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The gentle, nigh-imperceptible swaying is what first woke him. Dan's eyes fluttered open, and he was yet again in the cabin for one that was reserved for him by the ever-helpful Marucho. Try as he might, he could never truly evade the Marukura Group's heir for long. Dan sat up in bed, shifting the covers down and slipping to his feet as the last vespers of fatigue drifted away. A glance at his phone revealed an awkward truth: it was 5:26 AM.
Wow, he was up early.
He stretched, yawning, knowing for sure that he wouldn't be able to return to sleep by now. He glanced around the room wearily, gazing at the drawer and the simple, modernistic painting on the wall and then at the window to the outside. It was impossible to perceive the still-dark world beyond.
That is, until a click, gentle yet foreboding, preceded the lights of the room blasting on. Dan made a faint, shocked grumble at that and shielded his eyes, allowing them to gradually adjust to the terrible brightness of it all. Ugh, he really needed to stop getting up so early.
"Daniel," a deeper, more growly voice chided, "you're up early again."
He squinted at where the light switch was. Hovering beside it, a wing pressed against it, is Drago, opened up in his statuette form. Dan stumbled uncomfortably towards the bathroom, some variety of "uncalled for, man..." mumbled under his breath. The animated figurine just chuckled and began to drift across the room, watching as Dan reached for the door.
"You were awake, so, I-"
"I know, I know..."
Getting ready for the day ahead of him wasn't difficult, but thinking about what to do was. It'd be so easy if the warmth of the shower water could wash away everything, and then he could forget about it all and go back to when they were just toys and it was just a game. What a joke, honestly. It's not worth just bemoaning all that happened, but, still, his tank finally ran out and then he was sitting on empty.
When he exited the bathroom, Drago had already laid a few choices for an outfit out. While Dan appreciated the help, did he always have to do everything for him? Oh well. He soon stood before the mirror, raking a brush through messy brown hair and staring back at himself. A red-and-maroon jacket over a simple black shirt, emblazoned with the Pyrus symbol, dark blue jeans, matching white socks mostly concealed by low-cut leathery boots, and his goggles. Never forget the goggles.
His hands twitched a bit as he glanced at the Baku-Meter placed on the nightstand, but, as he slipped his keycard and phone into his pocket, he left the room without it. People would still recognize him, of course, but he just didn't feel like it. What an... odd sensation.
The door clicked shut behind him and he stood in the narrow and quaint hallway, immediately feeling as if the wooden walls were closing in on him. He shuddered and began to walk off in a hurry, Drago trailing behind him. It was quiet, no doubt because it was only 6:01 AM and the wide variety of vacation-goers just weren't up yet. He passed by cabin after cabin, stepping silently so as to not awaken anyone at all. As he followed the signs to stairwell, he slipped his phone from his pocket, powering it on with a tap. Cruise ship Wi-Fi was expensive; thank goodness Marucho had it covered.
The app for the ship opened in sync with Drago politely inquiring, "Dan, what did you want to do today?"
He shrugged. "Um... dunno."
"You can't... 'dunno,' forever. This is supposed to be... fun, no?"
Was it? His lip curled into a frown in tandem with his nonchalant shrug as his eyes scanned the glowing electronic screen. There were so many events today: dance classes, shows at the theatre on board, social events, happy hours, and...
He's halted in his tracks as his eyes passed over one most interesting piece of information.
A Bakugan tournament, using the Earthen 2009 rules. He mumbled aloud as he continued reading the details, finding that, "...no need to have a Baku-Meter, they will be provided, sign up now..."
Drago turned to face Dan at that moment. "...Dan," he whispered, "a Bakugan tournament? It'd be just like old times; I'd love to stretch my wings again, if you'd, er..."
His excited rambling faded soon into uncomfortable silence as Dan didn't even bother to look up at him. He momentarily pressed a hand to his temple, the whirring and clicking and explosive destruction wrought by that awful monster of his own creation as the crowd in Interspace ran from the very one they so happily cheered for just a second ago echoing through his mind, and-
"Dan!"
He gasped, stumbling out of his terrified reverie and finally granting Drago the courtesy of at least some eye contact. His partner drifted closer, gazing back at him for some time, before remarking, "...you're trembling. We don't have to do it, if... if you are not willing. We could always, er..."
Drago, too, began to stare at Dan's phone screen, desperately trying to find an alternative solution. Dan just sighed, shook his head, and clenched his fist a little tighter.
"It's... it's ok, we can do it, I just... ugh. What if we lose control, um...?"
A phantasmal "again" lingered on his tongue, but never quite escaped his mouth. Drago, much to his surprise, laughed at him. It wasn't rude, or condescending, more just... shocked? He couldn't quite make heads nor tails of his partner's mood, which was likely a bad thing and evidence of him further slipping away from the illustrious fame he had fought tooth and nail for, but, oh well.
"Dan, my evolution into Fusion Dragonoid marked the end of our struggles with that power. And... with the destruction of Mechtavius Destroyer, didn't that mark the end of-"
"Alright, alright, uh, whatever, I'll do it."
Drago sighed at Dan's more hasty interjection, but, at least Dan agreed, right? That's worth something, at least. Dan squinted at the timing section of the description: sign-ups start at 10:00 AM sharp, and the actual event commences at 12:00 PM. Sure, he just needed to find something to do for approximately, well, four hours. Surely yet another walk around the outer deck of the ship wouldn't hurt, right?
---
It turned out that the tournament was held in the auditorium, which wasn't that much of a shocker. With the hood to his jacket over his head and Drago firmly stashed into his pocket, Dan was able to slip in perfectly fine. The less attention he could draw to himself, the better.
As he stepped in, it took him a few moments to adjust to what was suddenly quite the bustling venue. The room itself was a massive, cavernous hall lined with rows upon rows of seats all colored a soft blue. There were even a few separate floors, no doubt to entertain massive audiences for whenever they held musicals or other such shows in the place. This time, however, the majority were gathered on the bottom floor, close to the stage. Dan could almost smell the excitement radiating off of every brawler there, mixing and melding with the faint smell of lemon, no doubt from the cleaning crew, and-
"Yo, dude. Yeah, you, in the red."
Dan, most definitely startled by the intrusion into his thoughts, gasped before half-glaring at whoever said that. Except, it wasn't a human. Instead, a pair of Pyrus Bakugan just, well, floated there. He recognized one: an El Condor in reds and oranges, keeping silent vigil, while the other one, a similarly-shaded Gargonoid, continued chattering on.
"So, like, my friend and I saw you walking in and we kinda dug your vibe. So, like, didja have an open space or two for-"
"W-Wait, hang on, who...?"
Dan couldn't help but feel his mind strain to accommodate the situation before him. The Gargonoid let out quite the chilled-out laugh in response, drifting ever-closer to Dan in the process.
"Dude, relaaaax. Co and I are from Bakugan City. You know, that place? We, uh, haha, hitched a ride in some unsuspecting lady's suitcase and ended up here. Wild, yeah? Look around, dude, plenty of others did the same."
Dan blinked once, and then twice, and then he heard a click and Drago was floating out of his pocket. He let out a momentary hiss of discomfort and began scrambling to relocate the living, breathing HEY GUYS DAN IS IN THE BUILDING creature, but not before Drago managed to get out, "Bakugan City, hmm? I take it things have been going well back there, then-"
As Dan muffled his partner by grasping him tight with his hands, the two Bakugan before him went stone-cold silent for a moment. The El Condor, or Co, quickly spoke up, though, stating, "why, if that wasn't Dragonoid! Gargy, my dear, it would seem that we have met quite the celebrity, indeed!"
Gargy, since that's apparently their name, drifted even closer to Dan, perhaps too close, and whispered, their voice suddenly quite reverent and awe-struck, "...dude. THE Dan? Like, Dan the man, uh, I dunno, a buncha other titles I can't remember?"
Much to his dismay, Dan couldn't help but notice everyone else in an approximately 15-meter radius around him turn to face the still-hooded brawler. Or, well, ex-brawler, except for where he was at that moment. With a more frustrated sigh, he turned around, scurrying up to the stairs to the second floor of the auditorium. Of course, the pair of hovering Bakugan followed along, but with his departure, people seemed to go back to whatever theory-crafting and general chatter they were up to before.
Drago, too, made his presence very well known as he finally wriggled himself free of Dan's hands and hovered by his head, beginning some sort of annoyed rant or whatever that he always did, but a soft fuzz had began to creep through Dan's head, one that blocked everything else out. It coiled around him like a serpent, like a blanket, like a soft yet chilling paradise with its gates closed shut to him-
"...uh, sorry man."
Dan blinked once more, trying to recover some bit of sentience as his eyes flitted towards Gargy. They sounded genuine, at least, right? Co hovered beside them, falling silent and allowing for Gargy to continue. "Like... uh, you look pretty rough. Maybe you should go and smell the, uh, roses. That's how that human saying goes, right? Uh, sorry for bugging you, man, we didn't wanna cause any-"
"...n-no, just, um..."
With a sigh, he glanced out over at the stage, where some employees seemed to be setting up the places where pairs of brawlers may stand to face off against each other: an Attribute Ring on the floor, a good four or so feet from one end to the next. Containers of Baku-Meters were carried in amidst the hubbub; where they got them, Dan didn't know.
"I'm... well, I'll have to make myself known when I start the tournament but I wanna go, uh, mostly... unnoticed, ok? But, yeah, you guys can brawl with me."
With an excited gasp from Gargy and a more approving chuckle from Co, Dan collected both of them in his hands, with Drago keeping point beside his head. No matter how he tried to resist it, that familiar surge of adrenaline kicked up once again deep within his chest. It drifted effortlessly through his body and soon enough, he was busying himself with constructing a deck according to the rule of three he knew all too well: three Ability Cards, three gate Cards, and just three Bakugan.
Signing up was easy. So was building his deck: the lender Baku-Meter he received, as with any other Baku-Meter, could digitally reproduce any card and activate its effects in a brawl. At first, he received little attention, although the people running the sign-up booth gave him a rather surprised look as he told them his name. As he found his seat to wait for it all to begin, he couldn't still the shakiness in his hands. But, his woes should be a world away, right? No Mag Mel. No Anubias, no Wizeman, no Mechatvius Destroyer, no Chaos Energy, just a simple tournament.
---
And a simple tournament it was. To nobody's surprise at all, the former #1 brawler still had it in him to put up a decent fight. The bracket was single elimination, so if he slipped up once, he was out. He fell into a routine, forgetting the doubts and worries that plagued him for a precious hour or so. Round after round, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then, the finals. He, and one other person, the last two standing. He never could get their name; every person he brawled was someone he didn't recognize, with decks he could easily best with tried-and-true Pyrus brute force.
Even the Haos brawlers he faced couldn't quite meet the arms race that Fusion Dragonoid warranted. They were who worried him the most, but, not anymore. By then, the auditorium was abuzz with knowledge of his presence, but he just needed to do one last brawl and then he could disappear again. As the final match of the semi-finals concluded, Dan stared down at his Baku-Meter screen, further memorizing the artsy depiction of Dragon Astral, the strongest version of Boosted Dragon he'd ever wielded. Except, that's when the announcer spoke once more, stating, "and now, our finals will begin! Can our brawlers please come to the stage?"
Dan stood from his seat and began to calmly walk towards the stage, ignoring the murmurs about him to the best of his ability. Try as he might, sprinkling in "I'm just here for fun" and "hey, chill out" as often as he could, knowledge of his presence whipped up a whirling, discomforting buzz of activity. And then, he stood there, at the other end of the Attribute Ring, quietly reviewing his strategies.
He had no clue who his opponent could be. And yet, as she took to the stage and soon stood met him on the ring, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of familiarity at the most elegant individual before him.
She was on the taller side, slender, refined, a few years older than Dan, no doubt. She had a more fair complexion, gazing back at Dan with gentle brown eyes, with auburn-red hair styled into a tight, low bun, the bangs brushed behind her ear. She adjusted her fancy white-and-teal hat with a ribbon tied just above its brim, smoothing her hands down on a cream-brown scarf worn over a simpler alabaster button-up. She took her position, leather boots clicking against the floor, her pleated skirt swishing with each movement, before she raised her hat's brim, and smiled.
"Dan. Long time no see."
"...A-Alice...?"
The image of her Dan held from well over three years ago shattered like glass in a mirror. Alice extended her Baku-Meter arm out at Dan, chuckling all the while, eventually prompting the shocked Dan to do the same.
"We can talk later. For now, we have a tournament to conclude, no?"
Dan couldn't help the shudder at her calm and calculated attitude. It's as if he had lost the moment he stepped onto the stage, and yet, he couldn't just turn tail. He nodded, pointed his Baku-Meter back at Alice, and did his best to clear his mind.
"Field, Open!"
It would be over in a matter of seconds for everyone else. For Dan and Alice, they found themselves drawn into the pocket realm familiar to both, the battlefield of swirling rainbow nebulae and plain white tiling. They moved in unison, their Baku-Meters projecting their first cards as they hurled them out into the expanse.
"Gate Card, set!"
Both cards expanded the moment they touched the ground, illuminated in red and violet and becoming large enough to accommodate the true forms of the Bakugan. Dan narrowed his eyes, concocting a plan: rush Alice's Gate Card first so that he could play on his own next, claiming two at the same time. He grasped Co's marble in his hand, and, without any further delay, took aim.
"Bakugan, brawl! Stand: Pyrus El Condor!"
As Co soared into the fray, Dan tapped his Baku-Meter, and a card slid from out of thin air into his hand.
"And, Ability Card activate: Rapid Fire!"
With a brief flick of his wrist, he rolled Gargy's marble into the same hand holding Rapid Fire, hurling them both after Co. With a thunderous boom and a flurry of hot, sultry wind, the bat-like Gargy and the wooden, hovering Co took point on Alice's Gate Card. Alice didn't seem bothered at all, though. Instead, she nodded, took a step back, and held a Darkus Bakugan out towards them both.
"Not much for chit-chat this time, hmm?"
Why would he?
But, that seemed to have been rhetorical, as Alice soon hurls her first Bakugan into the fray.
"Oh well. Bakugan, brawl! Stand: Darkus Centipoid!"
Dan felt his bones shake just a little, rattling within their biological confines, as a gargantuan centipede-like creature in shades of violet and black and gold rose to meet his dual Pyrus challenge and unleashed a cacophonous, screeching roar. Alice didn't waste any time at all, pointing down at her Gate Card whilst a card formed within her hand.
"You've walked right into my trap, Dan. Gate Card open: Aquos Hazard! Ability Card activate: Tidal Wave!"
An explosion of misty foam erupted from the Gate Card amidst rays of eerie white light, and, in that instant, all three of the Bakugan present on it turned a brilliant palate of Aquos.
Crap. No more Pyrus cards.
What was even worse was what happened next: Centipoid, spurred on by the activation of Tidal Wave, screeched, reared its head back, and then slammed its mandibles down onto the floor beneath it. Everything began to tremble, with Alice taking a more wide-legged stance so as to not fall. Meanwhile, Dan, not expecting that at all, is knocked onto his back, opting to watch what came next from a lower vantage.
With a thunderous roar of a thousand waves crashing against the shore all at once, a column of misty water erupted from the ground, enveloping both Co and Gargy within. It then began to rapidly surge towards Dan, his pair of tag-alongs caught within, and before he could so much as stagger to his feet, a pair of Aquos marbles lay before him. He plucked them off of the ground, gazing out at Alice and Centipoid in shock.
All Alice did was giggle in response as Centipoid soon reverted to marble form, landing in her hand, Aquos Hazard dissolving into the ether afterwards. Dan huffed a quiet breath out at nothing in particular; she's clearly been practicing.
Not seeing the use in setting another card when the one he set was made for Drago, he handily slipped his partner into his dominant hand, eyes narrowed. He just needs to win the 3v1, somehow.
"...ok. Bakugan, brawl! Stand: Pyrus Fusion Dragonoid!"
Amidst a flurry of rainbow light and roaring flames, Dragonoid took his true form, hovering up high into the air. Resolute as ever, he glowered down at his opponent, but never could quite stop the faint grin curling the side of his maw, flashing a dangerous glint of fangs.
It was clear Drago was glad to see Alice doing so well.
Speaking of, Alice tapped her Baku-Meter, fashioning a second Gate Card that fell into her hands. Dan noticed two Bakugan clutched between her fingers: one Aquos, no doubt Centipoid, and a second Darkus one. Here went nothing, it would seem.
"Gate Card, set! Bakugan, brawl! Stand: Aquos Centipoid!"
Centipoid, now in its true form on the brand-new Gate Card across from the one Drago hovered above, stared up at its foe in anticipation. They wouldn't cross blades, not yet, but it's clear both Bakugan and brawler were taking no chances at all.
Dan would have been content to just sit in a standoff until the end of time itself. Alice, meanwhile, did not seem to share his sentiment.
"Ability Card activate: Aqua Javelin! Bakugan, brawl! Stand: Darkus Alpha Hydranoid!"
He could practically feel his blood ice over. He had hesitated, and he'd soon become undone. Centipoid reared its head back once again, fashioning a spear-like blade of bubbling water in between its mandibles. With some difficulty, it stabbed the implement into the ground, highlighting both Gate Cards on the field in brilliant shades of cyan. And then, a marble, dark as night, soared over its body, careening towards where Dan's Gate Card no doubt once was.
"Aqua Javelin is an Aquos Card that switches the position of two adjacent Gate Cards. Anyways. Arise, Hydra!"
Right in tandem with Alice's more dramatic gesture towards her partner, Dan watched as a cloud of thick black fog whipped up from seemingly nowhere. Within, he could just barely make out the silhouette of an all-too familiar threat. With a triad of distinct yet equally horrifying roars, the clouds part, and the towering three-headed beast made its presence known. With a snarl-like cackle, he looked up to Dragonoid, speaking in a hiss.
"Long time no see, Drago~!"
Drago remained silent. However, it was clear that Alice held all the cards, figuratively. Drago no doubt overpowered Hydranoid in sheer might: 1200G:550G was nothing to scoff at. However, it's clear this was anticipated.
"Now, attack! Gate Card open: Equalizer! Side-Correlation: Aquos and Darkus!"
What was then Alice's Gate Card erupted with a shower of emerald light, and Drago grunted, a pained grimace preluding his gradual descent closer to the ravenous Hydranoid. Dan glanced at his Baku-Meter: the ratio was evenly matched, with 875G across the board. Except, Hydranoid's form burst into brilliant violet, showering the battlefield in an impossible glow, as his G Power increased to 925G.
Crap. Dan wasn't going to let Alice get away with that. However, before he was able to grasp Dragon Astral within his hand, Alice had already presented her next card, and in that moment, it was evident that Dan was not walking away with a win.
"No so fast! Ability Card activate: Terminal Trident!"
Before Drago could so much as gasp, Hydranoid unleashed a gargantuan barrage of crackling fuchsia energy from his three gaping maws, sweeping him away amidst a thunderous, roaring boom. Drago's marble clattered to Dan's feet soon after, and Hydranoid, snarling with glee, gazes down at Dan with shimmering magenta eyes.
"Hmph. You've lost your nerve, huh?"
Dan couldn't find it in himself to respond. Instead, he stood there, retrieving Drago's marble and letting not another word slip from his tongue.
---
The battlefield began to dissolve away around both him and Alice, and eventually the stage replaced the white tiling surrounding them on all sides. Dan slinked away as people applauded for Alice, the true winner of the tournament, and he quickly made for the exit.
Through the haze of his I-told-you-so attitude, though, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Alice, her smile replaced with more of a concerned frown. He noticed her holding a pair of trophies, one gold and the other silver, as well as an odd, blank, metallic card.
"...Dan. You don't seem well. I can take us to the upper deck, that park area, if you want."
He blinked confusedly before memory returned, and with a glance to the card and then to Alice, he nodded. She smiled wide in response, jubilant as ever, and flipped the card to display its other side, a blank white square. The shape expanded, enveloping both her and Dan, and reality twisted for just that split second around them both.
When Dan's world stopped spinning, he found himself in a new area with Alice stood happily beside him. On the 8th deck of the ship, there was this cozy outside area full of walking paths, plants, and a few cafes that was officially called "Central Park," although, due to how small it was in comparison to where it no doubt got its name from, it instead felt a little silly to Dan. Why waste all that water when the walking paths on the fourth deck were just fine? But, Alice was walking away, and there's no point in mulling over weird decisions that companies make with their money.
As Dan hurried after the spritely Alice, she called back over her shoulder with, "so, the tournament organizers wanted me to give you the silver trophy. Some kid I defeated got bronze, which, well, good for him, haha."
"...I didn't know you were back into brawling. After, um, well..."
Alice frowned, the corners of her eyes tightening. She nodded, though, responding, "...fair point. After Shadow's attack, I... had lost my steam. It was only very recently, after a long chat with Hydra, that I decided to try again. I couldn't have chosen a better time. After all, I ended up finding you again, no?"
She shot a more coy smirk Dan's way at that. He couldn't help the brief rush of blood to his face at the wink she made, but, whatever, he needed to focus up. It's been too long, after all.
"U-Um... well, yeah, sure. Um, where are we going?"
Alice slipped the warp card back into her pocket before pointing off to the side, towards one of the cafes lining the sides of the park. Off in the near distance were the automatic doors leading back into the ship itself, momentarily catching Dan's eye as a mother and her child walked out for them. Hopefully they're having fun, unlike-
"Dan. Over there."
Dan winced, noticing that he was looking the complete wrong way. Finally, he followed where Alice's finger pointed, finding her staring expectantly at a more American-styled coffee shop of sorts. The drink always made him more tired than anything else, but, maybe they had smoothies, or something else like that? Going to get coffee and then not getting coffee felt like such a faux pas, though.
He then was jolted from his reverie as Alice cleared her throat. With a faint giggle, she shook her head before reaching for her pocket once more.
"We can always try somewhere else. But, still, I wanted to go out for lunch or something like that with you. After all, it's been a few years, and-"
"N-No, um, it's fine, we can, uh, go there."
Dan half-forced a smile at his most hasty response, one that Alice no doubt could recognize. She hummed a bit, turned towards the cafe, and delicately took Dan's hand in hers.
"Then, in we go."
He half-wanted to pretend that Alice taking his hand was just some random tic of hers, one he knew she would do with Runo all the time way back when, but at the same time, she definitely knew what she was doing. Maybe she didn't know how much it set Dan's mind at ease, that brief gesture, the softness of her palm against his, but, it was nice. She eventually let go once they were closer to the cafe, but Dan didn't find the typical storm clouds settling as heavily above him, not that time. It was freeing, for lack of a better word.
They soon stood side-by-side just a little ways away from the counter, gazing at the menu together. It's clear that Alice was going to go for some sort of espresso, but Dan had no clue what to get. He had to pick something, though, right? After much deliberation and a bit of frustration, he opted for a tea, one of those iced ones with a weird herbal mix that would probably taste like fruit. Generic, plain, fruit.
Alice, giving Dan little time to offer otherwise, paid for the both of them before moving off to find a table for two. She had soon slipped into a chair, the other pulled out for Dan, who sat down and watched as she plopped her purse onto the surface itself, the tried-and-true way of claiming a spot. It'd be a bit before the order was ready, so the baristas got to work, only the sounds of machinery and the faint scent of coffee evidence that it'd soon be done. Alice, her hands folded in her lap, eyed Dan with curiosity as he struggled to maintain any sort of eye contact at all.
"...so. Um... forgive me for asking, but... is everything ok? You don't seem as..."
She trailed off, fighting through her mind for that last word, only for Dan to interject with, "excited? Yeah, I know. Ugh..."
Despite Alice being there, everything felt so clouded once more. The sun was doing its best to break through, though, as Alice spoke up again, smiling as gently as ever.
"Well, we don't have to chat about it if you don't want," she chirped. Dan merely shook his head; it'd be best to unpack it all here and now.
"No, um... just... ugh. After I beat Barodius and Code Eve sealed him away, I thought it was over. But... a year later, he returned as Mag Mel, and... caused... all sorts of issues. Drago and I, we... ugh. He wielded some sort of... chaotic force, one that made us lose control of what power we had. That's... where those Mechtogans came from, and..."
Dan found ice budding on his tongue instead of anything coherent to continue the story. Instead of curiosity, though, Dan found a more sympathetic glimmer in Alice's eyes as she gazed back at him. She reached a hand out, resting it atop Dan's, nodding at him. Soon, her smile returned, at least somewhat setting Dan's mind at ease.
"That... I know how that must've felt. I haven't heard much from my other half, not since Shadow's attack, but it was... it always weighed heavily on me. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that."
Dan glanced away and did his best to let the warmth of Alice's presence fight away everything else that clawed through his mind. Except, this next part, she had to hear.
"That's... not all."
"Oh?"
Should he? He didn't know. But, he had to, right?
"Um... some time after that, something... new appeared. Um... Wizeman, and... the Mechtogans. At... at first, we did fine against them, but the moment we let our guard down, they..."
A lump formed in Dan's throat. He was sure Alice was about to reassure him once again that he didn't need to say it, but, nevertheless, he kept speaking.
"...destroyed us, and Bakugan City, and... everyone in it. We... ended up in the Doom Dimension, which is when we learned via Drago that these Mechtogans, now Mechatvius Destroyer, went on to... lay waste to New Vestroia. Eventually we found out a way to reverse time and eliminate them, before they could... do all that, but... sometimes, I... I wonder if I left something behind, in that old timeline."
Dan could barely bring himself to meet Alice's eyes with his own as he muttered that last part. She grew a bit paler, no surprise there, and was no doubt about to respond, only for the barista to call her name. With a brief apology, she hopped to her feet and hurried to the counter, soon returning with two drinks: one in a cardboard-y mug, her espresso, and another in a plastic cup sealed up with a straw poking up out of the top. Dan gazed at the reddish liquid contained within as Alice placed it down before him. Rooibos, maybe? He stirred the ice cubes inside around a bit, and Alice took her seat once more.
As she did, her smile seemed to have made its grand return. She rested her hand around the mug, patiently allowing her mind to catch up to everything that Dan had just said. Eventually, her lips curled down into a slight frown, much to Dan's confusion.
"...well, I can now see why Marucho and Shun didn't want to... discuss that too much. But..." She reached a hand out all of a sudden, taking Dan's once more. She really seemed to like doing that, and Dan didn't really mind at all. What a perfect duo.
"Thank you, Dan."
Those three words sent a pang shuddering through Dan's chest. He could barely stop the long-withheld tears as they came, and, Alice wasn't done.
"I... I was on New Vestroia with Hydra, for some time. I... won't begin to pretend I understand how you truly feel, but know this: you saved not just my life, not just Hydra's, but the lives of countless Bakugan and humans, by doing what you did. By... shattering the laws of the universe and going through time to defeat that monster. Truly, in every sense of the word, you are a hero, Dan."
Dan sat there, a withering grimace fighting for dominance against a grateful smile. He rested his cheek against his knuckles, sniffling, glancing away from Alice, a murmur soon bubbling up from deep within his chest.
"...t-then... why don't I feel like one...?" Alice cocked an eyebrow at that, prompting Dan to continue on with, "I... I still lost. A-And... that led to, just... everyone... dying. Sure, I fixed it. But... that doesn't mean I... ugh. I don't even feel like playing Bakugan anymore, and that's-"
Alice slid Dan's tea closer to him with a finger, nodding, a more stern look suddenly flashing across her eyes.
"Drink your tea, you'll feel better."
There was no point in arguing, so, instead, Dan and Alice sat in silence for some time, enjoying their drinks, and to an extent, each other's company. The seed Alice planted began to bloom, however, as Dan suddenly understood what she meant.
He didn't give up. That's worth something, right?
---
Evening came fast, faster than he had expected. He and Alice had to momentarily part ways, but the promise of being able to see her again made the parting more sweet than sour. He found himself outside on the upper deck of the ship, right as the sun began to set. By tuning out the hubbub of the thousands of other ship-goers around him, he found it quite easy to focus on what was before him, as he leaned against the railing and just stared.
The open ocean around the ship had turned from a deep, depthless blue to a shade of indigo. But, it wasn't the same shade all the way around. The further he turned his head, the more he spotted flickers of light, faint glimmers of pink and orange and red and purple. It guided his eyes, turning them towards the cascade of multicolored splendor cast upon the waves by the ever-present sun. It was a parting gift, one last display of beauty before the star sunk beneath the horizon to bestow its warmth onto the rest of the world.
He was so transfixed that he didn't even notice her standing beside him. Perhaps she was just an emissary; someone bestowed upon him by the beauty of the sun. He knew that wasn't true, though, not after what they both went through, together. Six years ago felt an eon away, and yet...
"...there you are. Sorry for the wait."
Dan tore his gaze away from the sunset, at long last, and instead looked to Alice. She stood beside him, calm, relaxed. a sharp contrast to him in every way. And yet, with every second they spent together, standing this close, Dan felt as if an equilibrium was being reached. That's a relaxing thought. He smiled, offering a more nonchalant shrug in response.
"Eh, it's all good."
For a precious, silent moment, the pair looked out over the sunset, watching it. The horizon had grown dimmer, but through that, even more colors had appeared. Alice spoke up again, her voice softer than normal, "...the sunset's pretty. Is, um, that why you wanted to invite me out here?"
Dan snickered, shaking his head.
"Nah, it just, well, yknow, happened to line up like that, yeah?"
He couldn't help but laugh a bit at that, flashing a brief grin Alice's way and wiping his thumb across his nose. Alice chuckled along and gently slipped her hand towards Dan's, her fingers intertwining with his. After a moment, he found his eyes drifting back to hers again, and they turned to face each other, finally eye to eye. Her face seemed a little flushed, most likely for the exact same reason Dan's was.
"It's nice, seeing you smile. I, um... I'm sorry if our chat in the cafe made you upset-"
"Oh, no, uh, don't worry 'bout it. It was..."
Dan sighed, his brow furrowing for a moment.
"...something I needed to get out."
Alice nodded at him, her smile casting away the last few remaining clouds of doubt lingering in Dan's head. He leaned forward, but only a little, gauging Alice's reaction. She didn't seem bothered, instead standing a little higher on the tips of her toes and reaching a hand up to cup the side of his face.
He wasn't sure what exactly spurred him on, to do that. However, as their lips met in a gentle, tender kiss, he knew he made the right decision. It was an odd feeling, really: the world didn't explode, time didn't stop, and the sun instead continued its descent and Alice was there, standing with him. While her hand remained wrapped around his, she glanced out over the deck of the ship, tapping a finger to her lips. It's as if she, too was making sure that actually happened.
"That was..."
"Nice?"
Alice glanced back at Dan in a hurry, nodding, a bashful yet amused laugh slipping from her.
"Yeah. Um... the sun's nearly set. Did you... want to go get dinner somewhere, after this?"
Dan raised an eyebrow, surprised at the suggestion yet welcoming it regardless. He chuckled at himself in that moment, at his moment of confusion.
"Well, yeah. Where to?"
She seemed to know this ship better than he did, after all.
And, just like that, he found himself walking away with Alice, back into the ship itself to get something to eat. Perhaps this cruise didn't need to be as miserable as he expected. After all, he had the one across the ring with him, and right then, that was all he needed.