Chapter 3 - Talking to Esther

The light reflected in the window illuminated the cluttered room. The discomfort of the light caused James's tiny body to heat up and wake with discomfort. He moved to avoid the light and rolled himself under the lamp into the shade.

He closed his eyes, thinking he could fall asleep again. But just as he tried to do so, a yawning, tired voice was heard.

"Huh? When did it become morning?"

Esther supported herself on the bed with her left hand as she straightened up slowly. Then she looked around blankly for a short while. Her room was as chaotic as ever. She blinked tiredly and a yawn escaped her mouth once more as she parted her pink lips.

'Here we go again...'

She thought as she rubbed her eyes. She had to hurry so she wouldn't be late. Xayah usually encouraged her in a situation like this. "The early riser has more time for herself," she would tell her. Now, though… there was only silence.

She lowered her legs to the left side of the bed. She swept around with her eyes. She did not feel the need to hurry. The fatigue radiating from her whole body had not yet passed. The muscle aches encouraged her to stay in bed.

Out of habit, she looked at the nightstand and paused at what she saw. The picture frame that should have been on the nightstand was lying on the floor. Pieces of glass were scattered around. Her eyes widened in surprise. What had happened and why had it fallen?

She hadn't thought about it properly because of the absurd fatigue that had overtaken her whole body, but now… it was so strange. Her gaze shifted to the lamp and she saw the underwear hanging there. Then, the orb just below it.

That was not its place. She remembered very clearly, she must have put it back in the center. What was it doing there?

It was weird, extremely weird. And the position it was in was exactly as if it had been crossed to avoid the light.

Just then, she heard a male voice.

"Do you... Do you hear me? Esther? Esther!?"

She paused. The voice was low, muffled, and grizzled. It would have been impossible to hear if her room hadn't been completely silent. Whoever it was should have at least cleared his throat before speaking.

She stood dumbfounded before looking intently at the source of the voice, the orb. Was this a Bakugan? Was it possible?

It might have been possible. She had heard rumors that the waves coming from Beta City had once transformed them into ball forms. But she didn't know how true it was.

Of course, that was her first thought, but then… she realized that there was a point here that didn't make sense. The bakugans here, in their original form, were in this sphere pocket and in ball form. So it would be... a bit weird if it really was a Bakugan.

But that seemed to be the best possibility she had. After thinking about so many things and hearing his voice a few more times, Esther took the white bakugan between her fingers to speak.

"I hear you, you don't have to shout."

She said this with an uncomfortable expression. Her head could not handle a normal sound, let alone a loud one. 

The white Bakugan then lowered his voice. It was much harder to understand, but in the silence, it was clear enough.

"You couldn't hear me when I tried yesterday. Finally..."

Esther heard a sigh of relief. She looked at it in confusion. She didn't remember hearing someone's voice. After shaking her head from side to side, she decided to listen for it to speak.

After all, if it hadn't spoken for a long time and suddenly did, it must have something to talk about, right?

The white bakugan, James, waited for her to ask a similar question at that moment. He wasn't sure how to explain it. The weirdness of the situation was perhaps among the weirdest he had experienced in his two lifetimes. What explanation or words could he say?

And so, he decided to wait for Esther. He would answer her questions calmly and ask for her help with his goals. At least that was his plan.

But there was a short silence as they waited for each other to speak. Each expected the other to ask a question or make a statement, but when this did not happen, an awkward silence ensued.

When the awkward silence became uncomfortable, James decided it was best to tell it as it happened. Of course with some parts obscured.

"First of all, miss, allow me to introduce myself. I am James. James of the White Ones, of no element."

A small look of surprise appeared on Esther's face as James said these words. Of course, James being a bakugan was a scenario she had really expected, but being in her room... it felt strange. She raised an eyebrow questioningly, her tone curious.

"James, is it really you? Have you... become a ball?"

Realizing she had asked a very stupid question, she quickly recovered and tried to ask what she was really curious about.

"You're the one who brutally attacked me back there and..."

But before she could continue, James assumed a calm tone.

"I don't know. I didn't have 'full' control then, I just attacked and consumed… mindlessly"

He was calm, but not sad. Everything had been restored, after all. Much of the damage he had done had been undone. At least a big part of it...

At that moment, he thought of someone, Ryuu… the other reincarnator who had worked hard to stop him... What was his condition? He had to find out. He had to do so to ease his own conscience.

While James was thinking about this, Esther had gone silent. These words, confirming what she had expected, had left her at a loss for words. Of course, she recovered very quickly. After all, she had other questions to ask.

"How and why? How is it possible for you to be in this form? You are, after all, a vestal-"

Just then James interrupted her.

"No, I'm not a vestal. At least not exactly. Some kind of hybrid, half-Bakugan, half-Vestal. Whatever you want to call it."

His voice was too still. What James was saying was the obvious truth, and there was no emotion in the way he said it. This made Esther uncomfortable, but also curious.

"How? I mean, is such a thing possible? I was just..."

For a moment, an extremely strange scene flashed in her mind. A giant dragon father, twenty meters tall, and a vestal mother were side by side. In the middle of them was their child James. All three of them were happy in this scene, but it was weird.

James quickly noticed her strange expression as her face became weird with it. He asked curiously:

"What are you thinking about?"

Esther quickly shook her head from side to side and replied:

"I'm not thinking anything. Just… explain to me."

Instead of pressing her, James began to tell her what had happened. After all, he had plenty of time to spare and he saw no problem in telling Esther, the only person who could help him.

"Well... When I first came here, I lost my memory. I had almost nothing and I was only aware that I was a hybrid."

At that moment, Esther noticed something specific in his words, but instead of asking, she let him continue. James, on the other hand, continued with a languid narration.

"I tried to win battles and stop the resistance so that I wouldn't turn into a bakugan completely."

He paused, James could feel Esther's curious and interested gaze. He thought carefully about how to choose his words. Then he continued:

"The Alpha Controller allowed me to maintain my vestal form. That's why I tried to thwart the Resistance until the end."

He sighed deeply and continued.

"But it was inevitable that I would fail. The Insurgents are right. I was just trying to survive. Putting an entire race in danger to protect one person's vestal form... It was absurd. But I thought I could buy time."

A chuckle was heard. He was laughing at himself. There was a slight note of contempt in his voice. He was aware of his situation and he shouldn't feel sorry for himself. But he regretted all the effort he had made. How futile it had been!

"So here I am. I have failed and lost my vestal form. Now, I am thinking of ways to regain it."

As he finished the story, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in Esther's mind. She was able to make sense of James' strange behavior and his struggle despite being 'sick'. All in the name of preventing this transformation!

Still, something felt missing. It was obvious that something was missing, but she didn't want to ask him now and open the wound even more.

Sadness and grief, that's what many Bakugan have experienced since the vestals came here. She knew all too well Xayah's search for her lover and her longing for him. James' situation, though... It was hard to even empathize with him.

Esther showed a sad expression as she pulled him closer to her. After a slight shake of her head, she asked:

"So in that case... is there anything I can do?"

James took a deep breath before answering. He wasn't sure himself. A silver glow appeared through the gaps in the ball.

"I don't know... I can't even change my ball form right now... I need to think… ahead..."

He had bright ideas. The rotations were set. He also relied on the best thing a lawyer can rely on to convince someone: his tongue. He just had to decide which rotation would be best and how they should proceed.

Esther's face took on a thoughtful expression. Then, she suddenly remembered something as her face paled. She immediately stood up. She looked at the clock, then panicked even more:

"I'm late!"

James was startled by her hasty departure.

"What's going on!?"

Esther rushed into the bathroom, holding him with one hand. She put him in front of the mirror and began to smooth her hair with a comb. It was then that she answered James:

"I'm late for the restaurant, I have to hurry!"

And that… left James speechless.