Bakugan: Battle Brawlers - Cyber Crisis

Chapter 10: Licking Wounds

It's been a rough few hours for the Brawlers. After the city-wide assault of the Cyber Bakugan, and the one-side curb stomp from Wratheon, they've all been checked into Bakugan City Hospital. When the city was erected, they needed a place for Bakugan and humans alike to be treated.

Everyone from victims of the Cyber Bakugan, to the Brawlers that engaged Wratheon directly, has been brought to the Hospital for treatment.

Caleb and Jayden are sharing a room together, while Luci and Mei are next doors, receiving similar treatment for their injuries. While they took a beating, they were lucky to not receive anything fatale, or at worse physically damaging.

Their partners have also been aided by the staff. While their ball forms provide a recovery period for their strength, the exhaustion and near-death experience of battling Wratheon was a lot for their physical bodies to handle.

Caleb stares at the TV in his room. It's fixated on the News channel with a substitute filling in for Julie. The reporter on set gives a general rundown of the last few hours, going as far as to interview civilians and Bakugan that were caught up in the attack, as well as the few that were safe outside the combat zone.

Jayden just lays on his bed quietly. He's curled up with his eyes staring at the wall. He took a harder beating than Jayden during the battle. Thus his shirt is off with bandages wrapped around his toned body. The slightest twitch brings a sharp pain to him.

Tired of the news, Caleb grabs the remote on the side and turns the TV off.

"I was wondering when you were going to do that," Jayden remarks, still looking away with his back to Caleb.

"That's the first thing you've said to me since we got here," Caleb tries to make light of the atmosphere, but it's clear by Jayden's cold demeanor, it's not working. "I asked the doctor to inform my Mom that I'm safe. I didn't want her to worry about me, or put herself in danger just to check on me."

Jayden breaths in a hard sigh, still remaining motionless toward his room mate. "Me too."

The room door opens up, catching both of their attention, Jayden even lifts himself up from the mattress.

It's Mei. She's dressed in a Hospital gown, she lets herself into the room. "Oh good. You're both awake. Excellent. We need to talk."

Luci enters the room after her, following just short behind wearing a similar gown. Seeing her coming in, Jayden is quick to look around frantically for his shirt but seems to have misplaced it. He meets eyes with Luci as she looks straight at him.

"I...I wanted to make sure you were okay," she blushes as she says that, sliding her hair behind her ear in that cute way you see in anime.

With a dry throat, Jayden struggles to reply. He manages to muster up the words, "Uh, it's okay. I'm right as rain, see." He pats his body, and once again twitches in pain at his hands slapping his bandaged body. "I'm just happy you seem to be doing good too."

The girls take a seat in the room. Mei grabs a chair from the side and pulls it in front of the two beds facing her, while Luci takes a seat at the edge of Jayden's bed.

Despite all four of them being in the same room together and having fought a difficult battle with one another, an awkward silence falls on the room. This is the first time they've interacted with each other outside of a battle.

While Caleb and Jayden are co-called rivals, their interactions are minimal. Jayden and Luci are penpals, but this is the first time they've met in person. And they've all only just met Mei just before the fighting. They are strangers to each other, barely connected by an invisible thread.