Burn Brother Burn
Everything was a blur to Heath, who suddenly found himself laying on something soft.
As he felt himself beginning to wake up, he remembered that he and his friends were all being challenged to a test by the Six Guardians of Vestroia. If Heath wanted to help Wukong evolve, he had to overcome some kind of obstacle. He had stepped into a pillar of light and the next thing he knew, he had been sent flying into the air at mach speed and blacked out.
And now as he woke up, he looked around and realised where he was. "I'm home?" He was in his living room, having been asleep on the couch. "Was that all a dream?"
"No." He turned to see Wukong on the arm of the chair, "that wasn't a dream. And we're not in your house." He looked around, "it's an illusion created by the Guardians. This has something to do with your test."
"But what is my test?" Heath asked, only to hear footsteps and turn to the door. As he did, someone stepped into the room. It was Heath, only this Heath was taller and older. He appeared to be about twenty-one years of age, wearing a black leather jacket with flames on the sleeves atop a cream sure and blue pants. Heath's eyes went wide, "Blaze?"
"Hey little brother," the older Heath smirked.
"What are you doing here?" Heath stood up, "you're supposed to be on the European Circuit."
"That's not your brother," Wukong told him. "It's just another illusion."
"It might as well be." Suddenly, Salamandra appeared in his living room. The armoured figure stared at Heath, "he is a perfect copy of him. Anything your brother can do, so can he."
"Why are you doing this?" Heath asked, "why make a copy of my brother?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Salamandra asked before disappearing, seconds before the Burns siblings found a light appearing in front of them. Skateboards appeared out of the light and they both caught them, Heath turning to Blaze who smiled back and ran out the room.
"Wait!" Heath cried, chasing after him with Wukong leaping onto his shoulder. They left the house and both saw Blaze had jumped onto his board and was rolling down the street, Heath quickly running after him before leaping onto his board. The brothers raced down the street, Heath barely able to keep up as Blaze zigzagged around several corners.
"This makes no sense," Wukong cried, "why would Salamandra have you chase after your brother?"
"Unless this is my test," Heath guessed. As he did, he was suddenly reminded of many unhappy memories. "Blaze has always been the better brother. Every since we were little, Blaze was always overshadowing me." He frowned as he jumped over an obstacle in the road, "everyone always loved him. Oh, Blaze is so great. Blaze is the best at everything. Heath needs to be more like Blaze." He growled as they spun around a corner. "Well now's my chance to final prove how much better I am. I don't know where we're racing to, but I'm gonna win!"
They turned around another corner and found themselves on a busy street, with cars rolling towards them from the opposite direction. The pair started swerving from side the side, barely missing the oncoming traffic. Heath glanced at Blaze and watched him jump over a car, doing several flips whilst not losing his board. he even landed atop a bus and rolled along it before flying off the end.
He tried to show he had just as much skill, jumping over a car and grinding along the top of a divider before landing back on the road. But doing so caused him to come face to face with a truck. "WOW!" He swerved around it, almost losing control and allowing Blaze to get ahead. "Ahhh."
They eventually left the traffic and flew down a side street, full of many other obstacles that they had to avoid. And as Heath was forced to slow down, Blaze continued forward at full speed. "How is he doing that?" Wukong asked as Heath jumped over a downed trash can. "Salamandra's gotta be making this unfair."
"I'll still win!" Heath cried, kicking himself ahead and moving at max speed. He then noticed a ramp that Blaze had missed and chose to change direction towards it, putting on as much speed as possible as he shot up it. "YEAH!" He cried as he flew off the end and soared into the sky, flying above Blaze much to his brother's shock. "WOOO!" He landed and threw a smirk back at his brother. Of course, he now had no idea where to go.
It was then that they turned around a corner that led to the top of a tall hill, Heath spotting someone standing at the bottom. Salamandra. "That must be the finish line!" He cheered, only for Blaze to suddenly catch up and overtake him. "Hey!" He made himself as aerodynamic as possible, allowing him to close the gap between them. The siblings raced side by side as they shot down the hill towards Salamandra.
They kept pulling ahead of each other, one second Heath being ahead whilst the next Blaze was. And as a red line appeared behind Salamandra, they became neck and neck and couldn't overcome the other.
They shot passed Salamandra and over the line, both brothers pulling themselves to a stop and turning to one another. "Who won?" Heath asked, Blaze not saying anything. Salamandra then turned to them and held up a hand, as an orb of light appeared. Inside the orb, a slowed down photo finish appeared. It zoomed in on the finish line as the image slowly showed the two crossing it. And the first to make it over the line was...
"Blaze," Salamandra determined as Blaze's outstretched arm touched the line first. Heath's eyes went wide.
"No!" He cried, as Blaze walked over to Salamandra. "He beat me again!"
"This shouldn't come as a surprise to you," Salamandra told him as the light vanished. "All your life, Blaze has always overshadowed you. I would expect you to be used to it by now."
"That doesn't mean I like it!" Heath cried, as Salamandra chuckled. "It's not funny. How'd you like it if someone only ever saw you for your relation to somebody more famous." His body shook, "I'm so sick of people thinking that all I am is Blaze's little brother." It was then that he realised something. "That's it. That's my obstacle. Blaze. In order to break my limits and reach my true potential, I have to beat Blaze."
"Maybe," Salamandra told him. "Figuring out what's holding you back is part of the test." In a flash of light, the Pyrus Energy appeared above them. "And if you can overcome it, the Pyrus Energy will be yours." In that moment, the energy glowed along with the ground beneath their feet. Moments later, the ground began to heat up.
"What's going on?" Heath asked. And then he got his answer.
Suddenly, the city began to explode. Lava shot out of the manholes and filled the place, Heath seeing this and crying out as he ran towards the closest building with a fire escape. The climbed it as fast as he could, the heat of the lava filling the streets making him sweat. When he reached the top, he looked around and saw the entire city was now flooded with lava.
"Not good," Wukong cried as the building they were on started to sink into the lava. But then it stopped and the lava instantly cooled, turning the city into a giant obsidian flow with the tops of building sticking out of it. Heath then spotted multiple power-ups appearing.
"Wait," he whispered, "is this..."
"This is your test." He looked over to see Blaze and Salamandra on another rooftop. "In order to pass and earn the Attribute Energy, you must defeat your brother." As he said that, his armour suddenly began to fall apart and reveal a Bakugan Ball that had been hidden within it.
The ball flew over to Blaze, who caught it and took out a Gate Card.
Heath's eyes went wide and he smiled. "Ouh, yeah!" He took out his own Gate Card, "this is perfect. Blaze might be better than me at everything else, but there's no way he can beat me at Bakugan."
"Just be careful," Wukong told him. "Salamandra's tough. Even with a novice Brawler, he could still win almost any battle." Heath barely listened, to focused on what winning this brawl would mean.
"Finally, I'll have something to hold over my brother. Everyone will realising I'm just as great as him." He pointed at Blaze, "let's do this!" Blaze nodded as they both held up their BakuColars, which activated signalling the start of the brawl.
Blaze: 100%
Heath: 100%
"Gate Card!" Blaze threw it towards the ground, "SET!" He then took out a Bakugan and leapt into the air, "Bakugan...BRAWL!" It shot through the air and hit several power-ups before landing on the street. "Bakugan," it popped open, "STAND!" In a burst of fire, his Bakugan appeared. "Pyrus Warius!" The armoured ogre roared as it swung its giant club around, its power going up by one fifty.
Warius: 500Gs
"That's gonna be tough to beat," Wukong told Heath. The teen smirked and took out his own Bakugan.
"I can do it. This is my game. I'm the better sibling when it comes to this." He leapt into the air and threw the red orb towards some power-ups. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" It shot through the coins and hit the ground, rolling towards Warius before popping open. "Bakugan...STAND!" The Bakugan burst into flames, "Pyrus Robotallion, STAND!" The flames dispelled to reveal the red robot, who stood strong as its own power rose.
Warius: 500Gs
Robotallion: 540Gs
"Get him!" Heath cried, as Robotallion charged forward ready to knock Warius out. But before it could, Blaze pointed towards the ground.
"Gate Card, OPEN!" The ground began to glow, that light flying over to Robotallion. "Element Merge!" The light shot off the robot and into Warius, "this command card allows me to sap away two hundred Gs for every Bakugan I have!"
Warius: 700Gs
Robotallion: 340Gs
Once the drain was complete, Warius charged at Robotallion and swung its club around. The impact to its chest knocked Robotallion to the ground, Heath letting out a gasp as Warius rushed over to deal another blow.
"I don't think so!" Heath cried before holding up a pair of cards, "Double Ability, Activate!" Robotallion pushed itself back to its feet and slammed its fists together, the holes on the back of its hands unleashing fire that spiralled around its arms. "Burning Uppercut, plus Fiery Onslaught!"
Warius: 700Gs
Robotallion: 640Gs
As Warius got in close, Robotallion started throwing a barrage of punches in his direction, but the ogre used its club to defend against them with ease. "Not good enough!" Salamandra told him as Blaze held up his own card.
"Ability, Activate!" The spikes on Warius' club extended, "Power Spike!"
Warius: 800Gs
Robotallion: 640Gs
It swung the club around, slamming into Robotallion and knocking it staggering backwards. Heath growled, but he wasn't gonna let this battle end like this. "I won't lose to you!" He cried, taking out a card. "Ability, Activate!" Robotallion's multiple laser holes charged up, "Robotallion Enforcement!" The energy rose and then, Robotallion fired a bunch of lasers from every hole.
The lasers combined before slamming into Warius, the Pyrus Bakugan roaring as his power was drained whilst his opponent's spiked.
Warius: 700Gs
Robotallion: 740Gs
The ogre was knocked off its feet and reverted back to ball form, hitting the ground as Blaze's life gauge dropped.
Blaze: 92%
Heath: 100%
"Yeah!" Heath cheered, as Robotallion returned to him. "I did it. I beat Blaze!"
"Don't get overconfident!" Salamandra told him as Warius flew into the air and returned to Blaze's hand. "The damage you did was barely a scratch. And now Blaze has seen how you battle, he'll be able to adjust his strategy appropriately." Heath frowned, knowing he was right.
'Blaze never went all out in the first round. He always held a little something back so he can feel out his opponent. And it always made them overconfident and surprised when he pulled out all the stops. I can't do that.' He took out a card, "I gotta be careful and ready for anything. Gate Card...SET!" He threw it towards the ground and began to run off.
"After him!" Salamandra told Blaze, who rushed off as well. The two brother ran from rooftop to rooftop, eventually spotting some power-ups in the distance.
"Bakugan!" Heath threw his first, "BRAWL!" The Bakugan shot through the power-ups before hitting the ground. "Bakugan!" It popped open, "STAND!" It burst into flames, "Pyrus Serpenoid!" The fire snake appeared, hissing as it took to the field and its power rose.
Serpenoid: 470Gs
"Seriously?" Salamandra asked before turning to Blaze, "show him." Blaze nodded and took out a Bakugan before leaping into the air.
"Bakugan...BRAWL!" It shot towards the ground and struck several power-ups along the way, landing and popping open. "Bakugan...STAND!" It burst into flames, morphing into a tornado. "Pyrus Ziperator, STAND!" The flying warrior broke out of the tornado, staring down at Serpenoid as its power rose.
Ziperator: 550Gs
Serpenoid: 470Gs
"Gate Card!" Heath pointed to the ground, "OPEN!" It light up and Serpenoid glowed, "Character! This card ups Serpenoid's power by two hundred Gs and doubles any power added by any Ability"
Ziperator: 550Gs
Serpenoid: 670Gs
Serpenoid opened its mouth and unleashed a flamethrower, which shot towards Ziperator. But the Bakugan dodged the attack before diving towards Serpenoid. As it did, Blaze held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Ziperator opened its mouth, which filled with red and orange energy. "Tetra Blaster!"
It let out a roar as the attack fired, shooting a laser that struck Serpenoid and made it cry out as its power dropped.
Ziperator: 550Gs
Serpenoid: 520Gs
As Serpenoid recovered, Ziperator got in close and dealt a powerful punch to its face. Serpenoid cried out and was knocked to the ground, as Ziperator took to the sky. As it did, Heath held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Serpenoid tail was thrust into the ground before it began to shake, though Blaze didn't appear affected. "Erupting Land!" As he said this, the ground exploded as a burst of lava flew up and began to rain down on Ziperator and Serpenoid.
Ziperator didn't seem to feel the lava, but Serpenoid did and it loved the intense heat. Thanks to the Character Card, he was getting twice the power up.
Ziperator: 550Gs
Serpenoid: 720Gs
Ziperator dove down and as it did, Serpenoid leapt forward and began to wrap its body around it. "That's the way!" Heath cheered, "take him down!"
"Don't be a fool!" Salamandra told him. "That's always been your problem. You're such a hot head, almost letting your emotions cloud your judgement. Well if you weren't so heated, you'd realise you've just set yourself up for a loss. Blaze!"
"Ability!" Blaze held up a card, "Activate!" Ziperator glowed, "Slepton!" The light grew brighter, and Ziperator began to flex. "This card grants Ziperator the same power boost your Ability gave you."
Ziperator: 750Gs
Serpenoid: 720Gs
With that, Ziperator was able to force Serpenoid off of it and grab its tail. It leapt into the air, pulling the snake along with it before it started spinning the beast around. "Serpenoid!" Heath cried, as Ziperator let Serpenoid go and sent it flying through a building. "Ahh!" He turned to Blaze, "I'll get you back for that!"
"Your temper makes you sloppy," Salamandra told him. "Whilst Blaze's calm demeanour will always let him stay ahead of the game." As he said that, Blaze held up a card.
"Ability, Activate!" The gear around Ziperator's chest burst into flames, "Inferno Gear!" The gear shot off its chest and shot towards Serpenoid. And before Heath could retaliate the attack slammed into the beast, making it roar in pain as its power dropped.
Ziperator: 750Gs
Serpenoid: 620Gs
"NO!" Heath cried as Serpenoid returned to ball form, his life gauge dropping.
Blaze: 92%
Heath: 74%
"Heath!" Wukong cried as Heath shook, clearly angry. "It's okay. We can still win this."
"You're right," Heath told him. "I am gonna win. Because I won't let Blaze beat me at something else. I WON'T LOSE TO HIM!"
"You're losing to yourself!" They turned to Salamandra, as Ziperator returned to Blaze. "You allow your jealousy to get the better of you and because of that, you can't control your temper. Until you overcome those feelings, you'll never beat Blaze at anything."
"Shut up!" Heath cried as Blaze threw his Gate Card to the ground, "I don't care what you say. I'm gonna win this and show that I'm better than Blaze." As he said that, Blaze threw Ziperator into the battlefield and hit several power-ups before opening up and transforming.
Ziperator: 650Gs
"Let's go Wukong!" Heath grabbed the ape and threw him into the battle. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" Wukong shot through the air and hit a bunch of power-ups before landing. "Bakugan...STAND!" He burst into flames and the tornado formed, "Pyrus Wukong!" Before Ziperator could fly up, the ape shot out and threw a fist into his face.
"TAKE THIS!" He roared, knocking the Bakugan back.
Wukong: 700Gs
Ziperator: 650Gs
"Ability!" Heath held up a card, "Activate!" The card glowed and Wukong charged, his fists bursting into flames. "Fire Smasher!"
Wukong: 900Gs
Ziperator: 650Gs
Wukong threw his fist at Ziperator, but the Pyrus warrior leapt into the air and Wukong struck a building instead. As he did, Blaze held up a pair of cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Ziperator glowed, "Slepton!" He then dived down as his mouth filled with energy, "Plus, Tetra Blaster!" He fired his attack and struck Wukong in the back.
"Augh!" He cried, staggering forwards as he did.
Wukong: 750Gs
Ziperator: 850Gs
Wukong moaned as Heath rushed over to a building near him, whilst Ziperator flew down and charged up another Tetra Blaster.
But before it could, Heath held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" He threw the card at Wukong and as it hit the ground, it exploded into a spiral of flames. "Firewall!" Ziperator fired but the blast couldn't get passed the flames, allowing Wukong to pick himself up and leapt forward.
"Raaaaah!" He roared, shooting through the fire and smashing a fist into Ziperator face.
Wukong: 900Gs
Ziperator: 850Gs
Ziperator crashed into the obsidian ground and slid backwards. And as it did, Heath took out another card. "Ability, Activate!" Wukong started beating his chest, "Blazing Rhythm!" The flaming shockwaves banged off his chest and flew towards Ziperator, hitting it as it tried to pick itself up.
Wukong: 900Gs
Ziperator: 750Gs
Ziperator cried out as it was knocked backwards, returning to ball form and falling to the ground as Blaze's life gauge dropped.
Blaze: 62%
Heath: 74%
"Ahaaaa!" Heath cheered as Wukong returned to him, "you see that? Proof that I'm better than Blaze at Bakugan."
"All it proves is that you like to get ahead of yourself," Salamandra told him. "This battle isn't over until one of the life gauges drops to zero. Until then, it's anyone's game."
"Well Blaze is about to have his life gauge drop so fast it'll fall into the negatives!" Heath took out a Gate Card, "let's do this Wukong. Gate Card!" He threw it, "SET!" As it hit the ground, he grabbed his partner and threw him forwards. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" Wukong was sent flying through a whole bunch of power-ups before hitting the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" In a burst of fire, he popped open and transformed.
"Let's do this!" Wukong cheered as he broke out of the fire tornado. "For Heath and all of Vestroia, I won't hold back!" He powered up.
Wukong: 750Gs
"Very well," Salamandra told them. "I think it's time you saw what a true Pyrus Bakugan looked like." Blaze grabbed him before leaping into the air.
"Bakugan...BRAWL!" He threw Salamandra and the Bakugan shot through a quartet of power-ups before hitting the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" He popped open and exploded into flames, "Pyrus Salamandra." The flames then faded to reveal Salamandra's true form, being a large blue humanoid lizard with a white nose, mouth, neck, chest and stomach. He wore red flame patterned armor on his chest, knees and feet, whilst he wore a pair of flame patterned gauntlets on the ends of his arms that had three long silver claws. His face was covered by a red flame patterned mask and coming out of his head was a long curved horn.
Wukong stared at Salamandra in amazement, as Heath checked out his power.
Wukong: 750Gs
Salamandra: 600Gs
"Salamandra," Wukong whispered, "he's the most powerful Pyrus Bakugan that ever lived." He gulped, as Salamandra powered up. "I don't stand a chance."
Wukong: 750Gs
Salamandra: 800Gs
"Gate Card!" Heath cried as the flow glowed, "OPEN!" Suddenly, the ground burst into flames which caused large trees to grow out of them with fire coming out the top. "Flaming Jungle!"
"WOW!" Wukong yelled as he leapt up and grabbed onto the branch of a tree, the flames on its powering him up.
Wukong: 1050Gs
Salamandra: 800Gs
Salamandra watched as Wukong swung from one branch to another, clearly not impressed. "You shouldn't have been so eager to get a leg up," he told Heath. "You should have tried to save this for a better chance."
"And why's that?" Heath asked, as Blaze held up a card.
"Because now I'm going to destroy this Gate Card!"
"Ability, Activate!" Salamandra leapt forward, bouncing off a tree trunk and jumping high above the forest. "Fire Rocket!" His entire body ignited before he shot towards the ground, flying passed each of the trees and causing the tree's wood to ignite and burn to ash.
"Yaaaah!" Wukong cried as the tree he was on snapped, causing him to fall and crash into the ground. "Ow." As he picked himself up, Salamandra slammed into him. "GYAH!"
Wukong: 750Gs
Salamandra: 1050Gs
Heath's eyes went wide as Wukong hit the ground. "He wiped out my Gate Card and powered himself up!" He watched as Salamandra exploded out of the flames and landed, spinning around and making the flames around him dance. "He's strong!"
"Now you see the full power of a Pyrus Bakugan!" Salamandra cried, "burn everything that stands in your way to ashes. That is how we brawl."
"Ahh!" Wukong cried as he rolled onto his front and pushed himself up, "he's tough."
"Well we're not gonna lose," Heath told him before holding up a pair of cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Wukong pushed himself up as his flaming hair exploded, "Blast Infernal!" He then brought his hands together to create a sphere of lava, "plus, Eruption Force!"
Wukong: 1050Gs
Salamandra: 1050Gs
Wukong charged at Salamandra, swinging his hair around to try and slam it into him. But Salamandra's powerful legs allowed him to leap up and over the attack. "Too slow!" He cried, whilst Wukong threw the lava sphere at him.
"Ability, Activate!" Blaze held up a card as Salamandra's claws burst into flames, "Blazing Knuckle!"
Wukong: 1050Gs
Salamandra: 1200Gs
Salamandra dived down and thrust a burning fist into the lava ball, causing it to explode. He then reached Wukong and swung the other fist at him, hitting him right in the face and causing him to cry out. "Gyah!" He staggered back, whilst Salamandra leapt forward to plant a powerful stomp into Wukong's chest.
"WUKONG!" Heath cried as his partner fell into a building, whilst Salamandra landed next to Blaze's building. "You okay. You gotta get up!"
"it's over," Salamandra stated. "Face it. You have no chance against Blaze. Not in the state you're in!"
"SHUT UP!" Heath yelled, holding up a card. "Fusion Ability, ACTIVATE!" Wukong, despite the pain he was in, forced himself up and out of the building's remains as the ability activate. "Volcanic Impact!"
"Raaaaah!" He created the lava orb and thrust his fist into it, as he charged towards Salamandra
Wukong: 1300Gs
Salamandra: 1200Gs
"GET HIM!" Heath yelled, as Wukong got in close towards Salamandra. But as he did, Blaze held up a card.
"Ability, Activate!" He threw the card and it burst into flames before hitting the ground in front of Salamandra, the flames shooting up and forming a barrier. "Flame Shield!" Wukong struck the shield with his fist and when he did, the lava vanished.
"What?" He asked as Salamandra then absorbed the flames, powering him up as Wukong felt his drop.
Wukong: 1050Gs
Salamandra: 1300Gs
Before Wukong could react, Salamandra shot forward and struck him in the face. "AUGH!" He cried, staggering back as Blaze held up another card.
"Ability, Activate!" Salamandra's claws ignited and he thrust them into the ground, causing a fissure to open and fill with flames. "Burning Cyclone!" The fissure shot towards Wukong and formed a circle around him, the fire exploding out of it and spiralling around.
Wukong tried to get through the flames, but they were moving so fast they formed a solid wall that knocked him back. "I'm stuck!" He cried, attempting to punch through it with little success. "Heath!"
"Ability," Heath held up a card, "Activate!" But the card didn't, "what?" He looked it over before holding it up again, "Activate!" But still, the card didn't react. "What's wrong?" He then turned to the vortex surrounding Wukong and slowly came to a realisation. "Don't tell me."
"Burning Cyclone!" Salamandra cried, "traps the opponent and prevents them from using Abilities. You're trapped."
"This can't be happening!" Heath cried, as Wukong kept tried to escape. But as he threw a punch, the tornado suddenly unleashed a dragon-headed fire serpent that smashed into him.
"Augh!" He cried as he staggered backwards, whilst another serpent shot out and hit him in the back. "Gyah!" More and more serpents shot out and slammed into him, the ape unable to fight back as every time he threw a punch his attacks phased right through. A serpent then struck the back of his knee, making him cry out as his leg gave out and he fell to the ground and barely held himself up.
"Wukong!" Heath yelled, then turned to see Blaze smiling at him. That smug expression on his face made Heath's entire body shake, as tears began to leak from his eyes and he fell to his knees. "You couldn't do it. You couldn't let me have this one thing. Couldn't let me be better then you at just one thing!"
Wukong groaned as he tried to push himself up, "Heath..."
The teen didn't hear this and was too preoccupied thinking about everything his brother had ever bested him at. Sports, video games, cooking, school and even skate boarding. "When I learned about Bakugan, I thought it could be something I could be better at him at. And by the time he decided to try it, I could already be so good people would start thinking he learned form me. But...but now..."
"Heath!" Wukong roared, "that's not your brother. It's just a copy Salamandra created."
"A perfect copy," Salamandra reminded him. "One that is brawling exactly like your brother. And since you're losing to it..."
"I'm losing to Blaze," Heath cried. "I'm being overshadowed by him again." He punched the ground, "WHY! Why do I always have to live in his shadow." He continued to think back to his childhood, remembering how people would always cheer for him. And when they saw Heath doing something.
"Oh, how cute. He's trying to imitate his brother."
"He must idolise him."
"I did idolise him," Heath stated. "I wanted to be just like him. I worked so hard." He thought back to the time he learned to ride his skateboard.
A six year old Heath looked at the board in his back garden. He then placed his foot on it. But as soon as he lifted his other one, the board slid out from under him. "Ow!" He cried as he hit the ground. He looked ready to start crying, but then someone appeared next to him. "Blaze!"
An eleven year old Blaze smiled down and picked his younger brother up. "Don't cry bro. You can do it. It's all about balance." Heath nodded and Blaze grabbed his board, showing Heath how to get on it. Where to put his foot so the board didn't slip.
They spent the entire day practising this and by the end of it, Heath was able to get on and off the Board without falling. "That's it. You're doing great. Took me three days to figure out how to stand on this without falling." Heath smiled at this, happy he had been able to do something faster than his brother.
But when he started showing people, it began. "Of course it took you less time," an adult told him as he stated this fact. "Your brother learned to skateboard on his own. If he had had someone to teach him, he would have learned much faster." That sapped the enthusiasm out of Heath in an instant.
"Don't listen to them," Blaze told him. "I might have shown you how, but you're the one who worked so hard to learn it. Be proud of that."
And so it was that Blaze started teaching him everything he knew about skateboarding. Heath took to it like a fish to water, absorbing everything he had learned like a sponge. And as he learned, he started experimenting on his own.
"WOOOW!" an eleven year old Heath cried as he performed a trick for all his friends that marvelled them, the kids all being amazed as he landed perfectly. "What do you think of that?"
"It was awesome!" A kid cried, "can your brother teach us that too?" Heath frowned.
"My brother didn't teach me that. I learned it on my own."
"No way," another kid told him. "Your brother had to have shown you how to do it." They then noticed Blaze arrive at the skatepark, the lot rushing over to him and crowding around to ask him to teach them how to do it. Heath watched and frowned before throwing his board to the ground in anger and stomping off.
"Why?" He asked as he sat on a nearby bench, "why can't anyone see how good I am?" He knew that as long as he tried to become as good as Blaze at anything he was known for, all anyone would see him as was his little brother that couldn't hold a candle to him. "Why?"
"Why?" He cried as Wukong continued to groan in pain.
"Heath!" Wukong cried, "you have to stop this." Heath barely heard him say this, "constantly moping about it isn't gonna help. It wasn't you brother's fault people thought like that." Heath looked up at him, as another serpent slammed into him.
"It...it wasn't?"
"Did Blaze ever make fun of you? Did he ever put you down, saying the only reason you were so good was because of him?" Heath thought about it and realised that, no, Blaze had never said anything like that. "Did he ever try to diminish your accomplishments?" No, he had always tried to make him feel happy about what he had done, no matter what others said. "I've never met Blaze, but I don't think he would have taught you all that stuff just so people could praise him. I think he loved everything about all those things and wanted to love them more by sharing them with you."
"He wanted...to share it with me?" Heath asked. And as he did, he suddenly found himself remembering other events.
The only reason he wanted to learn how to skateboard was because Blaze had bought him the board. "I saw you watching me and if you learn, we can board together." More memories began to flood through his mind. Memories of him and Blaze skateboarding side by side down the street. Heath remembered the looks on Blaze's face as they did so, seeing he was more happy then than any other time he had seen Blaze board. "Great work bro!"
"Blaze..." He whispered as he remembered the time he had stormed off. Until now, he only ever remembered that part. But now, more of the memories were beginning to play.
Heath sat on the bench, upset that everyone kept fawning over Blaze. "Why?" He asked, getting ready to start crying.
But then, someone appeared besides him and sat down. It was Blaze, the sixteen year old putting both his and Heath's boards down next to them. "You okay?"
"It's not fair," he told him. "I worked really hard on that trick and everyone thinks you came up with it." Blaze sighed.
"I know. I'm sorry." He put an arm around him, "but you shouldn't care what anyone else says. You came up with that trick and you should be proud of it."
"But what's the point if everyone thinks it was just you?" Heath sighed and pulled his legs up to push them into his chest. "I love boarding, but I'll never get to be seen for it. Whenever someone looks at me, they always see you. That's all I'll ever be, Blaze's little brother who was taught everything he knows by the more talented brother who learnt everything on his own."
Blaze chuckled, "well that's not true." He gave Heath a serious look, "I taught you everything I know. But I didn't teach you everything you know." Heath looked at him in confusion, "I never would have thought to do that trick. And you've shown me a bunch of other moves I never thought possible. I knew you had a talent for skateboarding."
"I'm only good because you taught me."
"That's true," Blaze nodded. "But I know for a fact that if I didn't teach you, you would have just learnt it yourself. All I did was show you the right way to do things. I sped up what you were gonna naturally learn. I wasn't half as good as you are now when I was your age and you're just as good as me now. I bet when you're my age, you'll trounce me at skateboarding."
"But nobody will notice. They'll just think you did it."
"Who cares what others think. Just care about what you can do and let everyone else think whatever they wanna think. It doesn't matter. You know I'll always have your back, no matter what you decide to do." Heath smiled at this, actually feeling better as Blaze grabbed his board. "Now come on, mom'll probably be wondering where we are. Race you home!"
Heath laughed and grabbed his board, the brothers jumping onto them and riding towards home. As they did, Heath looked over and smiled seeing his brother laughing at how much fun they were having.
"Blaze never tried to make me think he was better. He always told me I'd be the best, encouraged me to do my best at whatever I tried." Heath looked down at his hand, now realising what had been happening.
He always thought he was trying so hard at everything to beat his brother, to prove he wasn't just his copy. But that's not it at all. He had always tried so hard to be the best to make his brother proud. So that Blaze could tell people he was right about Heath. His jealousy and feeling of inferiority had blinded him to that fact, until now.
"Is that what's been holding me back?" He asked, "my jealousy of my brother? Always feeling inferior to him and wanting to try and prove how much better I am at things then him." As he said this, be began to glow along with the Pyrus Energy. "But I'm not better than Blaze. And he's not better than me. We're bother equals. We're brothers who are stronger standing together, instead of competing. Blaze knew this and I can't believe I didn't realise it until now."
"That's it Heath," Wukong nodded as he pushed himself back to his feet despite the fire serpents slamming into him. "You tell'em!"
"I know who I am now," Heath pushed himself up to his feet. "I am Blaze's little brother. But that's not all I am. I'm a skateboarder. I'm a Bakugan Battle Brawler! I'm a member of the BakuFighters! And I'm the one the Legendary Pyrus Guardian chose to entrust Wukong too." He placed his hand over his heart, "I am Heath Burns. And I'm gonna win this brawl, not to get one over on my brother. But to grow strong enough to protect him and anyone else I care about from Lucifer and anyone who tries to hurt them. I WILL WIN!" Then it happened.
Suddenly, a bright red light filled the air and everyone looked up to see the Pyrus Energy had activated. "What?" Salamandra asked as the orb burst into flames and shot down towards Wukong, combining with his Burning Cyclone.
Then the flames of the twister began to fly inwards and spiral around the ape, who instinctively curled himself up. The tornado completely vanished, being replaced by a fiery cocoon that sealed the Pyrus Bakugan inside. "Wukong!" Heath cried, fearing his friends was in trouble. But then his BakuColar beeped and he looked down to see Wukong's G Power begin to raise.
"Power Surge Detected"
Heath remembered the same thing happening to Leonidas when he evolved, making him realise what this must be.
"Amazing," Salamandra whispered, "did the Pyrus Energy react to Heath's strong emotions.
Suddenly, the flames exploded off of Wukong and revealed his new form. He was now taller and stood more upright, appearing practically human. His arms and hands were smaller, whilst his legs were longer than before. His chest was bulkier and covered in white fur now, along with his feet and the sides of his head. He now had a long red tail and his fingers and toes remained bright yellow. The bushy mane of fire he once wielded was now a long thin stream of fire that resembled a ponytail, and around his head he had a strong golden ring.
"RAAAAH!" He roared before beating his chest, "check me out! Introducing, the new and improved Pyrus King Wukong!"
"King Wukong?" Heath asked, as Wukong looked around and smiled at him.
"Because you were able to overcome the inferiority you were feeling, the Pyrus Energy deemed you worthy to let me evolve." He smirked and poked a thumb into his chest, "what do you think?"
"I think you look awesome!" Heath cried, looking down at his BakuColar to see Wukong's new score.
Wukong: 1300Gs
Salamandra: 1300Gs
"You may have evolved!" Salamandra cried, as Wukong turned back to him. "But that's still not enough to defeat me." But then he saw Heath and Wukong smile as the teen took out a card.
"You wanna bet!?" He held the card up, "Ability, Activate!" Wukong brought his fists together and pulled them apart, a line of fire appearing between them that continued to extend. "Ruyi Bang!" The flames vanished, revealing a long staff that Wukong began to spin around before charging.
Wukong: 1550Gs
Salamandra: 1300Gs
As Wukong reached him, Salamandra tried to attack with his claws. But the monkey began swinging the staff around, deflecting the attacks before hitting the lizard several times. The Pyrus Guardian cried out with every hit, as Blaze took out a card.
"Ability, Activate!" Salamandra's claws began to heat up and as it leapt back, he swung them around. "Heatwave!" The wave of hot air shot towards Wukong and hit him head on, pushing the ape back and he winced.
Wukong: 1450Gs
Salamandra: 1300Gs
Wukong shook this off and charged, as Salamandra took on a defensive tactic and leapt into the air again and again. "You might be stronger, but all that power is meaningless if you can't hit me!"
"You're right!" Wukong cried, "so then I'll have to hit you. Heath!"
"Oh yeah!" Heath smirked as he held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" Wukong's hair exploded and shot off of him, forming a fiery cloud in the sky. "Flaming Nimbus!" Wukong leapt up and landed on the cloud, using it like a skateboard and taking off as his power rose.
Wukong: 1600Gs
Salamandra: 1300Gs
Salamandra was shocked by this, as Wukong got in close and swung his staff into the lizard's face. "Augh!" He was slammed into the ground as Wukong continued to fly around, the reptile quickly getting back up. "You have gotten stronger!" Wukong dived down, "but it's still not enough to beat me!"
Blaze held up a card, "Fusion Ability, Activate!" Salamandra's body exploded into flames, which began spinning around him as he shot into the air. "Spiral Inferno!"
Wukong: 1600Gs
Salamandra: 1650Gs
The two Pyrus Bakugan slammed into one another and Wukong tried to push Salamandra back with his staff. But eventually, Salamandra overpowered him and the attack slammed him backwards. "Gyah!" He cried as he was knocked off his cloud and both it and the staff vanished. "Augh!" He crashed into the ground, whilst Wukong spun around and dived down ready to slam into him again.
"Wukong!" Heath cried, but took a deep breath. "We're not done. For Vestroia, the Bakugan, our FAMILIES!" He opened his eyes and took out a card, "WE WILL PROTECT THEM ALL!" He held the card up, "FUSION ABILITY, ACTIVATE!"
Wukong began to breakdance, spinning around on his back as his hands, feet and tail-tip ignited. This sent spirals of fire shooting out in all directions, "Monkey King Inferno!" The flames struck Salamandra again and again, stopping him dead in his tracks.
Wukong: 2050Gs
Salamandra: 1650Gs
Wukong let out a powerful monkey roar as he leapt forward, the staff reappearing in his blazing fists. He then swung the staff around with all his might, striking Salamandra right in the chest.
"AUGH!" Salamandra roared as he was struck, the lizard forcing his eyes to stay open. He stared at Wukong, then shifted his gaze to Heath. The look in the boy's eyes made it clear, he really had overcome his issues. "Well done." With that, he reverted back to ball form and was sent flying who knows where.
Blaze: 0%
Heath: 74% (Winner)
Heath panted, then realised what had just happened. "We...we won." Wukong turned to him and smiled before reverting back to ball form and flying over to him, Heath catching him and marvelling at his new ball form. "We did it Wukong!"
"Heck yeah we did!" Wukong cheered, jumping up and down on his hand. Heath smiled, then heard movement behind him and looked around to see that Blaze had somehow gotten onto the same roof as him.
"Blaze," he whispered. He stared his brother down, Blaze looking at him before giving him a smile. A sincere one that Heath couldn't help but reciprocate. "Blaze!" He rushed forward, hoping to hug his brother. But before he could, Blaze vanished. "Huh?" He stopped as the world around him turned black, "what's happening?" Then, a bright light filled his vision and made him cry out.
The light then dimmed enough for him to see he was standing on a stage in front of a large group of people, who were cheering his name and applauding.
"What's going on?" He asked as Wukong leapt onto his shoulder.
"Isn't it obvious. They're cheering for you." Heath was amazed by this and continued listening to the cheers, his heart swelling at the sound before he smiled and began to wave back.
"Thank you!" He told them, "I promise I won't let you down."
"You'd better not," Salamandra's voice called out. The pair looked around, but couldn't see him anywhere. His voice simply echoed out from every direction. "Heath Burns, you have overcome the limitations that have held you back. Now you can reach for your true potential. Remember this day and the lesson you have learnt, for you will need it the next time you find yourself facing this obstacle. Keep firm in your beliefs and you will always succeed, my new Pyrus Warrior."
"Thank you Salamandra," Heath smiled. "I promise to fight with everything you've taught me." He then turned to Wukong, "and thank you for standing by me through this."
"No problem bud," Wukong nodded. "You know I've always got your back. And now that you've helped me evolve, I can fight against Ragnaroid and whoever else tries to stop us from saving the world." Heath nodded and as he did, the room they were in vanished as well.
The next thing they knew, a beam of light shot down and surrounded them. Before either of them could figure out what was happening, they were suddenly shot up into the air. They cried out as the light blinded them, wondering where they were going now. And wondering how the others were doing as well.
Stats
Page generated in 0.019 seconds
Total duration
896 users online
1,707,007 hits today, 2,139,894 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
That was awesome! I predicted awhile ago during "Darkness on the Rise" that the BakuFighters would need to overcome the problems from their past in order for their partners to evolve, and it looks like that is what's happening. Heath did a great job overcoming his inferiority complex towards his older brother, and hopefully when he sees the real him again he can improve their relationship.
I liked Wukong's new form and name. Now I am excited to see which BakuFighter will be next.
Wait a minute, I recognize that description. Salamandra is based on Flamedramon! Great choice.
Wukong evolved into something closer to the actual Chinese myth, he even got the staff. Now, who’s the next bakugan?
Would you look at that, The Monkey King Bakugan
Awesome! King Wukong!
Oh my gosh! Okay, aside from the magic staff and the cloud, what other new abilities does Wukong have that are based on the the Monkey King's powers? Does Wukong have the Monkey King's hair-into-clones ability?