Chapter 26 - After the Victory

Sometimes the reality in front of our eyes felt like an illusion. Some achievements felt so unreal and meaningless that no one could make sense of it.

Everyone watching James' battle right now had the same feeling. From the announcer, who normally would have announced the victory, to the majority of the watchers, everyone was gasping for breath.

Siren was undoubtedly the most bewildered of them all. As someone who followed James' matches closely whenever she had free time, she knew that he had never tried to use a combined ability until now.

It shouldn't have been possible for James to use ability combinations one after the other, unless he had been practicing in secret.

At this moment, Xayah appeared on her shoulder. In ball form, she was far from inconspicuous. Especially given the current situation. Still, Siren was surprised:

"Xayah?"

Despite being Siren's bakugan, Xayah was largely on her own. She wasn't sure if they had a relationship that could be called a partnership. Xayah wanted their freedom. She was right, but she didn't think they could do anything on their own.

Siren shook her head stupidly from side to side. She was lost in her own thoughts.

Xayah, meanwhile, watched the Gargonoid until it returned to James' hand. When he returned to James' hand, she spoke in a strange voice:

"That Bakugan is... weird. So is that James. Gargonoid doesn't feel alive. The other one... Never mind."

She sighed, unable to find the right word. Xayah had encountered far too many bakugan, thanks to the many battles Siren had been in. She had seen many partners as well. But she had never seen one as soulless as the Gargonoid and as familiar as James.

Like he was a bakugan too.

Xayah knew it was illogical, but for a moment she couldn't help but get caught up in the thought. The energy James gave off and the familiar sensation she felt from the anomalies she had observed in his body... It made her think about it. Especially this energy, which she felt much more intensely at the moment, had supported her idea.

But it was just an absurd thought that came to her momentarily. And of course she wasn't going to share it with Siren. After all, their partnership was temporary and there was no need to say such a ridiculous thing.

Siren was even more surprised and curious. Everything about James, from the Bakugan he used to himself, was full of questions, mysteries and strangeness. This made her even more curious about him.

"What the hell are you, James?"

At this moment, she saw James clutching his chest tightly with one hand, and the other hand slightly reaching out into air. As if he was trying to catch something. It was a weird sight.

Siren got up from her seat with a slight worry. At that moment she remembered an important detail. When James' matches lasted too long... he fainted because of his strange 'illness'. Without help, he could lie there for hours like a corpse on the floor.

Xayah almost lost her balance. Immediately, with both feet, she grabbed some of the cloth on Siren's shoulders and quickly recovered.

"Are we going to him?"

Siren nodded her head in agreement. Then she stood up, walked softly towards the exit and disappeared from sight.

James, meanwhile, was taking deep breaths. He looked at the silver card he was holding in one hand and then it disappeared. At that moment his perception of sounds was very clear. So much so that he could even hear the slightest murmur.

This abnormal state became a great disturbance as soon as the noise exploded. By the time the announcer had barely confirmed his victory, the column had already landed.

He hurried towards the exit. His current running speed undoubtedly exceeded that of an ordinary vestal, but he was not doing it on purpose.

He owed this speed to the levels he had taken and the increasing dominance of his bakugan side. Still, he was in no mood to think about it.

His mind was occupied by other thoughts. He was thinking about the risk he had taken at that moment and the combos he had thrown in quick succession. If he were to liken the situation to something from his memories, he might liken it to a moment of inspiration or some kind of epiphany that a writer might experience.

And this momentary inspiration was undoubtedly Fox's influence. Even if it was a few simple words, it made him take a risk he didn't want to take. So how was it that, despite all this risk, he was able to successfully execute one combination after another? Actually, the answer was funny how simple it was. In that moment he had literally trusted both his senses as a brawler and his senses as a bakugan.

As a brawler, his thoughts told him that his abilities would clearly combine, while as a Bakugan, his feelings screamed that he should not shy away from battle. With Fox's encouragement, he won at the last moment!

Again, this shouting didn't stop after the match was over, on the contrary, it increased even more as he was restricted. It made him feel like he couldn't breathe and caused a great pain in his chest. And he knew exactly what was coming next.

James was already running down the corridor. But his pace was slower than before. It was as if all his energy had been drained.

He heard Fox's reassuring voice:

[It's okay. Look, someone's coming to carry you.]

The tone was reassuring, no doubt. But was she... was she uncomfortable? James didn't worry too much about it, thinking it was just him. He looked up to search for the person he had been told to look for.

His current position was doubled over. He was leaning against the wall with one hand, his neck and lower back bent forward to some degree. He looked like a drunkard who could barely stand. The extreme sharpness of his senses had fortunately disappeared along with this feeling of weakness. Otherwise it would have been unbearable.

When he looked around, he couldn't see anyone. Or so he thought. Suddenly he felt someone's arm on his back and his own arm had unwittingly landed on that person's shoulder. It was a hard shoulder in soft clothes. He heard a small chuckle in response and then an accompanying voice:

"Don't worry, champ, I'm here."

James looked at the person who had taken his arm in surprise. Had his perceptions been dulled? Or had she suddenly appeared?

"You..."

His astonishment lasted only a moment. Then a faint smile appeared on his face. Once again he was going through the same thing.

"Thank you."

Siren laughed and said, "Nothing to worry about." Then she paused for a few seconds and added.

"I wouldn't want my potential opponent to collapse in such a pathetic state."

James couldn't help but laugh at that. He was about to lose consciousness. Well, as Fox had said, he wouldn't mind getting some rest. He didn't really have much of a choice at the moment. He could only hold out until they reached the target point.

So they started walking. James tried to speak as he was barely conscious as they walked:

"Siren, can you take me to the restaurant please? I don't want to go... to the hospital."

He couldn't show anyone these scales that covered his body like a disease. It was out of the question.

Siren hesitated.

"But why? Hospital-"

Just then James interrupted him.

"I don't want things to be seen, especially after he's gotten this far... I don't know what's going to happen."

James had obviously only had a glimpse of the joy of winning this match. All he wanted now was to rest quietly in a corner. There was no way to explain the tragic change in his body. It was also impossible to lie his way out of it this time.

Therefore, the hospital was the last place he would go for the time being.

Siren was confused by James' words, but she didn't say anything. She was curious, but it was clear that in the current situation she had to restrain her curiosity. They had to get out of here before she was surrounded by excited fans.

In that moment, she had a small realization. Even in this state... Could James still be thinking about bringing customers to the restaurant where he worked? Maybe he wanted to use the many fans who might follow them to his advantage.

She grinned at the realization.

"Got it."

Inwardly, she admired James's rationality in spite of his pathetic state, while at the same time she felt a moment of pity for them for being James's prey. They were going to lose their money. Meanwhile, they continued walking. As they chatted, Siren tried to get words out of James' mouth.

Of course, James was not going to tell her almost everything, even though he was struggling to keep himself conscious, but inevitably some words slipped out. Of course, what he said was too meaningless for Siren.

When they arrived at the restaurant, everyone's gaze was fixed on them. Siren was embarrassed by the sight, but fortunately her face was not visible through the mask.

Everyone seemed curious and worried about what had happened.

In the midst of this silence, Siren adjusted her tone and said clearly as if she was the one who had achieved victory, "James... He won! He beat Gray."

And with that, a great noise erupted. And that boom was the last sound James heard. He heard everyone shouting his name like a hero and it made him smile.

It was one of the few times since he had been here that he smiled with genuine happiness.