Chapter 36 - Completed Quest

James had been waiting for a while. He was tapping a rhythm with his foot and listening quietly to Victor and Lucy's conversation.

Just when things seemed to be getting somewhere, the system window appeared.

<Quest completed. Receiving reward...>

He smiled with satisfaction when he saw this window. His quick and effective decision was more than justified. And that was how he got his reward.

<Reward received. Current SP Amount: 6.632>

<Updated list of available modules…>

As interested as he was in the second system notification, he closed it because he only needed a specific module. His progress was more than satisfactory.

James closed his eyes and stopped leaning back against the door, opening it slightly. Then he walked softly away.

...

Inside the moving vehicle, called "Resistence Mobile Base", which looked like a train, a young man could be seen looking out of the window at the parched earth.

The young man's eyes, black but glowing with the light of life, revealed that he was not a vestal but a human being. His hair was short and black. He wore a black jacket with purple embroidery.

When he was in the middle of his own thoughts, he held the purple stripes of his jacket and smoothed them slightly. It was a habit from his old life.

At this exact moment, there was a thud in the back.

"Aaaa! I can't wait to kick the Vexos' ass!"

A young man with brown hair and bright red eyes showed extreme excitement while talking to himself. He was wearing a red jacket with yellow stripes and white pants. In his excitement he could not stand still, he was stomping on the ground.

Despite his excitement, a blue-eyed vestal with light lilac hair, who was driving and controlling the vehicle in front, turned his head and spoke with a smile:

"Calm down, Master Dan. We are almost there."

He was wearing a white vest which had a golden pattern. Actually, this young man was also clearly excited. It was even in his voice. Like any fighter, he wanted to fight. But he was also patient. 

On the horizon, Alpha City was already in sight. The youth, addressed as Dan, pointed to the city as he saw it.

"There it is! Alpha City."

At this moment, a dragon-like bakugan ball with light green eye color and golden horns opened and a booming voice sounded:

"Calm down, Dan."

Dan scratched his head as the bakugan reminded him of the situation.

"You're right, Drago. Haha!"

Drago sighed.

Meanwhile, next to the young man in the black jacket came a boy not even half his height. He had straight, short blond hair. He had deep blue eyes. He wore gloves and a T-shirt over a vest in colors that matched the color of his eyes.

As he adjusted his glasses slightly, he noticed that the boy was very preoccupied and asked with concern:

"Are you alright Ryuu?"

Ryuu turned his gaze to the little boy as soon as he heard the voice. He tried to smile:

"I'm fine, Marucho. I was just... thinking about Leonidas."

Even though he said that, it was obvious that it was much more than that. Marucho could understand why he felt so sad, so he kept silent. He had felt the same way before he found Elfin as a companion.

No matter how hard he searched, Ryuu couldn't find a Bakugan that was compatible with him, the type that would help him.  Deep down inside, Ryuu sometimes felt that he was the unnecessary wheel in the car. His presence or absence didn't seem to matter much.

He used to be able to support his friends, to save the 'world' with them, but now he couldn't do that. It was as if his arms and legs were cut off.

Still, he did not want to reflect these thoughts to his friends and lower the morale of the team. He was aware of the importance of the mission they were on.

Ryuu laughed when he saw Marucho's sad expression.

"Come on, there's nothing to worry about. I'll try to help you as much as I can, even without my Bakugan."

Marucho breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he seemed to have recovered a little more. The gloomy atmosphere in Ryuu had disappeared.

At this moment, Dan's voice was heard:

"Of course Ryuu! Together we will save everyone!"

Dan was as energetic as ever. But Ryuu could see that he was just as determined.

Having been friends with Dan for so many years, he thought he was a man who did what he set his mind to. That's why he knew how much that statement meant. He didn't even need to say it.

That was one of the main reasons they had come.

Still, those words were enough to brighten his depressed mood.

Ryuu stopped straightening his jacket and turned towards Dan. He nodded in understanding and spoke:

"Thanks."

As Ryuu sincerely said those words, the door to his left opened.

"Guys, what are you doing?"

A girl with short orange hair and sapphire blue eyes walked in. This girl was the first to enter and her skin was white like everyone else. The first thing that attracted attention was her blue earrings. Immediately after them, her small silver jacket and white gloves stood out. The unevenly sized boots she was wearing looked strange, no doubt.

Immediately behind her entered another young man with pale teal hair and cold gray eyes. He wore a purple long-sleeved shirt with black and gray trim, grayish-white trousers and black boots. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, a look of dissatisfaction could be seen on his face.

Just behind him entered an another young man with long hair down to his yawns and brown eyes. He undoubtedly looked even stranger than the two in front of him, even more so than the orange-haired girl.

He wore an all-black sweater, fingerless gloves that reached to his elbows and rubber boots of a similar color. When they first met, he had pulled down the green cloth that covered half of his face and the top of his head. Now it covered his neck and shoulders, falling slightly to his chest.

Ryuu answered with a smile:

"Nothing."

Then he turned to the young man dressed as a ninja and sneered:

"When are you going to take off those weird clothes, Shun? You look like a ninja in these."

Dan and Marucho laughed at this. Even the pale teal haired youth smiled slightly wryly, while the orange haired one held herself back from laughing. The orange-haired girl gently suggested:

"We should have some extra clothes, try them on if you want."

Shun sighed and gently declined, changing the subject:.

"Thanks Mira, but it's not necessary. This clothes are more than useful right now. Besides, we're almost there, aren't we?"

Mira spoke as if confirming his words:

"We should be there by tomorrow. We'll hide the Mobile Base somewhere nearby to avoid being caught by the Vexos and go over our plans once more."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Ryuu had a strange feeling that he couldn't make sense of, but he remained silent.

Immediately after that, Dan spoke excitedly:

"Then let's practice one more time! What do you say, Drago, Baron?"

Drago replied in his usual stern voice:

"Okay."

Baron squealed with happiness:

"That would be great, Master Dan!" 

The pale-teal-haired youth sighed and complained when he saw his friends in front of him, no more than children.

"Ah, idiots."

Ryuu laughed meaningfully in the corner.

Dan was the same person after all. But… could Ryuu say the same about himself? He had seen the whole world as nothing more than a cartoon when he first arrived, but after his unpleasant experience with doom card users, reality had hit him hard.

He couldn't be as excited as Dan or as overly calm as Shun. Well, he didn't have to force himself to be. Still, deep down inside he admired Dan's desire to fight, which was always burning inside him, and he wanted to fight like Dan.

Unfortunately, his dear friend, comrade and partner, Darkus Leonidas, was simply defeated. At least that was what was known.

Still, Ryuu was sure that there might be something else behind it.