A Weird Day

[Vail]

It was supposed to be a normal Saturday. Run the D&D game for the new players: Check. Run the D&D for the experienced players: Check. Run the magic the gathering draft tournament: Also checked. Its now the bakugan tournament. . . . Things are already going south. The contestants are at each others throats.

"Man. . . . This sucks for you doesn't it." goes are friendly neighborhood subterra Crobalt.

"This is grating on my nerves." Our host of the tournament Vail.

"But to think though. The winner here faces off in the world tournament host by SHIELD. You are hosting though just for the free ride in."

"It means less work."

"I wanted to battle!!!"

"No."

Vail begins to ignore Crobalt's whining and searches for any other participant. Before his temper finally snaps.

[Atom]

I was running towards Games Gunners, late for something important. "Why didn't my alarm go off?" I asked myself, pausing at the light, waiting for it to change so I could cross.

"If you had just double checked it," started Leo.

"Not right now, okay?" The light changed, and I ran forward again. "Almost there!" The shop was just another block away. I only hoped that it hadn't started yet.

[Vail]

Vail stands at the door of his shop. Waiting and waiting for the last participant. He assumed the guy would be punctual. "Atom I swear." Vail mumbles under his breath. Over the coarse of a few weeks. He has seen Atom visit a lot. So he had the chance to talk to him a few times. Well more observe. Vail only talked when talked too. He doesn't go out of his way for conversation. But none the less eventually he offered Atom a position in this tournament. Yet now here he is wait. Waiting for Atom to get to the door. He is staring the guy down with his usual unamused glare.

"You're late Atom." He says not with a dead pan tone, but with a I'm gonna smack you upside the head tone. "The sign up sheet is behind the counter. You have my permission." He is wasting nothing. He walks back in to start up the Elimination Style Tournament.

Crobalt floats with Atom and Leonidas. "Gee guys. What's with ya too? Not like you guys to be late. Especially on a day like this. Did you sleep in? Did you forget words?" Sharp as a knife as usual for Crobalt.

[Atom]

"Don't ask." I stated, exasperated. "Something went wrong, and my alarm didn't go off. Then traffic lights wouldn't cooperate, and several other inconveniences that just really, really slowed me down."

"And you wouldn't use a Dimensional Gate, why?"

"Not now Leo. The important thing is that we got here in time to get signed up. Come on, let's go." I walked into the store and went towards the counter. If there was anything I was going to do today, it would be entering the Tournament, and seeing how well I could do. "Hopefully we at least stand a chance around here. Not sure how many Brawlers are going to be using Cards or Bakucores."

[Vail]

As Atom signs up. Vail shuffles the crowd into the interspace. Then Atom. Its actually a rather intese core based tournament. With the first two rounds being quick but ferice. Then Atom see's a person he got to know a little.

"Next is Troy. With his partner Aquos Garganoid. His opponent. Gran Hucksford with his partner Ventus killer bee." The two enter the arena and begin. Garganoid is quick and fierce in his attack. With Troy playing the deadly support role. Being more of a hassle for his opponent by throwing not matching cores into Killer Bee. Not an opponenent to take lightly. Troy and Garganoid are a very dangerous duo. It leads to Troy's victory.

"Next up is Atom with his partner Haos Leonidas. His opponent. Lianna with her partner Darkus Harbeng." As Vail says that. The room he is in explodes. He is fine. . . but not happy. "And when I find you is responsible for today's tech problems. I hope you had your fun, because I am gonna break every bone in your body." Anybody nearby Atom who was laughing quickly stop.

[Atom]

"Okay, time to focus. Lianna and Darkus Harbeng. Think critically, what do I know about her and her fighting style?" I continued to think about what I recalled of her earlier battles as I walked briskly to the battlefield.

"Just remember what we can do, Atom. It'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know. Win or lose, it'll be fun. But still, you know how competitive I can get." I glanced at my opponent in an attempt to gleam some kind of hint as to what she was thinking.

[Vail]

"Oh why hello there darling. I'm Lianna. This is Harbeng." The bakugan remains quiet as the short women. Dress like she is going to a funeral. With a Gothic umbrella in hand walks onto the field. "I hope you enjoy making my aquatic today. I hope you don't mind losing. Because clearly dear. You look like you lack. . . A lot of things. Firstly muscle. I thought men are supposed to look strong and handsome. Qualities you don't have. Our host does but he is to young for my taste." (Meanwhile in the announcers room. Vail shivers like a ghost walked through him.)

This women is clearly not nice. She throws in Harbeng. "Bakugan BRAWL!!!!!" Harbeng stands up. With what appears to be initially a bakugan with no head but then one appears. Then ignites. He opens his mouth and a handle appears and pulling from it a whip made of a spine that is also on purple fire. For the body armor takes solid form and a cape around the neck. The end of it in taters. And he is a tall bakugan. "Darkus Harbenger Wraith is here to claim another soul today for lady Lianna. Surrender now."

[Atom]

"You know, not what I was expecting. First of all, defining muscle as something guys need is very, very shallow. Secondly, you'll find that what you claim I lack, I more than make up for with everything else! Ready Leo?"

"You know it!"

"Bakugan, Brawl!" I called, throwing Leo. He rolled onto a Core and opened up. "Bakugan, Stand!" Leo and the core glowed brightly as he assumed his real form. He landed hard on the ground.

"If you're thinking that you're scary, you've got nothing on the eldritch horrors we've encountered over time." He stated. "And I highly doubt that you'll be claiming any more souls in this Tournament!"

[Vail]

Lianna just smirks. Then before anybody else could react. The whip wraps around leonidas. With a single pull leo is pulled in fast. The delt a blow to the face with his momentum carrying him into a punch. For comparison. Think about being hit with a metal bat on the head. And if you ever been hit in the head. The ringing sound that follows. Leo is flung back to the point were the whip strechs. Only to be flung around and slammed into the ground. Then again, and again. Then right into the wall. Only to be pulled out and slammed a few more times. Then back into the wall. The whip release Leonidas, and before he can sigh. Point first slams into leo driving him farther into the wall. It does not feel good at all.

"You were saying." Lianna smirks. Holding back her laughter.

[Atom]

"Okay, better than I thought." Leo choked out, falling out of the wall. I looked at Leo, then back to Lianna and Harbenger. My mind was racing a mile a minute.

"The whip was fast, and the Bakugan using it was even faster. However, high speed usually comes at high energy use. I think I know what I need to do here." I grabbed the nearest white core and threw it at Leo to recharge him. "Leo, here's the plan. We're going to use his speed against him. Use Haos Shield!" Leo managed to get up to his knee, and a translucent white bubble appeared around him.

"I hope you know what you're doing!" He grunted in pain. "I'm not sure how many more barrages like that I can handle."

[Vail]

Just as leo gained more energy. A blue core lands into Leonidas. "Now hun. You should be paying attention to more than just that. If you haven't noticed.  Harbeng hasn't moved from his spot. Now go Harbeng. Teach these to a more painful lesson." She picks up 2 darkus cores and throws them into Harbeng. Who gets the massive power up. He whips leo leaving a purple mark on him.

"1000 Lashes!" Harbeng proceeds to unending whip Leonidas again and again keeping him in place. The purple mark molding into the total number of times Leo has gotten whipped. Each hit feels like being hit by an anvil attached to a rope. Several of the strikes are speared attacks to the gut again slamming leonidas back to the wall. He isn't fast. He is just really strong. Making him fast.

[Atom]

"I really hate the ruling to allow people to throw cores at the opponent." I muttered. The back of my hand began to glow. "I see you enjoy trying to show people up. No more of that against me. I originally came into this tournament expecting some fun, and maybe a chance to win." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "But, what I found was a stuck up brat who doesn't know good sportsmanship or decent manners!" A glow spread across my hand, then across the rest of my body. "Your time of having fun is over!" Leo began to glow too, and despite the pain he was feeling from getting hit so much, managed to catch the next lashing that was coming at him. He slowly stood as new energy revitalized him.

"Time to turn the tables!" He shouted. If anybody were to look, they'd have noticed that his power suddenly jumped up, and a second power signal come up with his. The glow faded, revealing the two of us in Reversion. "You think you have power? We'll show you!" I jumped into the air and flew over to where the battle was happening, grabbing every core I could as I went in a straight line.

"Take this!" I pressed the half-dozen or so other non-Darkus cores onto Harbeng to depower him.

[Vail]

Atom can hear Harbeng grunt under the strain of the non darkus cores. Yet he what he see's isn't Harbeng. No its the floor as Lianna has pinned Atom the ground. Pointing her umbrella at Atom's face as he looks up. "I will have you know I'm 74 years old you brat. You don't get to call me a child." Harbeng's tension gets released a little as all it takes is one darkus core to restore the guy. He yanks his whip free from Leo and the wraps it around Leo. Pulling leo in and doing a double punch to the head. Then grabs leo by the throat. Intent on crushing it. Leading to Leonidas's defeat. Leo can feel the insane physical strength behind the vice like grip around his throat.

[Atom]

Leo choked with Harbing's hand on his throat. "Atom, do something!" He managed to say. I stared Lianna down, and took a quick breath.

"Age is but a number. Anybody can still be a child through actions." I said calmly. My hand glowed again, and suddenly 4 other mes in Pyrus, Aquos, Ventus, and Darkus surrounded her. Harbeng found himself in the same situation, except with Leos surrounding him.

"Believe me when I say that you don't know who you're messing with." Said Pyrus Atom. Pyrus Leo grabbed onto Harbeng.

"When it comes to being steadfast in the face of danger, there's nobody better than me." Said Ventus Atom. Ventus Leo grabbed onto Harbeng and started pulling him away from Leo with Pyrus Leo.

"I recall you throwing an off-colored core at Leo earlier. How will you deal with having every Attribute against you?" Asked Aquos Atom. Aquos Leo grabbed onto Harbing's hand around Leo's neck.

"Plus, how you've acted so far is quite cheap. Fighting me is more difficult than you'd expect." Darkus Leo grabbed onto the hand as well and helped Aquos Leo get it off of him. Pyrus and Ventus Leo suddenly yanked on Harbeng and tossed him away towards Lianna.

"So, still feeling high and mighty?" I asked.

[Vail]

"Oh my god. You are one of those aren't you. Listen clearly boy. You are many years to young discern anything." She lifts Atom with unnatural ease. Turning him around by twisting both arms around his back. Then he can hear the whispering of words. He can feel his muscles stiffen and his jaw clamp tight. "You brought out several more of an already weak bakugan and you. Thinking it makes you hold a chance. Strength in numbers only works. When somebody can lead them well. Harbeng! Over here now!" Harbeng looks at Lianna. Then using the haos leonidas in his hand starts bashing away at the other leonidas. Fling them away. He then takes Haos Leonidas and smashes him into the ground.

"My lady. This fight has been dull."

"I know Harbeng. Though I must admit. Your Bakugan darling can take a brutal beating." She starts to laugh. What's worse is that she's right. Its not just his current state is helping things. But aimlessly attack doesn't work on Harbeng. Why aren't the other Atoms doing anything. With one look only ventus Atom would have been able to escape Lianna's wrath.