Man, am I late. I'm not happy. I was dragged into some unforeseen issues and lost precious time for writing this, with another story needing my attention after…I was forced to cut it short. It's not ideal, but it's the best I can do. But with how tight my timetable has to be and life is filled with unexpected stuff, I'm moving this to a bi-weekly upload.

Chapter 6: Welcome to the Resistance

Lelouch could admit that his escape could have been much quieter, leaving less of a trace of who he was and what he was after. Some of that was just mistakes, as while he did make an effort to work out, he wasn't in the best shape, nor was he some sort of assassin who could sneak past any security.

But it wasn't just that; he wanted to be seen. His little meeting with that large fellow, Volt if he remembered it right, had been unplanned but a welcomed change. Meeting one of the Vexos, the primary opponents he'll face in his quest to liberate the Bakugan, went as well as he could have hoped as he no doubt left him feeling the same things Britannia did to his debut.

Plus, with the crowd focused on the front of the building, it was child's play to make it to his bike, which he hid in an alley and raced off. He seemed like he wasn't being chased, but Lelouch was nothing if, as Milly described, 'A paranoid worry-wort.' His eyes and ears made sure to stay alert, and that was how he noticed he had a tail, though one that didn't dress like the police or any of the known members of the Vexos.

He debated whether he should try to lose them, with Sirenoid stating he should as he couldn't possibly know what his Vestal tail wanted. Juggernoid was the more optimistic of the trio and somehow managed to convince them to give them a chance. Of course, Lelouch still gave them the runaround until they ended by the docks, far from most and their prying eyes.

"You're persistent, I'll admit that much, at least," Zero called out as he leaned on his parked cycle, the sun already starting to set. "So why don't you stop playing games and come out."

There was silence as if he had been talking to himself. There was only the sound of the gentle waves splashing against the pier, the rays of the setting sun casting long shadows, his own stretching so far as to blend with another of a warehouse.

"I wasn't trying to hide; I just wanted to wait until you wanted to talk." He finally got a response as someone walked out. "I heard that you're not the chattiest person." They were young, younger than he had expected.

'She can't be any older than Kallen and I.' He mused as his eyes took in everything about her, not that she could confirm, such as his mask having the same design as his old one, just with a different color scheme to match his chosen attribute. She possessed short orange hair, sapphire blue eyes, and a…sizable bust. Again, he found himself comparing her to Kallen; he would consider them sisters because of how similar they seemed to be, even if her eye color wasn't the right shade. Kallen also wore her heart on her sleeve and could be passionate about what she cared for, violently so.

Lelouch only suspected she could have gone as long as she did without being caught sooner in her little lie at school because she was rarely there.

She certainly dressed like he imagined the redhead rebel would if she didn't need to keep up appearances. She wore a small silver jacket, white gloves, and blue earrings paired with a rouge jumpsuit, uneven-sized boots, and leggings that brought one's attention to her rather shapely legs.

"Have you, and where could you have heard that?" Zero asked, keeping his cool despite remaining alert.

"Well, when you defeat a well-known brawler and just leave, it leaves an impression, Alban." His guest replied with a bit of a smirk, though she kept her distance. Did she realize he was on guard, or was she wary of him? Perhaps both.

"I suspected that someone would see through my mask." Lelouch smiled beneath the helmet, though he didn't remove it.

"I was already looking for you. It seemed like too big a chance that City Hall would be attacked the day I arrived. But since I know who you are, do you mind losing the mask?" she asked, a hand on her hip.

"Because you already know who I am. What point is there in removing my mask?" He dodged the request. "As for how you figured it out, stranger things can happen."

"Still, I find myself at a disadvantage. You know my name, and yet, I know not yours. Might I ask who you are?" He changed the topic as she didn't seem familiar, which ruled out the admittable low chance she was a former opponent looking for a rematch. Even her eyes… just didn't match the rest; they seemed to see more than theirs; they have seen more.

She smiled. "It's Mira. Mira Femin, and I'm interested in you." Mira introduced herself while also being quite blunt.

"Oh?" If he were someone like Kallen, Suzaku, or Rivalz, perhaps he would have taken that the wrong way. But Lelouch had been friends with Milly since he was 13. If Mira was trying to throw him off, she would up her game.

Mira was a little amused at his lack of reaction. She called it childish, but she liked to test people. Baren had been incredibly polite but flustered, while Ace acted out, also flustered. But Alban, even with the mask, she could tell that he was completely unaffected by her wordplay.

Good. She needed more people like that, who could keep calm and think things through. "Your skills are impressive, especially for someone who has managed such a low profile."

Zero chuckled. "Butter me up, why don't you? Let's cut to the chase; what do you want from me? I can't imagine you're a fan girl seeking an autograph, though if you are, I'll have to turn you down."

"Not even. But before I answer that question, why don't you answer one of mine?" Mira challenged him. Her smirk remained, but it seemed like Lelouch was wrong about her. "What do you think about the Bakugan?" She did have Kallen's fiery spirit; she was just a better actress. While her smirk remained, those eyes sharpened like blades, trying to pierce his mask to his very soul.

Her stance also shifted, both like how Kallen would get and also not. Kallen was a fighter and often had her purse or some other small knife on her, as she excelled in close-quarters fighting. Mira, as a Bakugan brawler, didn't take on the stances he was used to seeing, not on Earth anyway. Instead, she looked like she would battle him then and there, though how they could in the city was beyond him, so it was probably just a reflex.

Still, that being a reflex was telling in of itself.

"Well, that is a loaded question, isn't it?" Zero asked her, amused by how things were going.

"It's a fair one, isn't it?" Mira replied, her eyes losing none of that ferocity. "I saw your battle with Shalta. I'll be honest, it wasn't just your skills at brawling that got my attention."

"And what do I gain by answering your question? It's, as you say, a fair question, but right now, the two of us are strangers." Zero asked her, his lips curling into a smile as he enjoyed this little game between them. It was the first good conversation he'd had with a humanoid since Suzaku's idiotic suicide devotion nearly got them killed.

"And yet, you're an enemy of the Vexos." Mira countered.

"Enemy of my enemy, then? " he asked, and when she nodded, he sighed. "Whose to say that I'm not also your enemy? Perhaps it's true that I'm not allied with the Vexos, but why would that mean I'm inherently allied to you?"

"Because you care about the Bakugan." He paused, just for a moment, at that assertion, but Mira was just as observant as he was and picked up on it. Her smirk grew as she found her mark. "So I was right."

"Care for them? That's quite the statement to make. Aren't the Bakugan merely our pets to do battle with?" Zero tried to re-direct, seeing how she'd react, but she remained focused on him.

"Maybe others believe that…but I doubt you do," Mira said. She pulled something from her pocket, her hand held out in such a way that it couldn't possibly be a gun or blade. When she opened it, she revealed a Bakugan ball that opened up, its shape something Lelouch hadn't seen before.

"Crafty one, aren't you?" The Bakugan spoke up, Lelouch turning his attention to it in surprise. Not for the fact that the Bakugan could speak, but it would, as he's never heard any other Bakugan utter so much as a word. "No need to fret, my boy. You're among my friends here. No one's around to see a thing, so let's skip past the back and forth, shall we?"

"You're certainly…blunt." Sirenoid and Juggernoid came out, the former being the one to speak to, and the Bakugan let out a hearty little laugh.

"Rock has no need for the workarounds. If people were more honest, we'd have fewer problems."

"Agree to disagree…?" Zero paused when he realized he had no name or Bakugan type other than its apparent subterranean attribute.

"Thunder Wilda. And you must be the Sirenoid we saw." Wilda introduced himself. "And Juggernoid as well."

"This is…new," Zero uttered, as he hadn't been expecting this, not at this point, as he'd found no evidence that there were vestals who had ever heard their Bakugan speak. Everyone just referred to them like one would an animal.

"And that might not be a good thing. You followed us here and said you're interested, but for what?" Sirenoid asked, her eyes never leaving Mira. Mira could feel the gaze on her, and it seemed…intense to put it into words.

Re-directing her attention to the person, she continued. "To join me. You've been battling in non-league matches, and if you could defeat an opponent like Shalta and free her Bakugan, I'm betting you've done it before."

Having no reason to lie now, Zero nodded, and Mira continued. "But why stop there? It's great to get Bakugan out of the people's hands, but we should aim for higher targets." She held out her hand where Wilda sat, which was a mockery to him and his race. She had seen him many times in his proper form. He was a mountain, one of the toughest Bakugan out there, and if anything, he would be carrying her in his arms.

But now, he sits in her palm like a toy because he has been turned into a tiny little ball.

"We need a means to free the Bakugan and allow them to return to their true forms." Mira declared, her passion shining through and her resolve to see it through no matter the cost.

"…You make a lot of assumptions, Mira." Zero stated, but he didn't refuse or call her quest pointless or impossible. That was already a sign of partnership for her. She had approached others before discreetly and never revealed too much, and all had done one or the other. Even early on, when she would give the ghost away, no one believed her or thought her ideals were worth it.

"Am I wrong?" She challenged him, putting him on the spot to either lie or confirm him, and Zero knew it. The girl's boldness reminded him of home, as she was like Kallen, sure, but also like C.C., That woman with the experience and control to turn her passion into a finely focused beam of flames.

"No, you're quite accurate. I would say you're one of the more perceptive people I've ever met, and yes, I take that as a compliment." At least she wasn't another Tamaki. He could hardly stand the loudmouth who seemed capable of changing his stance on anything and everything in a single sentence, so long as he came out 'right.'

Setting aside his confusion about how Tamaki hadn't bit the dust before Shinjuku, he focused on the conversation. "However, here is another question. You wish to free the Bakugan, yet even winning them in battle doesn't achieve that, so how would we do so?"

Mira held up two fingers. "Two-fold. Do you know why Bakugan are left as balls outside battles?" She asked, to which he shook his head. No matter how he asked and where he looked, he couldn't find a shred of info about that, no doubt intentional. "It's the dimensional controllers. Each of our cities is equipped with them, and just those 3 can cover the entire New Vestroia."

Just 3? To cover an entire planet? He didn't know science all that well, but considering the force of gravity, New Vestroia had to be comparable to the size of Earth. To cover a planet that large with a consistent and powerful enough wave was no joke. 'Figures, like Britannia, the vestals are masters of the sciences and engineering.'

"And their effect is what left the Bakugan open to be taken? I already figured it would be something like that." Zero replied, as Wavern explanation made it clear that the vestals were the root cause of it, though he would have expected a greater network of some kind.

"You might have stolen info that gives us the edge on disabling them. We've been fighting them for a while and haven't had much luck." Mira stated it was quite the assumption to believe he hadn't just blown up the city hall for some other reason. Did she also have a reason to break in for information? Or did she understand the building layout and put two and two together?

"So you propose we work together?" Zero asked.

"There's strength in numbers. Besides, greater numbers help spread the message that we Bakugan aren't just animals for their amusement." Wilda replied for the two.

"I doubt it will mean much," Sirenoid scoffed at the notion. "Not when you've shown our kind little compassion."

"Sirenoid, you can't fault them all. Perhaps the older ones are lost causes, but can we judge children similarly?" Juggernoid spoke up as Mira looked saddened by Sirenoid's harsh but not unjustified words.

Zero, too, felt the need to be a little more polite, as even if this didn't pan out, he had enough enemies as is. "Forgive her. She's not the most forgiving or welcoming type when it comes to Vestals. It took time for her just to tolerate me."

"I understand," Mira stated but then shook her head. No, I don't. I was one of them for the longest time. I even had the means to learn more about the Bakugan, but I only used it to figure out better ways to battle and win."

"What changed then?" Zero asked, his faceless mask peering into her now, digging deep. "If you didn't care enough to look deeper, what spurned your decision to fight? Did you take a big loss? Are you perhaps trying to get revenge for a slight?"

'How fitting; he's testing me just as I was resting him,' Mira thought to herself. But if she had wanted answers from it, it was only fair she gave them as well. Looking to the side and the water's surface, Mira's eyes grew distant, sad even as she recalled those days of blissful ignorance and when it all came crashing down.

"It was an accident. My father is…an important figure and works for the government. I showed up one day and wanted to surprise him." She had managed to get in unannounced because she was willing to use her looks and her father's name to get the guards to break protocol about visitors. After all, her father was the head researcher; where was the harm?

Of that, there was plenty, but only for her. "I walked in on them experimenting on a Bakugan, it looked…sounded to be in extreme pain. That seemed cruel enough, as who would do such a thing, but then…then it spoke. It vowed to never yield to them, no matter what. I had never heard a Bakugan speak before then, and it left me to questions." Mira took a breath. The fear, confusion, and horror she felt then came back. It was a Bakugan she had never seen and one she hadn't seen since.

She would only learn later that it was one of the 6 Legendary Bakugan and had been captured by Mylene.

"I approached my father about it, asked him how he could look me in the eye and say we were colonizing an uninhabited world when the Bakugan weren't just animals." Mira looked down, crossing her arms as she was angry at how callous her father was.

"I take it he didn't give you a good answer." Zero didn't need half his perception skills to know she was angry, but he wanted her to say it.

"More like none. He avoided the topic entirely. Called me foolish and to drop it." Mira laughed, though it had little joy or amusement. Turning back to him, those feelings remained, strengthening her resolve. "But I'm not my father. I refuse to do nothing when I know the truth, so I gathered people of like minds and formed the Bakugan Brawlers Resistance."

Hearing her declaration resonated with Lelouch, as this was proof that while she reminded him of Kallen, she wasn't her; she was her own person. While he and his Q1 had all been affected by Britannia's evils, either banishment or just losing family, Mira lost nothing. In fact, she gave up her comfy life and all its privileges to fight, all because she believed in the cause.

Of that, he was sure, as those eyes, those sapphires that burned with such conviction, couldn't mean anything else.

"That's why I fight, why the Vexos are my enemy." Mira finished. Her declaration got Zero to laugh, as this was something he didn't expect in the slightest, yet it was one of those few good surprises.

Once he got his laughter under control, he replied to her words. "It's rare you met someone that would sacrifice so much for a cause that really has no bearing on their lives."

"How can evil be defeated if you don't fight it when it appears?" Mira questioned with a huff. "Believe me, I don't like the idea that I could hurt people, but if it's to give the Bakugan back what was stolen, I can accept being hated or feared."

"The ends justify the means…" Zero muttered as that seemed like a familiar sentiment before he spoke up. "You are an…interesting young lady."

"Consider yourself having recruited a new member, but I would appreciate it if you don't refer to me as Alban Ganymede." Zero offered her his hand to shake, as he would work with them, but he hoped she didn't think he'd work under her.

"You have an alter ego then?" Mira's lip curled just a little as she accepted his hand, and they shook on it.

"Zero," He replied, confusing her before he elaborated. "Call me Zero."

"That's…odd, but I can accept it so long as you're sincere in your desire to free the Bakugan." Mira had hoped he would be a tab more normal, but she wasn't going to get picky now. "We should get moving. After your little stunt, they'll be looking for you."

"Then it seems my time in Beta City has come to an end, at least for now." Zero replied as he stood up and turned to his bike, getting onto the thing and powering its engine up. Since I'm joining you guys, would you mind helping me grab my stuff before we make our escape?" She nodded as she turned and walked towards where she parked. Soon enough, she rode back to him, and he led her to where he had been staying.

"Hi, boys. I'm back." Mira greeted Baron and Ace as she rolled up to where they were waiting. Night had long since fallen, and the area wasn't the most well-lit, mainly because it was a part of town that wasn't occupied much at night.

Ace, leaning on the wall, looked up at the two. Mira wasn't surprised; she had set up their exit area before they arrived and called to confirm she would arrive on time. What was weird was who she brought with them, as they weren't looking for some clown. "So, this is the guy? What's with the get-up?"

"So cool." Baron had the opposite reaction, as Zero's costume looked like it belonged to a superhero.

"You must be Ace," Lelouch ignored Ace's response, turning to Baron instead as he stopped beside Mira and got off his bike. "And you're Baren, correct?"

"Yup! Happy to meet you." The boy, who seemed impossible, jacked for what Mira assured him was a 12-year-old, saluted him. Seriously, not even Suzaku had muscles like that, and he was a damn exercise nut.

"Are we getting onto a ship or…?" Zero asked, as they weren't at the pier but at a park outside the dome; it was night, so one could only see darkness over the water, with spots lit up by the moon and stars.

"Something like that," Mira smiled, loving this part. Baron." She turned to give the signal, and the youngest member of their group was happy to oblige.

Pulling a remote from his pocket, he pressed it. Within seconds, Zero heard something shift in the water, the calm ocean going violent as something rapidly ascending. That something broke the water's surface with a loud splash, leaving Lelouch speechless for a rare moment in his life as he took in what floated before them.

"Is that…a submarine? " he asked, as the thing looked massive, comparable to the size of the Ikaruga but so different. The vehicle was so…blocky but seemed paradoxically sleek.

"Something like that, come on, we should get going before someone notices," Mira told him as she walked and wheeled her bike towards it as its boarding plank came down. Ace saw her smile at having caught their newbie by surprise. The others seemed to follow her, acting like this was nothing to him, though maybe it was nothing. Vestals could travel through space and bring entire cities with them. What was a submarine to that?

"Weird, isn't it? You went from one resistance to another." Juggernoid mused.

"As long as they're competent, I can tolerate these Vestals." Sirenoid reminded them, as she wasn't a big fan of them, but she would be lying if she claimed that Mira's arguments didn't hold water.

Lelouch would agree with both of them as he shook his head. This was why he was here, wasn't it? At least this time, he didn't need to start the rebellion but instead aid it. "Well, it's a step in the right direction."

It almost hurts to put out a chapter this short, but moving to a bi-weekly upload schedule should help with the problem.

The next chapter will be out on February 20th

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