Chapter 39 - Tournament Start

Normally, ability cards did not form unless they were fought with a partner. He knew this, even if he had no idea how it happened. He was probably now perceived in the eyes of the universe as both a Bakugan and a partner in conflict.

That was the conclusion he and Fox came to after their brief discussion.

It meant that his situation was becoming increasingly critical. At this rate, it was obvious that he was going to turn into a Bakugan earlier than the thirty level Fox had previously mentioned.

Still, he didn't let that discourage him. Just in case, James pocketed the card and walked out of the restaurant.

After telling Lucy that he was going to the tournament as usual, he started walking. Again, he didn't see Esther around. He had learned from Lucy that she had hired the girl. Esther was probably someone who preferred to be brawling with an identity hidden from her family.

That's why James hadn't given it much thought, as he didn't like digging into everyone's private lives. Lucy was the exception, of course.

So he made his way to the tournament arena. He knew it was still hours away. Still, the early bird got the worm.

An innocent smile attracted many stares as he walked. He normally avoided those who wanted to talk to him, but today he received them all with courtesy.

As if for the first time, he looked around the arena and the crowd forming behind him. Immediately he looked back at the few people following him.

Even though he didn't mind them, it felt strange that they were so clingy. Still, he ignored the awkwardness, made his way to the entrance and waited in line.

Security was thick. Whether you came to watch or play, there was a routine ID check. And it could be said that they were extremely careful.

As he watched the poor vestal with no ID being sent back, he felt pity, but then shook his head.

As James thought about this, he was glad to see that things were changing. This gave him hope.

Spectators whose identity was checked were given something like a ticket. The names of the brawlers were noted down.

When it was finally his turn, he pressed a button on his glove and a small window with James' details appeared on the glass surface of the glove. This was his ID.

After a careful look, the guard held up a strange device. A red light came out and scanned it. James was not nervous. He was looking around while this was happening. There were a lot of vestals. The arena would be completely filled with vestals.

The walls of the arena were as smooth as ever. It was as if there was no fighting going on. It looked so good that it made him think how robust Vestal architecture actually was. Or should he say technology?

As he was thinking this, a voice came from Fox:

[I'd say both, but you wouldn't normally pay attention to that. What happened?]

Just as James was about to answer, green lights came out of the left and right holes of the device that the guard was scanning, and the guard spoke gently:

"Your name is registered. You can leave as you wish. Tournament is at 2 PM. Please don't be late."

James nodded slightly and started to walk outside. In the meantime, in a very low voice, he answered Fox and waved him off:

"Nothing happened. Just curious."

Fox was clearly unsatisfied with this answer but remained silent. James could not see her face, so it was impossible for him to say anything. But somehow he could sense that she was worried about him.

A smile appeared on his face. He was about to say something, but then he decided against it. There was no need. Nothing he could say would calm her anxiety.

He just started walking. There was almost nothing for him to do. The architecture of the city had always been interesting to him. So he walked through the city, looking at the different buildings, big and small.

That's when he heard Fox's voice:

[Let me ask you something. With your current power, you can knock them out as soon as you find them. Why don't you do that?]

James paused at his question. Of course it wasn't that he hadn't thought about it. He started talking with his poker face:

"I've thought about it, but it won't make much difference. Time will pass and maybe we'll get through the tournament, but what happens after that? You know, unlike the original, there's a ranking here."

Sighing, he started walking towards the park he saw ahead. James continued as Fox listened in silence:

"I need to catch them at such a moment that they should be considered completely guilty and should not be able to enter the arena in any way."

Fox's voice of understanding was heard:

[Well, that's understandable.]

James nodded in agreement and they finally arrived at the playground. He jumped lightly and sat down on the white marble white wall that surrounded the playground. A few children looked at him admiringly.

He sent them a charismatic smile and then looked ahead.

"The weather is beautiful today. So is the scenery."

He murmured as he watched the children running around. He looked at the grass, the blooming flowers and trees. They looked very much like the flowers and trees of the Earth in his memory. At least he could tell that they looked exactly the same.

The children were merrily playing with each other and arguing about who was the better fighter. Some said Lync, others said Volt.

But the majority of them argued that the Spectra Phantom was the best. Well, they were not wrong. His demeanor and his gait undoubtedly captured the attention of everyone, from children to people of his own age. His bakugan was terrifying.

James put it out of his mind, though. In his last hours he had no desire to do anything. He wanted to wait for the right moment.

That's when he noticed Siren rushing towards the arena. She was probably late. It was a pity that she would now have to wait in such a long line.

As she sprinted off, James shouted after her:

"You're too late! There are too many people!"

In response, Siren stopped running for a moment, looked at him, turned her head to the side and said "Humph!" as if she was tripping. She quickly resumed running.

James looked after her, not understanding what the problem was. Little did he know that Siren was in a bad mood because she had to go in alone.

Xayah opened on his shoulder as he ran into the arena, with what could have been a hand protruding, grabbing Siren's hair to keep it from falling, he muttered:

"This wouldn't have happened if you had woken up when I did. I almost got caught by your mother because of you."

Siren retorted grumpily.

"How was I supposed to know my mom was coming today? She was always sleeping in the lab. We can't even see her face sometimes for a while."

Xayah refrained from commenting on this. Instead she pointed to the long row ahead:

"It's none of my business. You are the one who will wait."

By this time, naturally, Siren had stopped running. The line was really long. As her pace slowed and her running turned to walking, Xayah quietly slipped into her pocket and disappeared.

Siren muttered softly:

"What's with all this pointless security?"

Like any brawler, she was unhappy with the sudden increase in security. But there was little she could do about it.

In the meantime, her eyes caught sight of five people wandering idly. Except for the weird attire of the one walking at the front, they looked quite ordinary. She didn't know why they caught her attention. She shrugged slightly, then took her turn.