NOTE: Welcome to a whole new arc! We're getting closer and closer to the finale!
I'm very much looking forward to writing the meeting between Hydranoid and Leonidas. Two battle hungry meatheads clashing should be pretty damn hilarious.
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 25: Learning Lessons
I know this is gonna sound weird.
But one day, my whole world changed…
A young man dressed in a short red jacket with a yellow shirt underneath, and red pants, stared up into the sky.
All around him were black cards that were falling from the sky. He opened up his hands, allowing a card to land in his palm.
You see cards started dropping from the sky. Coming down like rain.
At first, we didn't know where they were all coming from or who sent them.
But all we knew is that they were more than just ordinary playing cards.
A young girl with milky white skin and blue hair, tied into pigtails, stared out of her window, as the same black cards were dropping from the sky. She opened up her window, allowing one of them to land inside of her room.
And it was happening all around the world!
A young man with long black hair sat on a grassy hill. He watched as one of the cards landed right next to him.
In the North.
A girl with light brown hair stood in the snow, staring perplexed at the black card.
The South.
A small boy with blond hair and red glasses, wearing blue swim trunks, kneeled down on the sand. He stared down at the crab that held the same black card.
They landed everywhere!
Waking up from her slumber was a young girl with tanned skin and long gray hair. She rubbed her eyes, finding a black card laying on her pillow.
Together with my new online friends from around the world, we invented a wicked new game we called: Bakugan!
That's when the power of the cards was revealed! Each one held its own battling beast that came to life when you threw it down.
Two small kids were seen standing in a blank void. The cards in their hands opened up, revealing Bakugan. The creatures came to life and began to battle each other.
The battles were intense! And if you chose the wrong card, you lost it and the beast inside!
But that's only half the story…
Another even bigger battle was taking place in a parallel universe called: Vestroia!
The young man from the start was shown, standing behind him was a giant red dragon named Drago.
My name is Dan! And together with my friends:
Runo!
The girl with blue twin tails was shown, a giant black and white tiger named Tigrerra stood behind her. She dropped down next to Dan.
Marucho!
The little boy stood on the other side of Dan. Behind him was a large blue amphibian Bakugan named Preyas was right behind him.
Julie!
The girl with tanned skin and gray hair was next. She dropped down next to Marucho. Behind her was a brown titan of a Bakugan named Gorem.
Mr. Hotshot himself - Shun!
Shun dropped down next to Runo. His long black ponytail blew with the wind as he gave off a lone wolf air around him. Behind him was a large green bird-like Bakugan named Skyress.
And Alice!
The last member was a girl with light brown hair. She dropped down next to Shun, but unlike everyone else she didn't have a Bakugan behind her.
We are…
THE BAKUGAN BATTLE BRAWLERS!
….
….
However, this story isn't about us.
Standing across from the Battle Brawlers was a young man with tanned skin and black spiky hair. He wore a white hoodie with white and yellow pants. His light blue eyes stared at each one of the Brawlers with anticipated excitement.
Behind this boy was a large white and yellow dragon. His long white horn glistened from the light; his yellow beastly orbs were hungry for battle. The dragon's claws were dangerously sharp as if ready to tear something apart.
The boy lifted up a black card and the Brawlers responded the same. There was still quiet between them all, before the boy opened his mouth.
"BAKUGAN, BRAWL!"
"YUJI! TAKE ME WITH YOU!"
"GET OFF ME ALREADY!"
Yuji struggled to get through the front door as his little sister clung onto him like an anchor. The blue haired child was dressed like a prisoner with tears streaming down her face. She was refusing to let go of her big brother like a snake grabbing its prey. "PLEASE! YOU CAN'T LET THEM KEEP DOING THIS TO ME!"
"It's just a week, Serena!" Thankfully, their mother, Serenity, pulled Serena off of Yuji. "You're still lucky that your Father and I decided on just a week for your punishment instead of the entire summer!"
It had been a few days after the Battle Royale Tournament and their climatic battle with Marduk. Since the finals had never reached an official conclusion, because of Marduk's intervention and Runo's situation, the tournament's champion was never decided. Alice explained that it was likely the tournaments would continue as normal, but the Battle Royale would be discounted from the records.
That was a bit of a bummer, but after everything that happened nobody really felt it necessary to disagree. As the days trickled by, things were thankfully going back to normal…but not for everyone.
Serena, Akira, and Nene had been punished by their parents for their kidnapping adventures during the tournament. As a result, Serena was not only grounded by their parents for a week but also lost her privileges of participating in the rest of the tournaments. Yuji didn't know how the other two were punished, but he had a feeling it was something similar.
"Not fair! It's not fair!" Serena continued to whine.
"Sorry, sweetie, but maybe next time you'll think twice before doing something illegal." Serenity said. When her daughter kept crying loudly, the woman's face shifted into a demonic smile. "We're very lucky nobody pressed charges or else your punishment would be worse." The matriarch's tone made the girl stop her whining, instead shivering in fear.
Leonidas popped up on Yuji's shoulder. "I still do not understand this 'grounding'. Serena has not been shoved into the ground."
"It just means she's not allowed to leave the house until the punishment is over, Leonidas." Serenity explained.
"Why not use violence?"
"Because child services would be knocking at our door."
"I did not know children ran services. Perhaps they would be perfect for helping Yuji tell better jokes."
"Why did this suddenly turn into a slight against me?!" Yuji whined to his partner.
Serenity shook her head with a smile. "Regardless, it's about time you two got out of the house. Have some fun with your friends, okay?"
"We will, Mom." Yuji waved as he hurried out of the house.
"Be careful!"
"TAKE ME WITH YOU!"
"Quiet! We don't need the neighbors thinking we're torturing you!" Serenity shut the door as she hissed at her daughter.
Yuji looks back at his house nervously. "For Serena's sake, I hope she gets over it before Mom loses her patience even more. The last time Mom got annoyed was…terrifying." He shivered slightly.
Leonidas looks at his partner. "What do you have planned today, Yuji? Are we going to see Alice?"
"...I don't know." Yuji muttered. To be honest, he didn't know if he should go see her. After the battle with Marduk, they hadn't spoken much to each other the past few days. Alice had a lot of her time focused on helping Runo recover and managing the shop. The last thing she needed was him barging in to talk about that kiss…
"Kiss…" Yuji could still feel the passion behind her lips. They still had so much to talk about regarding that and where they stood now. Were they still just friends or something more…?
Shaking his head, Yuji needed to push those thoughts to the side. "I don't think we should bother Alice right now. She's still helping Runo and stuff. Right now, I think it's best that we focus on getting stronger."
"A battle? Now that's something worth doing!" Leonidas exclaimed.
"Yeah! After our battle with Marduk and Vladitor, I realized that we're still lacking in terms of power and skill. If we want to be ready for the next time they show up, we're going to need to get strong enough to not rely on a last second miracle!" Yuji explained.
"And just like before, we'll crush them into the ground!"
Yuji smiled at his best friend. "I'm glad that you're still acting like yourself, Leonidas."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, you know…after everything Vladitor said…"
"As I said before, Yuji, our familial relations matter little to me. Vladitor is a steppingstone in our path of becoming the strongest, therefore he must fall like the rest." Leonidas explained.
"I don't know, buddy, I can't imagine thinking about Serena in the same way. Even though Vladitor is our enemy, he's still your brother. Family is just as important as battling, Leonidas." Yuji said, softly.
"Family, huh…?" Leonidas mulled over his words.
Yuji could see the thoughts moving around in Leonidas' head and how much they were confusing him. He rubs the back of his head with a small blush. "W-well, I don't think you have to give it much thought right now. I just wanted you to understand that it's more important than you might think. But for now, let's head to the park and see if there's anyone to battle with!"
Disregarding the troubling thoughts for now, Leonidas nodded his head. "Yes! Let us bathe in the blood of our foes!"
"...You really need to stop watching those violent movies with Dad and Serena…"
"Darling! Oh, darling! You do love me!"
"Of course, I love you! We're the perfect match, after all!"
Runo stared flatly at her television, wrapped up in blankets. However, she wasn't alone since both Alice and Julie joined her on her bed with a big bucket of popcorn shared between the three of them. Tigrerra and Gorem were resting next to the bowl but if they were even paying attention to the film was unclear.
Julie and Alice were sniffling, crying as they watched the romantic scene of the climax. The two shared a box of tissue between each other. Runo groaned slightly. "Can we watch…anything else?"
"What are you talking about, Runo?! Are you saying such romantic visual passion doesn't draw anything from you?!" Julie cried.
"It didn't three films ago and it still doesn't." Runo replied, dryly. "If you two are going to waste your days checking on me, then can we at least make it entertaining?"
Alice dried her tears, frowning at Runo. "We're not wasting anything, Runo."
The Haos Brawler tightened the blankets around her. "You are…with a terrible friend like me."
"You're not a terrible-"
"I AM, ALICE!" Runo yelled, startling everyone in the room. Bakugan and humans were still as the room settled. "Y-you don't have to try and pretend that nothing happened! Coming over here every day to try and…and wipe away everything I did! How I almost broke us apart."
"My lady…" Tigrerra muttered.
"Runo-"
"She's right, Alice." Julie stopped the non-Brawler from continuing. "Doing all of this isn't going to help or undo what happened." Alice looked down at her lap, clenching her hands on her thighs. "Not only did she attack you and Yuji, but she pressured the rest of us into following her misguided leads by guilt tripping, and betrayed everything the Battle Brawlers stood for by using the Doom Card."
Runo's eyes watered as Julie recounted her sins.
"By all accounts, we should kick her out of the group."
"Julie!" Gorem exclaimed, sternly. He knew everything she said was true but the words she was saying weren't going to help.
Julie ignored her guardian Bakugan. "If it wasn't for Yuji and Leonidas, then the Battle Brawlers would have fallen to ruin."
The twin-tailed teen curled into a ball, crying softly to herself. Everything was her fault, allowing her dislike towards Yuji and Leonidas to blind her to the truth. Grief, anger, jealousy, and envy had swallowed her heart, transforming it into a pitch-black hole. A single ray of light managed to penetrate that black hole and freed her from such darkness. But the damage from that darkness wasn't so easily removed.
"And that's why we have to try." Julie's words surprised the others in the room. The Subterra user gently raised Runo's head up to look at her. Smiling down at her friend, Julie wiped away Runo's tears with a tissue. "A lot of bad things happened, and you hurt all of us, but that doesn't make you irredeemable."
"Julie's right, Runo." Alice wraps her arms around the broken girl. "Making mistakes, big or small, is a part of being human. All we can do afterwards is work to fix them."
"Together." Tigrerra added.
"All of us." Gorem said.
Runo sniffled, trying to regain her composure. She didn't know what she had done to deserve friends as good as these, but she was thankful that they still loved her. Runo didn't want to lose them, these bonds she held with everyone. They were damaged badly, but that didn't mean they couldn't be fixed.
Speaking of…
"Dan still doesn't know, does he?" Alice inquired, already knowing the answer. Runo shook her head to answer. "I see." When the tournament was over, Alice had requested Marucho to delete all recordings of the battle from the internet. The last thing they needed was for Dan to learn of what happened through some internet recording and drama. It's not that they didn't want him to know, but it was better for all of that to be explained by the one responsible.
"You have to tell him at some point, Runo. You can't expect him to go completely ignorant about what went down while he was asleep." Alice said.
"I-I know…! I know…! But…" Runo grew quiet. Everything she had done was meant to be for him, but those actions almost ended in a disaster. For Dan to learn of everything that happened, Runo was afraid of his reaction.
She was afraid that he'd hate her.
"Working with Masquerade?! Using the Doom Card?! Attacking our friends?! What kind of person does that, Runo, huh?! I don't want anything to do with you EVER again!" Words like these have plagued her dreams for the last few nights, making it very difficult to get sleep.
Julie huffed. "You can't keep running away from this forever, girl! If you don't woman up and explain things to him soon, then I'll do it!"
"Julie!"
"No, Alice! Runo knows I'm right!"
"...Yes…" Runo muttered. "I-I'll tell Dan about what happened. I won't omit anything either. I-I have to take responsibility."
"We can be there for you if you want." Alice offered.
Runo shook her head. "No, Alice. I have to do this myself."
"Well, perhaps you can wait just a bit." Gorem interjected.
"What are you talking about, Gorem?" Julie narrowed her eyes, making him flinch.
"I-I'm talking about Dan's priorities right now! You all remember how he was after he got that call from Shun!" Gorem answered, quickly.
That was true, none of them could deny. Dan was in a very sour mood after Shun finally decided to talk to any of them. It didn't help that he mysteriously went off the grid as soon as the tournament started and was gone for one of the most stressful moments their group has been through. Sure, there were times Shun would go off on his own, but this was far longer than normal.
"Hopefully, Dan doesn't do anything reckless." Alice was met with several dead stares. A strong sigh left her lips. "...Yeah, I know."
"But, pushing aside all these negative feelings, let's talk about something positive!" Julie tried to up the mood.
"Like, what?" Tigrerra asked.
"Alice and Yuji kissing!"
"EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Alice's face exploded in red. "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!"
"You weren't the only one who asked Marucho to look at the security cameras~!"
When this hangout was over Alice was going to march over to Marucho's home to have him delete that footage IMMEDIATELY.
"And there's nobody here." Yuji sighed as he looked around the park. Usually there would be some kids or teens around that would be interested in a battle, but the place was pretty much empty. "Maybe we shouldn't have come so late in the day?" If a battle wasn't possible, then maybe he should see if Dan or Alice were free today…wow…he really doesn't have a lot of friends, does he?
"Yuji! I see someone!" Leonidas yelled from his shoulder.
"Where?"
"Right there!" The Haos Bakugan zoomed through the air towards the fountain. Leonidas swerved around it to find what caught his eye.
THUMP!
"Ha! Got you!"
"OW! You stupid little bug!"
Yuji quirked a brow. "Wait a minute…! I recognize that voice!" He rushed over to the other side of the fountain to see who his Bakugan had hit. The dragon owner's eyes widened at the familiar brawler. "Shuji?!"
The older brother of Nene and Akira was rubbing the small red spot on his forehead. He growled annoyingly at the sight of Yuji. "Oh, great! Of course, I had to run into you and your stupid dragon today!"
"Nice seeing you too?" Yuji said, awkwardly. He's being honest when he says that he hadn't thought much about the aggressive bully. Unlike Nene and Akira, he hadn't seen the bully around all that much recently. The last time he had seen Shuji was at the Battle Royale Tournament, but his performance there wasn't anything to write home about. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"What? A guy can't enjoy a nice relaxing day at the park?" Shuji growled.
"I never said that. It's just that neither Akira or Nene talk about you much." Yuji responded. He regretted mentioning them when the bully's face twisted with anger.
"Who cares about what those brats have to say?! I'm just glad to see them get punished for what they did to me!" Shuji snarled, pointing at the pink childish hat that covered his head.
"Oh yeah. Serena did mention something about shaving Shuji's head." He was honestly curious about the kind of haircut he currently had but figured that would just piss the bully off more.
"Why did you choose such an ugly hat?" Leonidas asked.
"I-it belongs to Nene, okay?!"
"Her head is much smaller than yours!"
"Are you saying that I have a big head?!"
"You're fat, yes!"
"Leonidas!" Yuji warns his partner. "You can't say stuff like that!"
"I can't? But Serena and Nene insult people all the time."
"Okay, I'm starting to feel like they are both terrible influences on you."
As Yuji proceeded to explain the importance of showing respect to others, Shuji could feel his own anger boiling over. Ever since this kid came to Wardington his reputation had utterly fallen to the gutter, his skills were disregarded, and his own little siblings had lost all respect for him. It was like the universe itself was kicking him repeatedly without even a shred of mercy! "Dammit…! Dammit!"
"Huh?" Yuji and Leonidas turn to the sizzling bully.
"It's all your fault, kid! You're the reason that my life has hit the gutter!" Shuji declared, accusingly.
"W-what are you talking about?!" Yuji flinched back.
Shuji reached behind him to pull out a Gate Card. "We're settling this score, right now! I'm going to pay you back for everything!"
Yuji had to resist the urge to sigh, now finding himself in another situation against someone blaming him for things going wrong. However, unlike what happened to Runo, the situation doesn't seem as destructive. Still, the Haos user couldn't help but feel bad for the bully's situation. Ever since he met the guy nobody really respected him aside from Akira and even the latter ended up leaving his side.
He was almost too late when it came to helping Runo and the Battle Brawlers, and even still he feels like that situation could have been handled far better. Seeing Shuji's state reminded him of Runo's darkness and even if Shuji wasn't the best to him, he would feel wrong leaving him like this.
He had to help him.
Yuji took out his own Gate Card. "Fine, then! We were looking for a battle anyway, right, Leonidas?"
"You better make this fun!" Leonidas shouted.
"Tch! You'll regret challenging me!" Shuji hissed.
"FIELD OPEN!"
"GATE CARD, SET!"
After the black cards enlarge themselves between the battlers, Shuji thrusts his thumb towards himself. "I'm going first, noob!"
"Fine by me. But, Shuji, I just want to tell you something." Yuji tries to reach out to him.
"And what's that? Going to mock me or something?" Shuji accused.
"What? No! I just want to say…let's have fun, okay? The best thing about brawling is the fun we have during it!" Yuji declared, passionately.
Shuji paused momentarily as his words sunk in. "Fun, huh…?" He used to have so much fun battling, crushing the losers beneath his feet as he proved his skill superior. But then…
I won… I WON! I won my first Bakugan Battle!
T-this isn't finished, kid! I'll get you back for this in the tournament!
And then…
Find someone else to team up with! I don't wanna work with someone who can't listen to strategy and blames others for his screw ups!
How was he supposed to have fun when people kept getting in his way?! It wasn't his fault that his skills weren't up to par or that his siblings looked down on him! Everything was this upstart's fault! "Shut up with your preaching! I'm going to teach you a lesson! Bakugan, brawl!" A green Bakugan descended onto Yuji's Gate Card. "Bakugan, stand!"
Ventus Falconeer: 250 Gs!
"250 Gs? Pretty strong for a Falconeer!" Yuji compliments as he stares up at the falcon-like creature. "But I can match that pretty easily! Bakugan, brawl!" He sends out his own Bakugan to meet Shuji's head-on. "Bakugan, stand!"
Haos Monarus: 240 Gs!
"Nice job matching me, loser! Now watch this! Ability, activate! Jump Over!" Shuji activated one of his ability cards. A pulse resounded through the field, draining the life out of Yuji's Gate Card. Falconeer flaps his wings to push himself away over to Shuji's Gate Card, leaving Monarus alone.
"Hey! What did you do?!" Leonidas demanded.
"Jump Over allows Falconeer to travel to another Gate Card while nullifying or preventing the opening of the card he was previously on!" Shuji explained. He was hoping to see a look of shock on Yuji's face, but instead the Haos Brawler looked pleased.
"Woah! I haven't seen that card yet! Pretty cool, Shuji!" Yuji applauded.
"Tch! Let's see if you're still smiling after I kick that pretty little butterfly's butt!" Shuji pulls out his next Bakugan. "Bakugan, brawl!" It sails through the air, rolling to a stop in front of Monarus. "Bakugan, stand!"
Ventus Siege: 260 Gs!
The green knight-like Bakugan twirled his lance before swinging it at Monarus, who flapped her wings to maneuver out of the way.
"And a Siege that's stronger than his Falconeer!" Yuji was a bit surprised. "Alright, then I'll just have to amp it up! Ability, activate! Savage Air!" The card in his hand shines brightly like a brilliant star.
Shuji noticed that Monarus' power didn't increase. "And what does that do?!"
"It allows me to bring in another Bakugan to assist Monarus, and I don't think you have to wonder who that'll be!" Yuji explained with a proud smirk. His partner was vibrating with excitement before lunging into the battle like a missile.
The bully covered his face to prevent himself from being blinded by Leonidas' radiant eruption, followed by the dragon's ferocious roar of strength.
Haos Leonidas: 530 Gs!
"5-530 Gs?!" Shuji cried, terrified by the massive difference in power.
"Not only that, but Savage Air also combines the G-Power of my two Bakugan!"
Haos Leonidas & Monarus: 770 Gs!
"RAAAH!" Leonidas and Monarus dashed towards the lone Siege. Monarus swiped through the Ventus' defenses with a speedy tackle, leaving Siege open for Leonidas to lay a brutal beatdown. One last punch sent Siege flying off the Gate Card and returning to ball form down at Shuji's feet.
Yuji caught both of his Bakugan in his hand. "And that's the first battle!"
"Not even a warmup!" Leonidas scoffed.
Across from them, the bully's knees were buckling slightly at how easily his Siege was outclassed. He had a feeling that even if Yuji hadn't brought in Leonidas, the two-time champion still would have found a way to win that battle. His fists clenched at the despairing thoughts. "I-I can't let this loser beat me again!" He still had his Falconeer on his Gate Card, so the situation could still be in his favor.
Since it was his turn, Yuji pulled out a card. "Gate Card, set!" He tossed out another Gate Card to take the space next to Shuji's. Then he fired off a Bakugan to contend against Shuji's Falconeer. "Bakugan, stand!"
Haos Terrorclaw: 300 Gs!
The crab-like Bakugan snapped its claws at the avian-like Bakugan threateningly, receiving a fierce screech in return.
"300 Gs…!" Shuji bit his bottom lip. The power difference wasn't too high that his Falconeer couldn't close the distance. "You're going to need more power than that to put me out of this fight! Gate Card, open!"
SHINE!
The card opened to reveal itself as Falconeer's Character Card, filling the avian-like Bakugan with a surge of power.
Ventus Falconeer: 250 Gs to 450 Gs!
Falconeer released an ear-piercing screech, lunging for the crab with a swipe of his claws. Terrorclaw buckled under the strikes of its opponent as it tried to stand strong in this epic clash.
"That's right! This time I'm gonna-"
"Ability, activate! Copycat!" Yuji activates his second ability.
"Copycat?!"
"That's right! Copycat allows my Bakugan to gain the exact same G-Power boost as my opponent's Bakugan for the duration of this battle!" Yuji explained the card's ability.
Terrorclaw's body glowed brightly as the power of the Ability Card increased its strength to its maximum.
Haos Terrorclaw: 300 Gs to 500 Gs!
As Falconeer swooped in for another strike, Terrorclaw managed to nab him between his claws. The crab-like Bakugan increased its grip by the second to keep Falconeer trapped. The avian screamed painfully before returning back to ball form.
Yuji caught his Bakugan in his hand. A feeling of pride swelled in his chest at his smooth plays today. He could remember a time when he would second guess every single play he'd make during a brawl, but now things were different. All of his previous battles and tribulations strengthened him to trust his own judgment.
He needed to be strong, even stronger than now, especially for when the time came to battle Marduk again.
On the other end, for Shuji, despair was all he could feel at the moment. It was like nothing had changed for him at all since the beginning of the summer. He challenged the newbie to a brawl, confident that his experience would carry him, and yet he finds himself on the backfoot again. He couldn't even take down a single one of his Yuji's Bakugan, and that dragon of his was far stronger than anything he had in his own arsenal.
Shuji fell to his knees, his hands slamming on the white ground of the pocket space. His actions caught the attention of Yuji and Leonidas. "W-why…?! Why can't I just win for once?! If I had beaten you that day, then none of this would be happening! If I hadn't lost to you, then Akira and Nene would still have respect for me!" Tears were starting to leak from his eyes. "IT'S ALL YOUR-"
"WILL YOU STOP BLAMING ME?!" Yuji's shout interrupted Shuji's rant. The bully flinched back from his opponent's intense glare. "Are you going to keep standing there blaming other people for your own mistakes?! Not once since the day we met have I actually done anything to slight you! Beaten you in a brawl? Sure! But that's a part of the game, every game! Get over the fact that you lost, Shuji!"
Anger blossomed in the heart of the bully, and he stomped back to his feet. "And what would you know, huh?! All you've done is find some extremely rare Bakugan, win tournaments, defeat the most high-ranked brawlers, and earn admiration! What would you know what it's like to be a failure?!"
"I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!" Once again, the bully was silenced by the raw emotion. "Even before coming to Wardington, my life wasn't anything to write home about! I didn't have a lot of friends or things to be proud of! I've gone through so much since taking up Bakugan that I sometimes can't even recognize myself in the mirror! When I was at my lowest, I felt that no matter what I'd do there would be no way out of that awful pit of despair!"
During those difficult times of trying to bond with Leonidas.
Back when he almost gave up on Leonidas.
Then during the battle that almost ended with him losing Leonidas forever.
"But even when I lost or felt lost, I found the strength to get right back up and keep fighting! Because the feeling of being stuck in that pitch black hole of darkness was far worse than losing!" Yuji declared, his voice slamming into the bully's heart.
Leonidas stared at his partner, connecting with the emotions pouring from his heart. He felt exactly the same as Yuji. The defeat and pain they've gone through has shaped him into the warrior he is today.
That pitch black hole? Shuji knew it just as well. He's been staring at it every single night in his dreams. The pain in his heart felt like it was being soothed by the emotions of Yuji.
"Shuji!" The call of his name grabbed him once more. "You can either sit there and keep drowning in that abyss or you can face your problems just like the rest of us!"
"I-I…how can I possibly do that?"
"You can start by finishing this battle." Yuji answered. "All of our problems, everything that tries to swallow our spirits, can be solved through battle. Win or lose."
…
…
…
A light.
One bright light stood across from him. Before all he could feel from that light was fear, a warning of what was to come. But now? All Shuji felt was a welcoming hand that was waiting for him to take it.
With a shaky breath, Shuji steeled his own resolve. He couldn't believe that he was allowing this pipsqueak to give him a pep talk or that it was actually working. To think he'd actually be thankful for Yuji agreeing to battle him. Pulling out his last Bakugan, Shuji allowed himself to smile. "Fine then, kid! Let's see whose skills are really top notch!"
"Heh! Okay! We got this, right, Leonidas?!" Yuji reached out for his partner. The dragon dropped onto his hand, curling into a ball.
"Let's end this battle!" Leonidas shouted.
"Ready, Shuji?!"
"Bring it!"
"BAKUGAN, BRAWL!"
Like a flash, time resumed on Earth now that the battle was over. Shuji plopped down on the park bench with Yuji sitting right next to him. The bully's eyes were turned to the sky, watching the birds chirp on by to whereabouts unknown.
He had lost to Yuji once again. Nothing he did stood a chance against the might of that dragon, just like all the other times. However, unlike then, Shuji couldn't find it in him to get angry about it. He gave the battle everything he had, and it just wasn't enough to close the gap between them.
"You're something else…you know that, kid?" Shuji sighed. "I don't think I'll ever be able to beat you."
"I wouldn't say that. Nobody stays undefeated, no matter how strong they are." He drifted back to his battle with Dan and Drago. "There's always someone stronger. But that doesn't mean we can't grow stronger too."
"I can grow too?"
"Yup. Growing just means taking the right steps. Like you did with our battle just now."
Shuji looked at the kid he has ridiculed since the start of the summer. "And how do I know which step is right?"
"You won't." Yuji shrugged. "We all make mistakes, big or small, but as long as we work to fix those mistakes, then the problems don't seem so bad anymore."
The bully's thoughts drifted to his little siblings, especially Akira. His actions and toxic behavior towards his little brother had driven a wedge between them. Looking back, Shuji could see where he had gone wrong and why Akira distanced himself from him. It was all his own fault that things had gone sour. Shuji lowered his head. "I'm so not used to this. Being helped by others."
"Nothing wrong with accepting help. I've been getting help from people since the beginning. I wouldn't be the person I am now without them." Yuji said as his thoughts drifted to Alice, Dan, his family, and Leonidas. "If you ever need any help from me, don't be afraid to ask."
Shuji quickly looked away from the champion with a blush. "D-don't get it twisted, kid! We're not friends…but we're not enemies either."
"Rivals?"
"...That works." Shuji muttered. He stood up from the bench and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Next time we battle, it'll be during the tournament! And I'll be much stronger too!"
"I'm looking forward to it." Yuji smiled as he watched his new rival walk away. Sitting alone in the park allows the Shujin to reflect on the day's events. "Well, I guess today wasn't so bad."
"Yuji."
"Yeah, Leo?" He looks at his partner.
"Do you think my creation was a mistake?" Leonidas' question caught him off guard.
"What?" Yuji asked, surprised.
"You said that mistakes are something we fix. I was born from the Doom Dimension, so does that make me a mistake amongst Bakugan?"
Yuji lightly touches Leo's head. "No way, buddy. If you weren't born, then we never would have met. Our dreams wouldn't exist if you didn't, so I don't think that's a mistake."
Leonidas' face brightened at his best friend's word. "Then that settles it…"
"Settles what?"
"You had said earlier that family is just as important as battling. I can't help but agree with those words, Yuji. You, Serena, your parents, Alice, and even Dan and Drago are important parts of me. You all are my family." Leonidas proudly declared.
Tears pricked at the corners of Yuji's eyes after hearing those powerful words. He held his partner close with a gentle look. "You're my family too, Leonidas."
Inside Marucho's expensive tower, Dan and the heir to the riches were waiting for their friend to arrive. Dan impatiently tapped his fingers against the table, annoying his three companions.
"You can stop, Dan." Drago requested.
"Stop, what?"
"Tapping."
"I'm not tapping."
"You are."
"Nope."
"You just stopped."
"I haven't been tapping, Drago."
Preyas chuckled. "And they say I'm annoying."
"You are." Dan and Drago stopped their argument to correct the Aquos Bakugan.
Marucho looked down at his watch, noting how close the time was. "Shun should be here by now. I'm not sure what's been taking him so long."
"He probably wants to make some stupid dramatic entrance." Dan scoffed.
"Why would I waste time doing that?"
The humans and Bakugan jumped out of their seats, startled by the newest voice in the room. Their heads turned to the ceiling to see a figure standing on the expensive chandelier. He wears a blue shirt, covered with a thin purple shirt with a triangular-backed ending. He had black pants with a brown zipper-like design around them. His black hair consists of two layers. The first layer of hair is on the front of his forehead, and his second layer is straight hair tied up with a ponytail. His light brown eyes are in an upset mood.
"SHUN!" They all shouted.
The Ventus Brawler of the Battle Brawlers flipped off the chandelier without making a sound. His ninja-like acrobatics allowed him to land on the floor as if he were a droplet of water landing in the lake. "Dan, Marucho, Drago, and Preyas. I'm glad you're all here."
A green Bakugan moved from his shoulder to greet them. It opened up to reveal its appearance as a phoenix-like Bakugan, this was Skyress, Shun's guardian Bakugan. "Drago, Preyas. It's good to see you."
"Skyress..." Drago muttered.
Without missing a beat, the Pyrus Brawler marched up to Shun and grabbed his collar. "Listen here, Shun! You don't get to act like nothing's happened! Where the hell have you been?!"
Shun forcibly shoved Dan off as if he were a child, far too used to his friend's abrasive mannerisms. "If you'll calm down, I will explain all of that."
"Okay, Shun, we're all ears." Marucho said. Dan grumbled lightly and stepped back, but his glare remained fixated on Shun.
"I understand you guys are upset that I've been missing and I'm sorry that I didn't remain in contact." The sincerity in his voice lessened Dan's glare.
"We're not the ones you need to apologize to. It's Alice."
"I know." Shun muttered, quietly. He opened his eyes to look at them, then reached into his pockets. "My reasons for going silent involve the tournament and the ones responsible for creating it." He handed a usb drive to Marucho. "Take a look."
"The tournament? What are you talking about, Shun?" Dan asked as Marucho turned on his advanced computer. The short teen plugged in the usb drive to his systems which, thanks to it being state of the art, downloaded the data quickly.
"Dan, don't tell me you've never found it strange that some super big tournament centered around Bakugan suddenly popping up didn't seem strange?" Shun inquired, making the leader sweat a bit.
"W-well…"
Drago rolled his eyes. "I have to admit. The more I think about it, the stranger it seems. Bakugan only have an attachment to humans that aren't adults. So, why would there be a huge tournament dedicated to brawling?"
"Adults could have seen the potential monetary gain by trying to monopolize on Bakugan's popularity with children." Marucho said.
"I thought the same thing as well, but I couldn't help but feel like there was more. So, I went in to dig deeper." As Shun said this, Marucho's computer finished downloading all of the files. He opened them up to see there were several entries listed alongside a few recordings.
FILE #1: HARUKI KOJIMA
FILE #2: RANK SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
FILE #3: MASKED VIGILANTE
FILE #4: ROGUE BAKUGAN
FILE #5: ULTIMATE BAKUGAN TOURNAMENT
"Shun…what is all of this?" Marucho asked.
Shun stepped forward with a hardened stare. "The reason behind creation of this Bakugan Tournament and the truth of Masquerade's accomplice Marduk!"
Chapter End
NOTE: What a better way to start off the New Year than with some plot development? If you think something like this is happening too early, then don't be worried about that. There isn't really much for me to do at this point other than develop characters.
This arc is going to be a combination of the Ventus and Pyrus tournaments since I really only need to write Yuji battling Shun, Masquerade, and Dan. It sounds rather short, but there will be filler stuff between them that will primarily focus on the characters. Then after that, it'll be the final arc of the story! We're pretty close to the end.
For example, this chapter was about Shuji's growth from the punching bag he's been up to this point.
Serena isn't going to be in anymore tournaments, but she'll still get some battles to have.
I hope you guys have a Happy New Year's! Stay tuned for more Stand Up, Leonidas!