Chapter 1 - The smile

A young man wearing a black shirt, white pants, boots and coat with a furry hood was standing in the middle of a store.

He looked at the store, shelves with locked glass doors were full of cards, glass terrariums so that visitors could see the Bakugan in their layout and terrain of choice, and the counter with glass windows with some decks behind them, for newbies, and also some Balumeters and Gauntlets.

He was satisfied, as the system had only given him the materials to do all of this, but not much about how to do this.

And the Bakugans didn't help much, not just because they couldn’t, but also because they were feeling mischievous most of the days.

But the store was ready to start business.

“Are you guys ready?” He asked.

Many cheers came from the terrariums, the Aquos elements soon wetting the floor.

He sighed, taking a mop from his spatial bag, already cleaning the mess.

But Alix knew.

Today was bound to be a good day.

_______________________________________

A man passed through the door, making the bell ring.

“Welcome!”

A young man with dark skin and long black hair tied lazily in a ponytail, making it look like he would fall out at any moment, welcomed him, a little fox-like smirk in his face.

The man looked around, surprised not only by the design of the place, but also by the broducts.

“Are these magic toys?” He asked, approaching one of the terrariums.

There were six different terrariums.

One filled with water and sand, making a small beach senario, um full of rocks, making it look like a small canyon, a dark one hided in a corned with too little light, one with some grass and flowers, but also full of light, one with coal and charcoal obviously still hot, and one that reminded him a bird cage.

All full of little toy-like things, moving by themselves in such a natural way that amazed him.

It made the man think they were magic toys, seeing how well they moved.

“No” The boy answered “These are Bakugan, they’re actually living creatures, this appearance is like a sealed form”

The man looked at the man, still with that smirk on the face.

The man was annoyed by the young man, thinking that he was trying to scam him, but stayed calm.

“I was thinking of buying one of these for my daughter’s birthday” He said “Any recommendations?”

The young man stopped, looking at the man for a moment.

“May I ask your daughter's age?”

The man raised a brown, confused and intrigued.

“Fourteen” He said.

“And Class?”

“A Mage”

“Are there any elements she is good at?”

“Water and ice” The man said proudly.

Ice mages were hard to come by, as learning ice magic took time and effort, so most ice mages were already adults.

But his daughter learned it at the age of fourteen!

She was already ahead of her peers!

He watched the young man, expecting some kind of reaction, but the response was not what he expected.

The young man paused, pensative, smirk disappearing.

“I’d say a Aquos Bakugan would be a better choice than”

He then got out of the counter, approaching the aquarium, turning his back at the man and revealing a circle with six different symbols on the back of his hoodie, each with a different color.

He soon came back with one of the ‘Bakugan’, it was a tortoise looking one, still a little wet.

“This is a Aquos Juggernoid” He said “This guy would be a good match to your daughter since he’s pretty patient, and being a Aquos Bakugan, he had a good understanding of water related abilities, he can help your daughter with training”

He stared at the Bakugan, it didn't look like it could do much, but the young man kept saying it was that good.

“I’ll take it” He said.

The young man smirked again, guiding the man to the counter.

The young man them put the Bakugan on a small mox, similar to the ones used for wedding rings, then opened the glass door behind the counter, taking a rectangular box and a few cards, putting then on the box, and a wristwatch, them opened the cabinet behind him and took two books, putting everything on the counter.

“The Bakugan is ten low-grade cores” He said “The Bakumeter and the deck are both twenty five credits, but since you are one of our first ten costumes, you only get to pay for the Bakugan”

The man nearly spat blood when he heard this, eyes going red at the same moment.

“Ten low-grade cores?!”

A person can only obtain a core by fighting a Demonic Beast, ten low-grade cores were ten low-grade beasts.

Anyone can fight a low-grade beast such as slimes and honed habits, even the weakest hunter, but to receive cores as payment…

Scam!

This place is a scam.

But the young man started talking before he could say anything.

“Let me explain something before you start cursing at me, these place have a lot of arrays, protection arrays are one of them, not only to protect the place from attacks, but also from theith, everyone knows that beast cores can be used as energy source for said arrays, and since I’m just a merchant without a class, I’m legally unable to go hunting for cores and the ones you see on the market will cost me a kidney, so I have to get them some way”

That made the man stop, closing his eyes to concentrate.

Then he felt it.

There really were a lot of arrays in this place, protection was the most used.

He opened his eyes, more calm now.

The boy was telling the truth, with this many arrays, he could understand why he would take cores as payment.

But why should he pay this much for a toy?

“And Bakugan are more than just companions” The young man continued “This book as for this”

He pointed at the books he took from the cabinet, it had the same circle with symbols he saw in the boys back.

[Bakugan - Attributes and how to battle] Could be read in the front.

And the second, a much smaller one, had the watch on the front, along with the title [How to use your Bakumeter].

“Bakugan are usually used in battles” Said the young man “Compare it with chest, you can practice tactical skills using the cards and Bakugan”

He pointed at the circle in the book, more specifically the blue symbol.

“Aquos is the water attribute of the attribute exagon” He said “Since your daughter is a water mage, she can learn a few strategies and attacks to use in real battles in a fun way”

The man hesitated.

An educational toy was a good thing, especially if it could help with magid training.

But it didn't seem that useful.

“What about this”

The young man started packing everything in a paper bag with the ‘attribute exagon’.

“You take this to your daughter” He said “If she really doesn't like it, you can come here and I’ll refund you, sound’s good?”

He sealed the bag with a sticker of the ‘attribute exagon’, then handed it to the man.

“And what can give a guarantee that you won't run off with the cores?” The man asked.

The young man just shrugged his shoulders.

“Run to where? I don't have anywhere to go, this place is both my shop and home, and what use would have a Hunter hunting you? I’m just a civilian with no class, how far could I go?”

That was a fair point, and the point that made the man finish the transaction.

“Good to do business with you” The young man said, his smirk back “‘till next time”

The man couldn't help but feel that he just got scammed.

_______________________________________

‘First Bakugan sold’ Alix thought ‘Nine to go’

He had received a mission the moment he opened the shop.

[Sell ten Bakugan - Reward: Two Bakugan to yourself]

He let a satisfied smile appear on his face.

“You can’t smile to save yourself” One of the Aquos Bakugan said “You look like a scammer!

“Oh shush you!” Alix said “I can smile really well!”

He looked at himself in his cellphone reflection and smiled.

A fox-like smile welcomed him.

There was a beat of silence, Alix's face darkened.

“... I should practice…”

It didn't help that the Bakugan agreed.

_______________________________________

Lily Rockfield had come home for her birthday, like her father requested.

He had given her a whole party and all.

But what interested her the most was not the party, nor the expensive gifts brought by the men who wanted to impress her father.

But the one her father buyed himself.

She was in her room, sitting on her bed.

It was big and fancy, but not at all important.

She opened the paper bag, reaping the sticker, and found a few things.

The first thing was a wristwatch, she found it pretty and wore it, it was blue just like her eyes.

The second was a little rectangular box, she opened it, finding a few cards, some with a blue tortoise on them.

The next two were a pair of books, one with the strange circle in the front and the other with the watch (which, aparenty, it was called Bakumeter).

The book the circle got her attention, but she put it aside so see one last thing.

It was a little box, one that looked like the ones that stored wedding rings, it too, was blue.

She picked it up, curiosity eating her from inside out, and carefully opened it.

It was a small blue sphere.

She was confused for a moment, thinking it might be a joke or a mistake.

But the sphere opened, revealing a tiny ‘head’ and two tiny ‘legs’.

“Finally decided to check on me, huh?”

She froze, processing the situation carefully.

It only took her a few moments to register.

‘This thing just talked?!’

She let the box with the thing fall in the bed while she retreated at its confused and startled cries.

What has her father given to her?!

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