Chapter 48 - Giving Up

These strange and suffocating little flames, in shades of purple and black, were all around. When one looked carefully at these flames, whose very existence was abnormal, they evoked despair and destruction.

Unfortunately, beyond these small particles of flame was a cloud of dust. The dust cloud, which began to dissolve and disperse, was very reluctant to show what was hidden inside. The security guards running towards this dust, and even the Bakugan Resisters who could no longer stop them, were dumbfounded.

Because on the other side of that dust cloud was Ryuu, barely standing. He was taking deep breaths. He looked extremely pathetic because of the black liquid that should have been blood flowing out of his body.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Bewildered murmurs and confused questions were flying through the air. What the hell was this? What had happened?

It was nothing less than an act of terrorism. But fortunately it was not a massive destruction that would have damaged the foundations. Otherwise, there was even a possibility that this corridor they were in might collapse completely.

At least that was the thought, when a pair of white flashes stood out from the scattering dust. James's eyes were burning with rage, perhaps more than ever. As the dust settled, his half-bakugan body became more and more exposed.

The protrusions on his arms and legs, the white spiky tail with white spikes extending from his tailbone were easily noticeable.

There were spikes starting from his tail, growing from his spine, and shrinking down to his neck. These spikes also grew on his arms and legs. Particularly striking were the three spikes just after the large protrusion on its elbows and knees.

The white lizard-like scales on his legs and arms were visible. He placed one of his hands on the ground. It was no longer a hand but a claw. His nails, a lighter shade of white, glittered with an elegant yet eerie radiance.

As the glitched card that should have been on him fell to the floor, he heard Fox's voice in his mind.

[James, all this effort will mean nothing if you don't stop, please, just stop!]

Fox's voice sounded pleading. James had already done his best. There was no point or need for him to push himself any further. All he had to do was walk through that door. And the obstacle in front of him was... well, it wasn't even an obstacle anymore!

James answered him with a growl.

"I can't... control... I can't... I want to destroy... everything! It's so hard..."

James' mind was actually quite clear, but he was not in control of his body. It was like playing a racing game with a broken joystick. It was very difficult to steer and control.

Still, he had no trouble identifying his target. Powering his feet and using his tail, he quickly leaped towards the door where Dan had gone. Following his leap, cracks appeared in the floor and pieces almost collapsed inwards!

Ryuu, on the other hand, saw James advancing ferociously, but found it difficult to move. He had done his best to stop him.

His own perception had improved immensely. He had his own hard work and system to thank for that. Thanks to this, he was able to react to James' freakish speed and catch up… but only barely.

The cost of all this had been too high. At this point, Ryuu was reluctant to push himself any further.

Because he was afraid of dying!

Even now, he was in a difficult situation as his body was using many times more than it could handle. He could barely keep consciousness. Would he be tempted to commit suicide? Hell no!

He just had to watch and hope Daniel would make it. He had no choice but to hope.

Meanwhile, inside, Daniel was pacing back and forth in panic:

"What's going on, Drago!? What the hell was that thing!? What are we going to do!?"

You could see that he was bleeding with fear and his face was tragically pale. In his panic, he had almost been riddled by lasers, but now his thoughts were completely elsewhere. He was staring at the broken, gray device and the switch between the lasers.

Drago answered with difficulty:

"I... I don't know... He is... strangely familiar."

Drago, of course, was confused. The man in front of him was a hybrid... a cross between a Bakugan and a Vestal. And the weakness of the sensation it gave off reminded him of the Whites. But how could this be? Were the Vexos so cruel and vile that they would even use their own kind in their experiments?

Strangely, when Drago's thoughts reached an impasse, calmness greeted his heart. His heart, always beating with a strong sense of justice, had to suppress its anger at those who had caused the injustice in this unjust situation.

To break the brief silence between her and Dan, she spoke calmly, with a trace of anger in his voice:

"Still... there's nothing we can do now, Dan, even if we think about it. We have to focus. You have to... throw me."

He pointed to the empty place between the lasers. There was only one gap. The slightest mistake and Drago would undoubtedly be finished. But he had an unwavering belief that his partner would make it.

Dan was shocked.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about? Over there?"

Naturally frustrated at first that Drago was ignoring his own questions, he quickly asked, remembering the urgency of the situation. After Drago confirmed what he had said, Dan vehemently denied it.

"No way, what if I fail and you touch the lasers, Drago? No."

However, Drago insisted. His partner was worried about him even in his current messed-up state. But if they didn't do something, if nothing else, this monster they knew nothing about would finish them off!

"Dan. Trust me and, more importantly, trust yourself. You can do it."

Trust yourself.

These words gave Dan pause. What they had to do in this now chaotic situation was extremely risky. There couldn't be the slightest jolt or mistake. And his partner was counting on a perfect throw.

In this moment... Dan took a deep breath. His flame-red eyes sparkled with determination.

"Alright... So let's do this, partner!"

With those words, Dan grabbed Drago. "That's it, Dan!" Drago said enthusiastically as he positioned himself to throw Drago at the proper angle, and just as he did, the ground shook!

Accompanying the shaking was a high-pitched, disturbing sound. Dan looked back for a moment in panic and was startled.

The door, which normally opened and closed automatically, must have been locked automatically because of the previous explosion. Because both ends of the door were being forced open by James. He was grinning with sharp teeth and glowing reptilian eyes that gave him a terrifying look.

Dan looked away from him and turned his gaze to Drago. Drago, meanwhile, had deviated slightly from his trajectory, flapping his wings, narrowly avoiding the lasers and finally making it to the switch.

James entered slowly through the door that he had separated from the two sides. It was only after several savage attacks on this wall that he was able to gain some control. As Dan backed up enough to get to the edge, James walked up to him.

"Don't be so terrified. It's just me."

The sound came from his wheezing throat. James knew at that moment that he had reached a point of no return in his current body. He was no longer a human being. He had become a complete freak. Naturally, he had lost his purpose.

To James, all that remained of his humanity was his bipedal and deformed appearance. What good would it do to stop him in this state?

He also saw out of the corner of his eye that Drago had already passed through the lasers. Dan asked in a shaky voice in a relatively brave manner:

"What the hell are you?!"

James paused at that. He looked at him carefully. His pupils, which had become a pair of lines, became thinner.

"I'm that terrible, huh?"

After he said that, his heart was filled with sadness. He had indeed become a beast, and there was no way to undo it at this stage! 

It was all because of the Resistance. He had become like this because of them! 

At least that's what his thoughts shifted to as his gaze turned accusatory.

"You should have listened to Marucho from the beginning."

He had no intention of talking to the Resistance in the first place. Because he already had the confidence that he could stop them if they confronted him. Marucho being there was just an extra variable.

But still, the fact that he hadn't thought about it didn't change the fact that what Marucho had said had put James in this state.

Dan trembled in panic and fear. He had been through so much before. He had even traveled with his partner to a place called the Doom Dimension, where death was certain, but this was the first time he had ever experienced such horror.

A humanoid freak... These were the words to describe the other. But his words confused him.

"What are you talking about? Wait… Was it you who said those things to Marucho?"

Every step James took caused the ground to cave in a little more. By the time he was level with Dan, James was obviously taller than him even though his feet were sinking into the ground. He grabbed Dan's thin throat with one hand and lifted him into the air.

Off his feet, Dan began to struggle in panic. James was trying hard not to break his neck as the intensity increased.

The rage overflowing from his body wanted to swallow Dan. He wanted to destroy him. If it wasn't for him, this wouldn't have happened.

"It's all... it's all because of you..."

As Dan found it harder and harder to breathe, his kicks and attempts to break free became feeble.

As James' claws began to penetrate Dan's skin, drops of blood soaked his claws and the floor.

These tiny drops of blood brought James back to awareness. He realized what he was about to do and released Dan.

James took a few steps back as Dan collapsed to the floor coughing.

Was he going to be a murderer at this point? No, he wasn't a killer. He couldn't do it. And he wasn't going to. His body relaxed with a last-minute change of heart. Still, it didn't change his fate. His emotions had undergone a rapid change.

Dan looked at James with clearer fear as his breathing became more regular. He almost killed him!

He was about to scream in rage and demand retribution when he looked up into James' face and saw that he was... crying! 

The tears from James's eyes were flowing down in torrents and watering the ground. The accusation in his eyes was gone and replaced by despair.

James had never felt so hopeless, not even in his first days here, not even when he didn't know himself.

Despite the lizard-like deformity of his face, the look of fear on his face was visible.

"I just... I wanted to stay human. I did everything I could. I met with one of the Vexos, I increased security, I even showed up to stop you myself..."

James fell to one knee. The anger inside him was gone. Only regret, unacceptance, and sadness took its place.

Dan, not understanding, shouted angrily:

"What, what does this have to do with the dimension controller? Once the Bakugans are free, there will be a way to cure you!"

Dan was confused and couldn't do anything about it. James took another small look around before answering his question. He could see that Drago was about to flip the switch.

His surroundings were in a much worse state than they should have been. To James, that was his only impact on the story. Destruction.

He felt even more depressed at the thought. He looked at Dan and then spoke with grief:

"You don't understand, right? That dimension controller restricts the bakugan, but it also restricts me... It stops me from transforming, into a beast."

James hiccupped as Dan was stunned. He took a few steps back as the uncontrollable urge to destroy surged through his body.

"Bakugan... I don't want to be... a beast... I want to stay who I am in my memories, but most of all… I don't want to leave my life here..."

But the reality was harsh. As much as he didn't want to, it was happening right in front of him and he was helpless to do anything.

For him, maybe when that switch was flipped, it would be the end of everything. Would he stand a chance if he dived between the lasers? He would probably die too.

At least he would live, even if he was a beast. He tried to think of it that way, but when he thought of the people he had met, his body shook with grief and his chest tightened with pain. Would he ever meet them again as a human being? Or would he remain a bakugan forever?

And at that very moment, the sound of a switch flipping was heard.

The flipping of the switch had no direct effect. Only the lights went out, similar to a power cut. As the transmission stopped, the sizzling of electricity from above could be heard. Of course, the sizzling could also be the effect of the damage done. Nevertheless, James knew that he was finished.

At that moment, he thought. He thought he had prepared this path perfectly. He convinced someone in charge to increase security. He participated in battles over and over and over again, collecting points, just as Fox wanted. Coincidentally, he had the opportunity to talk to Marucho. In the end, he even put himself on the line in case he wasn't stopped.

What was missing, though? Should he have found and talked to the main character in the first place? Or had he underestimated a reincarnator who might be someone other than him? Hadn't he given it enough thought as just a possibility?

These thoughts penetrated his mind. He felt awful. Like he had fallen into the pit of despair. And yet… he still forced himself to pull himself together. Because he had reached a realization. He had to stand strong. If he could not save himself, then… he at least had to prevent a disaster that would come from him.

Even though his plans had been faulty so far, he now knew what he had to do.

As he stood up, his first action was to ask Fox for confirmation:

"When I turn into a beast... I'll lose control, won't I?"

He knew that. The emotions inside him tried to take control of his body at various times. Most of the time, he could somehow regain control, but he knew that once the transformation was complete, he would no longer be in control.

Still, he wanted confirmation, and Fox gave it:

[That's the most likely possibility...]

James nodded gravely, despite Fox's voice, which sounded sad and unfathomably distant. He couldn't hear Dan and Drago talking. He didn't have time to answer their questions and the looks they were throwing at him, with their various emotions intertwined.

He thought about where he was now. In probably fifteen or sixteen seconds, the controller would be destroyed and explode. And when that happened, he would lose himself.

If he was going to lose himself, he had to minimize the damage. He didn't want to hurt anyone living up there.

He fixed his eyes on the ceiling. He didn't think he had the strength to smash all the metal plates one after the other. He was very strong for a human, but he was no Superman.

He could smash the wall with a few punches, but... well, there was nothing to do. James made his way out of the room and kicked the floor. He ran out of there as fast as he could.