "Alright Gate Card Open!" He called as water surrounded the two, cranking up Siege's power level by a hundred Gs.
"Siege Power level increase to 450Gs." The Bakupods beeped.
"Knew you were gonna do that." The blonde said as she slowly raised a card. "Ability Card Activate. Dimension Four." She added.
"Gate Card nullified. Siege power level reset." The bakupods buzzed as Siege's power went back to its original level.
"What?!" Rikimaru gasped. "What was that?!" He demanded.
"What? You think you're the only one with an ace up your sleeve?" Katie smirked, sexily swaying her hip as she popped it to the side. "The Dimension Four ability is one that can nullify all non command and character cards. Effectively making them useless." She added as the card turned gray. "You see I knew you probably had a card like that in your deck to pull you Aquos Bakugan up. So I planned accordingly." She added. "Like I said—Aquos Battlers are so predictable." She grinned.
"BEGONE!" Space Godzilla roared as he used his telekinesis to pick up Siege and send him flying into the Doom Dimension, ending the fight easily.
"And that's it." Katie said as the field disappeared.
(Elsewhere)
Back at Runo's diner, everyone had introduced themselves to each other by this point. And now that pleasantries were had and everyone had snacks and coffee, there was a debate for who should lead the new gang of Kaijugan Battle Brawlers, as they decided to call themselves.
"We gotta go with someone that we all know, don't we?" Minoto posited. "Or at least someone trustworthy." She added.
"Screw that, you guys should just make the easy choice and go with me and Megalon." Shunji boasted.
"Shunji, I'm going to tell you straight—you're the worst choice for a leader." Shiro stated. "Not only do you have no leadership qualities whatsoever, but your brawling lose-win average is probably the worst out of everyone here." He added.
"Wha–!" The chunky teen gaped in surprise, not expecting that blow.
"I'm not motivated enough to be a leader, and I know it." Magnus stated. "I like flying on a glider every now and then, which gives me a sense of freedom, so a leadership role doesn't suit me when it can be something that ties a person down." He added.
"Alright, that's three people off the list." Shiro nodded. "… Actually better have Akira, Aki and Nene off the table too. Two are too young and the other has a brawling average worse than Shunji." He added, causing all three jaws to drop.
"Hey!" The three in question squawked indignantly.
"Well we aren't interested." Jenny and Jewels stated.
"Same." Nodded Hinoa and Minoto.
"Not sure I'd fit the role." Pamela shrugged.
"Okay, so who else would be leadership material?" Dan hummed as he looked at the other candidates in the diner.
"I think the two choices are obvious." Zina said as she slid closer to Shiro, causing her chest to press against him. "Shiro and I are probably the best for the role." She added.
"Ebe-HEHH?!" The green haired partner of Godzilla stammered as his head snapped in her direction with a shocked look.
"Say I appoint you two to lead; what reasons do you have to back that up?" Dan questioned—the kids had thought that since he was the leader of the original battle brawlers, he was a good impartial judge to decide a leader for their group.
"Because Shiro's Kaijugan is the most powerful one here and he has already demonstrated that he can read the rest of his teammates like books." Zina stated. "And additionally, the boy may be untested but he has obvious talent in brawling. So appointing him as defacto leader seems obvious." She added.
"Okay, that does help his case." Dan conceded with a nod since he'd seen Shiro's brawling prowess first hand and was impressed by it. "But what about you? Why do you think you should be second in command?" He questioned.
"Well, I happen to be one of the top twenty brawlers in my motherland of Russia, and I find that I can handle delegating with people rather well, especially those of opposite genders to bridge gaps." The girl replied as she took her hand and ran it along Shiro's thigh. "Besides, we have the brawler who's bakugan is the king of monsters." She continued, her lips curled in a smile that seemed unintentionally—or maybe unconsciously—seductive. "And every king needs a queen, don't they?" She added, fluttering her eyelashes at the greenette.
"Um… Uh…" Shiro gulped, unable to figure out how to respond as he blushed.
"Shiro has a crush!" Akihito called out teasingly, choosing this moment to play the mischievous little gremlin card upon seeing that his brother was flustered.
"Why you—!" The boy growled as he was about to pounce on his little brother before Zina cupped his cheek, getting him to look at her.
"Let's worry about him later." She told him, a brief flash of pink washing over her eyes before it washed over Shiro's, causing tiny hearts to be seen in his eyes as he calmed down—the primal feelings he felt before overriding his anger.
"Alright, fine." He sighed.
"That's… Never happened before." Aki whispered to Nene, weirded out by how quickly his brother calmed down.
"What do you mean?" The pinkette whispered back in confusion.
"Shiro's usually like a powder keg that went off when he's riled up, but Zina just calmed him down like it was a normal thing for her to do." The boy clarified.
"Well, maybe that means she can keep him from doing something stupid?" Nene offered.
"Maybe, but it's still weird." The younger boy stated.
"Well, if you're all agreed, I think it's safe to say that Shiro and Zina will be your team leaders." Dan stated, getting nods in agreement from basically everyone as the Bakugan and Kaijugan rolled out to the middle of the table.
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you." Drago greeted the creatures. "I am Pyrus Dragonoid. But most call me Drago." He continued.
"Haos Tigrerra, greetings." Tigrerra nodded.
"Yo! Name's Aquos Preyas." Preyas chuckled.
"Ventus Skyress is my name, hello." Skyress nodded.
"Salutations. I am Subterra Gorem." Gorem added. "But you can just call me Gorem." He amended.
"Aquos-Pyrus Gojira." The king nodded professionally.
"Ventus-Pyrus Rodan. Try and keep up with me in the air, I dare you." Rodan greeted, issuing a challenge at the same time.
"Uh, pass. I don't fly well." Preyas gulped.
"Haos-Ventus Mosura." Mothra nodded respectfully.
"Darkus-Ventus Battra." Battra added.
"Subterra-Haos Anguirus. Much obliged." Anguirus continued.
"A-Aquos-Ventus Manda. H-Hello." Manda picked up with a nervous nod, before quickly hiding behind Gojira.
"Aquos-Pyrus Godzilla Junior. Hi!" Junior chirped.
"Name's Subterra-Darkus Gigan." Gigan told them, turning to his brother. "And this Tawny headed twiddle poop is my brother Subterra-Ventus Megalon." He added.
"OI! Who're you calling a twiddle poop, ya no back scab?!" The beetle Kaiju snapped, the two brothers headbutting each other.
"Idiots…" Megaguirus sighed as she went next while the two brothers argued. "Pardon the peanut gallery overthere. I'm Ventus-Darkus Megaguirus." She continued.
"And I'm Subterra-Aquos Zilla." Zilla added.
"Ventus-Subterra Biollante." The floral Kaiju spoke up.
"Seems we're missing a few here." Shiro mused. "No King Caesar, Baragon, Hedora, Kamakuras, Gorogumo, Gorosaurus, Space Godzilla, Destroyah or Ghidorah in sight." He noted, noticing the conspicuous lack of a few monsters.
"They either didn't get the message, or they joined Masquerade." Dan pitched in. "Or they never got the chance to come to our world." He added with a shrug.
"Uh, actually." Alice said as she raised her hand. "I may know where two of those Kaiju might be…" She said, causing everyone to look at her.
(Elsewhere)
Rikimaru fell to his knees as the battlefield disappeared, his body battered from being thrown around, before falling flat on his face, and with Katie taking this moment to step on him.
"Do you get it yet, you weakling?" She questioned, her foot planted firmly on the back of his head. "You were only as strong as you were because none of the people you battled knew how to properly strategize or anticipate your obviously telegraphed moves." She continued, digging her heel in and causing him to yelp. "On top of that, you were only strong because of your Siege. Take him away and you're just another loudmouth wannabe trying to be the best. Trying to be something he's not. Or will ever be." She added, right before kicking him in the gut and sending him tumbling into a tree before walking away.
The redhead laid there at the tree, feeling equally depressed and infuriated. She acted like she could do as she pleased because of the mere fact she had Space Godzilla at her side.
"I'll get a Kaijugan and show you, you bitch!" He seethed as he struggled to get back up, his body roaring in protest as he tried to crawl towards the fountain to get himself up—only to slip and fall on the ground, falling unconscious.
(Elsewhere)
Back with the Bakugan and Kaijugan Battle Brawlers…
"What?!" Everyone exclaimed in unison.
"Masquerade's teamed up with Ghidora?!" Dan questioned.
"Of course he did. Why wouldn't he?" Gojira griped. "It should be expected for an insane psychopath to team up with another." He added.
"This can't be right…" Marucho said quietly, looking down at a picture of Katie that he took with her when they met at a Bakugan Convention together. "No, I refuse to believe it!" He stamped.
"Hate to break it to you, Marucho… But it's happened." Runo sighed.
"To think Katie would join up with Masquerade…" Dan trailed off with a frown.
"Well I think we all know who to blame for that happening." Runo stated, causing everyone to turn and look at Shun, who was sipping the coffee he ordered.
"Why're you all looking at me?" He questioned.
"I'll just say it." Magnus grunted as he looked at the ninja boy. "Shun, you and your lack of selflessness is to blame for Katie joining Masquerade." He told him bluntly.
"Can't really find a nicer way to say that." Pamela commented.
"But joining the guy responsible for sending Chamellia to the Doom Dimension? That doesn't make any sense!" Marucho exclaimed.
"Maybe Katie got sorted into Slytherin when she went to Hogwarts?" Nene offered, which got her some odd looks for the words she chose.
"What are–" Shrio started to ask before he blinked when he figured out what she meant. "Wait, you think Katie's trying to stab Masquerade in the back?" He questioned.
"That does sound like something she'd do." Alice nodded.
"But it probably won't work if he suspects such a thing." Zina stated.
"If she wants to fully convince him, she'll have to actually follow through in sending a lot of Bakugan to the Doom Dimension. That means we'll have to be really careful about being caught alone with her." Dan declared.
"That's right. None of you are to go out alone if you can help it." Shiro told the gang, who nodded in reply.
"That's assuming Masquerade even gives her us as targets." Shun pointed out, rather understandably. "It's likely she's going to be sent to clean house first." He added.
"So his old minions are being targeted first, most likely." Magnus deduced.
"Oh man, that's not good." Preyas groaned, turning to look at Jenny and Jewels.
"Like, why're you looking at us?" Jenny questioned.
"Because you girls were working together with Masquerade awhile back, remember?" The attribute changing Bakugan told them flatly.
"He's got a point." Shunji nodded.
"Yeah, out of all of us, you two are the ones in the most danger." Akihito nodded in agreement.
"Especially since Masquerade will want to save the Brawlers for himself." Shiro nodded, causing the two to gulp.
"You don't think he'll try to do anything to us, do you?" Jewels questioned while she and Jenny clung to each other and Manda hid in Jenny's hair.
"You've got us to call on, so we'll help out when needed." Pamela told the two popstars.
"… Just what do you two think he'd do?" Anguirus questioned, confused at his Brawler's words while everyone else facepalmed.
(Elsewhere)
Back at the park, Rikimaru slowly came to as the water of the fountain rained on him in a mist, his body still roaring in pain from the beating he received earlier.
"Ugh… Man, that's gonna leave a few bruises…" He groaned as he tried to get to his feet.
"Yes, that looked painful." A wise and powerful voice commented, causing the redhead to pause.
"W-Who's there?" He asked as he looked around, hoping it wasn't someone trying to mug him.
"Calm yourself. I mean you no harm." The voice continued.
"Well, that's comforting. Where are you, anyway?" Riki questioned.
"On the edge of the fountain next to you." The voice replied, its location more clear.
Turning, Riki saw a variation of a turtle Bakugan he saw on the web—Turtonium—but it was one he didn't recognize, and it looked far more different compared to the common variant.
It had the attributes of Ventus and Pyrus, looked more bipedal in stature and had two noticeable tusks in its mouth.
"What the…? Who are you?" He asked, picking up the possible Kaijugan and holding it in his palm.
"I do believe humanity has named me Gamera." The now identified friend to all children replied, shocking Riki a great deal. "I am the defender of the earth and the friend of all children. Be they big or small." He added with a smile. "It is nice to meet you." He greeted.
"What… How are you here?" The redhead questioned in pure disbelief.
"I am unsure of that, myself." The last creation of Atlantis replied with a frown. "My last memory before waking up in this state was flying through the skies before a wormhole opened up and I unwittingly flew into it. Then I fell unconscious." He explained.
"Well, I just got my ass kicked by a girl and her partner. A Kaiju named Space Godzilla." The redhead sighed, managing to get himself onto the ledge of the fountain and sit down.
"Space Godzilla?" Gamera questioned with a blink. "Hm. Haven't heard Gojira's name since I last fought him." He mused.
"Space Godzilla's just a second version of him, not the one you know." Rikimaru told him. 'Somehow.' He added mentally.
"Regardless. You seem to be troubled by more than just this." The turtle mused.
"Yeah. The girl that beat me treated me like I was dirt, and I can't just let her do that." The redhead told him. "And she sent a close Bakugan friend of mine to his death. I can't let that go unanswered." He added firmly.
"She sounds truly vile." Gamera growled.
"Corrupted is more like it." Rikimaru stated. "There's this guy, Masquerade. He preys on people's insecurities and desires to get them to do what he wants, and then he gives them power and that power causes them to basically lose any sense of morality they once had." He explained. "I know because I was the same way." He added.
"Then we'll have to do our best to set her straight." Gamera nodded in affirmation. "Before anyone else can get hurt." He added as the boy was finally able to stand up.
"That we do." Rikimaru nodded, picking up his new partner as he started walking down the road to the Bakugan store.
It was time for a change of pace.
(Elsewhere)
The Kaijugan brawlers had all gone home by this point as the Diner had closed, as did the other battle brawlers, but two were currently still out and about, and that was Shirogane Hiroshima and Zina Raliakov.
"So… What did you wanna talk about?" Shiro asked as they walked along.
"Oh? I thought it was you who wanted to talk to me." Zina said, looking at him.
"Not… particularly. You just said we should talk later." The boy admitted, though he didn't admit that he had been wanting to talk to her since they left.
"You mean you didn't want to just talk to me because of the connection we had with each other at the Diner?" She questioned with a soft purr as she leaned closer to him.
"Um… I was curious about that, yeah." The green haired boy gulped as he blushed a good bit.
"Well… It has to do with certain… traits I have." The Russian girl told him. "And my instincts are telling me you have something similar." She added.
"Yeah… I had a similar feeling too." Shiro nodded. "Like my body, my instincts, were telling—demanding that I get closer to you." He continued, his blood almost boiling as his hand shakily grabbed the girl's waist.
"Easy, now. Don't fight against it, but don't get lost in it either." Zina told him gently as she wrapped her arms around his neck, both of them looking into each other's eyes.
With instinct driving them almost completely at this point, the two leaned in and entered into a passionate kiss, Shiro pulling Zina close and Zina pulling Shiro down while their tongues battled against each other for dominance in each other's mouths.
Zina was able to win, and soon had Shiro pinned to an alleyway wall while she grinded herself against him a bit while the green haired boy grabbed her ass and gave it some light squeezes.
This caused Zina to let him pick her up and wrap her legs around his waist, both of them still moaning as they continued to make out, tongues swirling around each other and tasting the inside of the other's mouth.
After a bit, they had to pull apart for air. The two looked into each other's eyes, seeing desire being prevalent in one another's gaze. There was a modicum of self control however, which was what stopped them from going farther.
Zina cupped Shiro's cheek as he continued to hold her, seeing the hearts in his pupils—but noticed that they were pink rather than the usual white she usually saw in men she used her traits on.
'Pink hearts, does that mean?!' She gasped mentally as she realized what this could imply… and could feel her own heart racing as she looked into Shiro's purple orbs, hearts also in her eyes as well.
"Zina…" The green haired Japanese boy panted, eyes half lidded with desire.
"Shiro…" The Russian Ravenette sighed in an equally desire filled tone, eyes also full of want.
"I love you!" The two said in unison as they started making out again.
It seemed that a potential relationship was starting to form… And it looked like a guaranteed one.
(Elsewhere)
But as the two wild youths began to unleash their built up feelings for each other in one go, a familiar Bluenette and Brunette pressed their backs to a nearby wall, heart's racing at what they just saw—albeit briefly.
"D-Did we just see…?!" Runo gasped as she held a hand to her racing heart.
"I-I think we did!" Dan gulped, trying to force down his blush. Deciding it was best to leave the two be, the two friends walked away and proceeded to try and push what had just happened out of their minds.
And it worked, a bit. But it did plant the seeds of something in the heads of the two best friends that brought something that they hadn't talked about since junior high.
"Hey, Runo." Dan said as they continued to walk down the street together. "You remember when I asked you out to the dance back in middle school?" He questioned, idly fiddling with a Serpenoid in his Baku holster.
"Yeah… Why?" The Haos girl asked as she glanced at him.
"Well, we never did anything after that. You kinda just left." He told her, his free hand ever so slightly reaching out to her. "I know it's a bit late but, you wanna fix that?" He asked. "My parents won't be home tonight, so we'll have the place to ourselves." He added.
"... I'd like that." The blue haired girl replied with a blush and a nod, deciding to take his offered hand, lacing their fingers together.
Dan couldn't help but look at her in surprise as they neared his house, surprised that she still felt anything towards him after all these years.
Nodding, the boy took both her hands in his as they reached his doorstep and leaned down while she got on her tiptoes, and kissed Runo for the first time—something he'd wanted to do for years.
It felt good to be alive at that moment.
Dragon Emperor0: Well now, not only have we seen everyone's reactions to the Janjira disaster, met a few new characters and seen firsthand the kind of dark path Katie is going down—we also just saw the Kaijugan Battle Brawlers finally unite as a singular group as allies of the Battle Brawlers and on top of that, we just saw two of our story's future couples become official. Not bad for a fourth chapter.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, and Katie (kinda) took out the first of her targets… and failed a little. Yes, people, Gamera is in the story after some mid-writing debating and will be Rikimaru's partner. It's a bit of a Death Battle callback, but hey, that turtle can take a beating.
Dragon Emperor0: Personally, I don't see the issue with it. I mean, if the three schmucks Shunji, Akira and Nene (please don't hate me, I love this cute little pink shortie) can get their own Kaiju, why can't a one off minor antagonist like Rikimaru?
ThermalsniperN7: Exactly. It'll give Riki more purpose and a fair shot. And speaking of Nene, did she read some Harry Potter books? I wasn't expecting her to call Katie a Slytherin House member.
Dragon Emperor0: Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me. On that note though, if you guys are seeing any parallels between Shiro/Zina and Spider-Man (Peter Parker)/Silk (Cindy Moon) with their 'instinctual magnetism' towards each other, that's intentional. Since we've decided to pair Shiro with just Zina, we decided that we wanted to really lean into the idea of them being 'soulmates' due to their specific Kaiju genetic traits.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah. That basically makes them gravitate towards each other like magnets. They'll be liable to be pretty frisky and prone to constant instances of PDA (Public Displays of Affection) because of this.
Dragon Emperor0: Making them perfect foils for the first Brawlers couple, Dan and Runo. Which, YES! Finally! I am so glad we didn't hold off on that. Anyway, lastly, it seems that Kita and Sekiro hit it off really well, as did Mina and Laurence. Also keep an eye on all the characters affiliated with Monarch in this story—they'll be important later. And as for the Janjira disaster: keep an eye out for a team of characters who will face off against Katie and Masquerade in the Tag Team Tournament. Because this pair of characters and their subsequent character arcs will be a direct result of the fall out of this tragedy.
ThermalsniperN7: I think they'll know who. Anyway, see you guys next time.