Chapter Text
Masquerade was battling yet another high-ranked Bakugan brawler. Some kid from Kyoto, ranked 34th overall, Subterra attribute. The boy had already lost two of his Bakugan, both consigned to the Doom Dimension.
"Activate Ability: Gazer Exedra!" Masquerade shouted, and his Darkus Hydranoid obeyed instantly.
"Nooooo!" the boy could only scream helplessly as Hydranoid opened his maws and unleashed a thick stream of dark energy, nullifying the Subterra Bakugan's G-power.
The battle ended. The Bakugan was sent to the Doom Dimension, and the pocket dimension of the battlefield collapsed. The players found themselves back in the human world, where not even a second had passed since the fight began. The Subterra brawler ran away in tears, while Masquerade let out a smug chuckle.
"I feel myself growing even stronger, Master," Hydranoid stated with satisfaction from Masquerade's shoulder in his sphere form.
"Yes, I saw. You will become the ultimate Bakugan," Masquerade smirked. He was about to use a teleport card, but suddenly, he paused.
"What is it, Master?" the Darkus Bakugan noticed the hesitation.
"I think I've worked quite hard this past week. I defeat an average of twelve brawlers a day," Masquerade remarked, a sly grin forming as he stared at something.
"Yes, roughly that many," the partner Bakugan agreed, still not following Masquerade's train of thought.
"I've been working tirelessly, so I deserve a reward," Masquerade declared. "For example... something sweet."
"Something sweet?" Hydranoid echoed. He finally turned to follow the direction of his master's gaze.
Hydranoid spotted a cafe-restaurant with a long line of women and girls gathered outside. Hydranoid wasn't perfectly fluent in human languages yet—he knew Russian and Japanese best. The cafe's poster read: "Free Sweets for Ladies". Hydranoid understood why Masquerade had stopped, though a different question arose.
"You realize the free sweets are only for girls, right?" the Darkus Bakugan asked hesitantly.
"And what do I look like to you, a boy?" Masquerade chuckled playfully. He pulled off his mask, revealing a feminine face. His blonde, spiked-up hair turned ginger and fell softly over her shoulders.
"I thought you identified as a man," Hydranoid pointed out the inconsistency.
"Mostly. But when there's free cake, I'm a girl," Alice-Masquerade smiled mischievously, crossing the road to join the queue.
Masquerade knew he could just use a teleport card to sneak inside — into the restroom, for instance, but there were too many variables. What if people saw? What if the line for the register started outside? To avoid the risk, he decided to play fair, stand in line, and wait for his free cake.
"With this many people, will there even be a slice left for you, Masquerade?" Hydranoid asked.
"The owner should have anticipated the influx of customers when they announced such a promotion," Alice-Masquerade noted wisely. "But if the owner is an idiot, he'll be the first victim once I seize control of the Silent Core."
"If you say so, Master," Hydranoid replied, unconvinced by the practicality of the plan.
Ten minutes passed. Masquerade was starting to regret his decision; he wasn't used to waiting. He had a sudden, overwhelming urge to summon Hydranoid and blow everyone away. But when her turn finally came, Masquerade got lucky, she received a slice of cherry cake, the favorite flavor of both Masquerade and Alice.
Once Masquerade sat down at a table with the cake and a cup of tea (the tea wasn't free; you had to order it to get the cake, but it was still a bargain), he prepared to dig in.
"Finally, I can..." Masquerade suddenly froze, as if struck by a cramp.
"Master?" Hydranoid chirped, worried for his human.
"No... I've been without my mask for too long!" Masquerade fumbled, trying to reach for the mask to put it back on, but he wasn't fast enough.
"Huh? What?" Alice blinked, as if waking from a dream. "Where am I?.." She looked around and noticed the plate. "Oh! Cherry cake! I don't remember getting here, but I woke up just in time." Alice picked up a spoon and began happily eating.
"Oh, Master..." the partner Bakugan sighed.
Later, Masquerade teleported to meet more brawlers, eager to level up his Bakugan for evolution. But he stopped again, as if trying to process something.
"Master, what's wrong?" Hydranoid asked. "We need to keep winning."
"Yes, I know," Masquerade said. "Tell me... how much tea did Alice drink this morning?"
"Um, I don't know. Three cups, maybe?" Hydranoid replied, confused.
"That explains it," Masquerade nodded. "I need to use the restroom."
"Are you serious?" Hydranoid groaned. "I want to evolve as soon as possible!"
"It's not my fault Alice didn't consider my work schedule when she decided to brew tea first thing in the morning," Masquerade countered, searching for a public restroom.
"Fine, just make it quick," his partner conceded.
It didn't take long to find one. Why didn't he use a teleport card? Using a card just to go home and use the bathroom was beneath his dignity. Masquerade considered himself a "real man," so he would use the local facilities like a man. He pushed open the door to the men's room, then immediately slammed it shut.
"No," Masquerade stated flatly.
"You can't go into the ladies' room. Even Bakugan shouldn't cross that sacred boundary," Hydranoid argued.
"Just watch me," Masquerade declared, removing his mask and becoming "half-Alice" once more. He walked into the women's restroom. "This is much better," Alice-Masquerade noted.
Alice-Masquerade entered a stall and then had a realization. This was the first time Masquerade had ever actually had to deal with this, and he had no idea how the mechanics worked. Did he just sit on the seat and relax? Was the seat clean? Could he catch something just by sitting down? How did women handle this?
"Are you done yet?" an impatient Hydranoid asked.
"Don't rush me. I'm thinking."
"Ugh, humans and your weird biology," Hydranoid muttered. If a Bakugan could roll his eyes, he would have.
Alice-Masquerade spent a long time debating how to proceed without actually touching the toilet. He didn't believe for a second it was truly clean, regardless of how it looked.
In the end, Masquerade gave up, used a teleport card to go home, and finally finished his business there. However, he missed his chance to fight the brawler. Hydranoid spent the rest of the day whining about the imperfections of human biological needs.
Masquerade stood in a shop, staring intently at a dress. Hydranoid was beginning to doubt Masquerade's claim of "identifying as a man."
"Tell me, is it normal to feel an attraction to something like this?" Masquerade asked, unable to grasp the nature of his interest.
"How should I know?! We Bakugan don't wear clothes or have gender stereotypes like you humans!" Hydranoid snapped, feeling the precious time for brawling slip away.
"I just think... Alice would probably like it," Masquerade lied, eyeing the pretty dress. "But the prices, good heavens."
"You and Alice are the same person! Stop pretending this doesn't apply to you too!" Hydranoid barked, tired of the charade.
"It's not dignified for a man to wear a dress."
"You don't even have 'manly' parts in those pants!" the partner Bakugan pointed out the obvious.
"How conservative of you. I have the right to perceive myself as any gender I choose," Masquerade shrugged.
"Just take off the mask and let Alice decide whether to buy it or not!" Hydranoid shouted in frustration.
"Good idea!" Masquerade took him seriously and pulled off the mask.
"Noooo! Wait! What about the battle?!"
But it was too late. Alice had replaced Masquerade and was already agonizing over the "To buy or not to buy" question. The price was quite steep. And Hydranoid could only suffer in silence inside Alice/Masquerade's pocket.