Bakugan: Precious Memories

Chapter 30: Michael

The plane flew high in the air, roaring through the sky. "We are now approaching master Shun's dojo." Marucho's butler said over the intercom. "Alright! You guys get to meet Shun!" Dan said excitedly. Aya looked out the window, seeing the massive dojo. "Wait where in the world are we landing? Whole place is covered by trees." Aya asked. Suddenly a rope with a grapple flew up, catching the bottom of the plan as Shun ascended. "Such a show off!" Dan scoffed. "IM SORRY THE HELL!?" Aya asked. Shun soon boarded the plane. "Heya Shun!" Dan greeted his best friend. "Hey, Dan." Shun said, scanning the room. He saw Runo, Marucho, and Alice. But then he saw 6 faces he didn't recognize. "These the allies you mentioned?" Shun asked. "Yup!" Dan replied. "Shun." Shun introduced. "Name's Aya." Aya introduced. "So you're Aya. Dan told me about you." Shun said, looking at the Bakugan on Aya's shoulder. "A Darkus Dragonoid." Shun said. Aya nodded. "I'm Aubrey." Aubrey added. "Greetings. I'm Jamie." Jamie said. "Name's Wokko! And can I say it is a HUGE honor to meet you!" Wokko beamed before his head was pushed down by Sally. "Name's Sally!" Sally shouted. She pointed at Tasha. "And this is stuck-up bi-" Sally was interrupted by Tasha's elbow to her stomach. "Tasha." Tasha said. After greetings were made, the plane soon made it to pick up Julie. Soon the entire team was assembled. "So that plan is to head to Dr. Michael's lab to see what we can find about what happened when he crossed into Vestroia." Marucho explained. "I'm still a little lost, why do we care about some old man?" Aubrey asked. "Because Michael was the one to give Naga leeway for the Silent Core. Any information he may have will be of use." Drago explained. "Got it. And if Michael is with Naga, that means he must be linked Masquerade, right?" Aya asked. "The connection is certainly probable." Marucho replied. "Attention. Due to the large amount of people on this plane, there will have to be 2 people per bedroom." Marucho's butler said over the intercom. "Aw sweet! Shun room with me!" Dan said. "Sure." Shun nodded. "And I'll room with Alice when we get her." Runo said. "Then that leaves me with you Marucho!" Julie said excitedly. "Uh ok sure!" Marucho stammered. Sally got a slight grin on her face. "Don't be gross." Aubrey elbowed Sally. "Um, Aubrey?" Aya started. "Don't have to ask. Sure." Aubrey said. "I'll room with Jamie!" Wokko shouted. "Very well." Jamie nodded. "Why do I have to be with her?" Sally groaned. "Process of elimination. Deal with it." Tasha rolled her eyes. "Jeez for cousins you really don't get along!" Julie pouted. "Long story and I don't feel like having a meltdown right now." Sally said. "Uh...ok?" Julie replied confused. The team went to their assigned rooms. Not too long later it was night, and everybody was asleep.

Aya awoke to a very familiar sight. The repeating nightmare he had so many times. But instead of starting in his room, he started right at the end. Staring up at the tree, seeing Mary's hanging corpse. But something was different. He wasn't screaming. He wasn't crying. He wasn't even feeling the normal sense of dread. He just stared. Aya closed his eyes as the scene around him faded. He realized his arm was stretched out, his hand gripping something vertical and soft. The sounds of choking confirmed what he was gripping. A neck. But who's neck? When he opened his eyes he saw his hand wrapped tightly around Masquerade's throat, squeezing harder and harder. His mask was broken, revealing a fright filled eye. Aya noticed something. His hand wasn't normal. It was dark with strange crystals on the palm. His fingers were more akin to long, sharp claws. He felt larger. Way larger. He also felt a weight on his back, strange sensations on his face, as if he were wearing a mask made of rock. With one swift motion, without even thinking, he twisted his hand forcefully and quick. A loud and grotesque "SNAP" emanated throughout as he broke Masquerade's neck. Aya let go, Masquerade's limp body falling to the ground. He looked around at the destroyed area was in. To his left, was a mirror. He approached before looking into it. What he saw made him jolt. He was the very definition of a monster. His jaws were filled to the brim with sharp teeth. The whites of his eyes were pitch black, complimented with glowing purple irises. Horns jutted from his head. Large purple and black tendrils thrashed from his back. His body covered in the same rocky crystals that his arms were. He was taller, much much taller. Once he saw himself he tried to scream, but what came out was not his voice, it was a loud distorted screech mixed with what sounded like the roar of his Dragonoid. Suddenly, he woke up, a loud bang as he fell on the floor. Aya looked around. He was on the plane. He grabbed his pocket mirror and looked. Just him. Just regular old Aya. "Is...that what I will become? Were I to use Black Conviction too much or maybe be unable to control it, would I become that? Would I still feel compassion? Did I...hurt my friends?" Aya asked himself. He took a few deep breaths, convincing himself that it was just a nightmare. Probably from the new altitude. It meant nothing. Aya got up and saw Aubrey, sleeping peacefully on the bed. Her beautiful purple hair and light skin shone in the moonlight. Aya smiled before leaving the room, deciding to sit in the living room. He went into the living room, and took a seat on the couch. He looked out the window, seeing the night sky above the clouds. The sight was relaxing, calming to him. His calm was interrupted by a footstep. Aya swiftly turned, ready to face whatever it was. "Calm down. It's just me." Shun said quietly. "Oh. My bad." Aya said, letting his guard back down. "Can't sleep either?" Shun asked. "Little more complex than that but yeah." Aya said. "Hm. Want some water?" Shun asked. "Oh I can get that." Aya said. "No it's fine. I'm getting myself some anyway so I don't mind." Shun said. "Oh ok. Then yes please. Thank you." Aya replied. Shun nodded before getting the two a couple of cups of water. "Thank you." Aya said, taking a sip. "No problem. May I ask you something?" Shun asked. "Go ahead." Aya replied, taking another sip. "Why do you want to fight Masquerade so badly? Did you lose some Bakugan to him?" Shun asked. Aya looked down into his cup. The water's ripples almost hypnotized him. "It's more personal than that. I'll spare you the details but...Masquerade caused my older sister to kill herself." Aya explained. Shun jolted at this, the explanation being much more severe than he thought. "I'm sorry to hear that. I understand why you hate him that much. Dan filled me in, as best he could, about this thing you have called 'Black Conviction' is that right?" Shun asked. "Yeah." Aya said. "Seems like a pretty useful tool for the battles." Shun said, taking a drink. "Well, there is one thing I'm afraid of. A fear that, if I can be honest, very recently got." Aya said. "Oh? Tell me." Shun insisted. Aya sighed. "I'm worried I'll lose myself. Worried that if I go too far off the deep end I'll hurt a lot of people, more than I need to. The reason I'm awake right now is because of a nightmare I had where I was, to be blunt, a monster." Aya explained. "I see. May I give some input?" Shun asked. "Shoot." Aya said. "I don't think that's likely. I haven't known you for long, but this conversation tells me a few things about you. You seem like you really care." Shun assured. Aya didn't say anything. "I'd like to tell you something. I lost my mom to cancer a few years back. But before she died, she gave me my partner Bakugan, Skyress. For a while, I tried to avoid my problems. I shut myself off from everything. Mainly Bakugan. Mostly because nobody could give me a real challenge. But soon, thanks to Dan, I found myself again. I found my love for the game again." Shun said. "I'm sorry for your loss." Aya said. "Well, my point is, it's always nice to be able to rely on a friend." Shun added. "I hear that. Aubrey can be a little rough on the edges, but God bless her soul. I don't know where I'd be without her. If you asked me? Probably a padded cell." Aya said. Shun and Aya laughed at that. "You know Shun. You're alright. I took you for a cold person but you've also got your own baggage." Aya said. "Normally I am, but you open up so much about yourself I figured it's only fair. Plus it's nice to be able to relate to someone." Shun responded. Aya and Shun shook hands. "Well, I'm gonna go back to my room. It won't do any good to lose too much sleep." Shun said, getting up. "Yeah. I'll probably do the same pretty soon." Aya replied. Shun nodded and headed back to his room. Aya looked out the window one more time before heading back to his room. Aya laid back in his bed. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Dragonoid asked. "Yeah. I've been waiting for this for a long time." Aya said, before closing his eyes.