User blog:Guardian Fira/Fighters Unite! Chapter 6: Uniting for Sign-Ups

Sunday (5 days until regional qualifiers), Marketplace, 10:36 AM

The cool breeze in the bright sun blew through everyones hair. Chain, Serena and Berith were, once again, at the marketplace, practicing for the tournament. Everyone was having fun experimenting with new cards and strategies. Chain was still getting familiar with the new cards Hearty helped him get, Serena was making sure her Sytemics were up to scratch, and Berith was focusing on making his playstyle focused on protecting Abend once he is called. The registration for the tournament started today and sign ups would continue throughout the week. Chain and his team decided to sign up today, so they got it out of the way before things got crazy. Then something crossed Chains mind and he asked, "By the way, what are we going to call ourselves?". Serena and Beirth both turned to Chain, their faces confused at the question. Chain responded further, "I mean, our team name. We know we're going to be part of a team, but we havn't even talked about a name yet".

Serena nodded and said, "That's right, we need a name of some kind, but I guess we've been so busy practicing that we didn't have time to think of one". Berith, while having his mind on other things, suggested, "Why not something simple, like CBS?". Serena and Chain both looked at him, dumbstruck by what he said, but Chain was the one to ask, "What's CBS?". Berith sighed and replied, "The initials of our first names, Chain, Berith and Serena. That way, we're all part of the name as much as we're part of the team". Serena then asked, "Wait, why is my name at the end of the name?". Berith looked straight at her, then lowered his head, simply stating, "I don't know, I just ordered it that way". Serena made a pouting face and stated, "Well, I don't want to be stuck at the end just cause I can". Chain placed his hand on his head. Serena had always been like this, not liking to feel lowered or degraded without a good reason. But Serena then replied, "But, we don't really have any other ideas, so I guess that's our best option".

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With a team name decided, Chain, Serena and Berith all stood up from the table they were sat at, packed up their things and started walking in the direction of the coastline. Hinagiku City was well known for having some of most spectacular visitor attractions in the world. It was known as Buddy City after all, It naturally got a lot of visitors every year. The coastline was what kept people coming though. It's beach spread across the entire edge of the city, with grand rock formations and clear waters. Since the Buddy Laws allowed Buddy Monsters to partake in everyday lives with Humans, Monsters with special Buddy Skills would help with the city's polution levels, as well as it's power. At first, there were a few protests, mainly by people who didn't have a Buddy Monster yet, but the protest was to 'Liberate Buddy Monsters'. The entire campaign was uprooted however, when it was discovered that the protest was not to stop Buddy Monsters working, but to make them leave the world. Chain thought back to that day. He was only young then, around 6 years old, and didn't even know about Buddy Monsters when it all happened. The day the City fell into riot.

"Chain, Chain, HEY!", Serena shouted. Chain suddenly snapped out of his trance, realising he was walking much further behind Serena and Berith along the coastline. "Are you ok?", Berith asked. Chain shook his head, still coming to grips with reality and, reassuringly said, "Yeah, I'm ok, just daydreaming a little". Chain put on a brave smile, and caught up with his teammates. The sun was still shining, beaming onto all of their faces. Chain was wondering why it was such a nice day, considering it was the fall. Then again, the sun was mostly shining in Hinagiku anyway, as a few Buddy Monsters had the power to manipulate clouding depending on how they saw fit. Of course, they all had to decide to the weather before any of them started moving the clouds. But for now, Chain was enjoying the sun. "Hey, look, there it is", Berith declared, pointing at a large dome building on the beach side. The building was huge, decorated with lots of stone pillars and statues of Buddy Monsters. That was another Hinagiku City's main attractions, The Hinagiku Stadium.

Chain, Serena and Berith all walked towards the Stadium, finding Yuki, Fira and Sorin to already be there. "You guys are late", Sorin claimed. In truth, they weren't late at all. The sign-ups didn't start for another 50 minutes, yet only their teams were the ones around. Chain looked at all three, Yuki, Sorin and Fira and said, "So, you guys all set and ready to sign-up?". Yuki nodded, still feeling a little nervous. She had never been part of a tournament like this before and was worried that she would bring them down. Fira, on the other hand, said, "Of course, we're all ready to win this thing, right guys?". Fira patted both Sorin and Yuki on their backs. Yuki blushed a little as she fell forwards slightly, tipped off balance by the push. Sorin, however, with his hands in his pockets, didn't move an inch and said, "Just make sure you don't go dissappointing me in the finals Chain, I'd rather make it good out there". Chain smiled and looked atraight at Sorin, fire burning in both their eyes. "Then how about me and you in the finals, Sorin?", Chain asked. Sorin smiled back and said "Of course, but whether I'll see YOU in the finals is a different story". While Chain and Sorin stared each other down, Fira turned to Serena and Berith, asking, "So, what team name are you coming up with?". Serena opened her mouth to speak, but then chose not to, asking instead, "What about your team name?". Yuki raised her head to speak, at the same time as Fira, who gladly stepped back and let her speak. "We-We decided to go for Team...", Yuki attempted to speak, choking up halfway through. Fira stepped in front of her and finished, "Team Burst". Yuki, while not much smaller than Fira, started to get a more pouting face and, in a last ditch effort to speak out loud, pushed him to the side, knocking him down and said, "I was going to say it!". Fira hit the ground, but turned to her and laughed as she blushed at what she did. But she smiled and laughed with him, putting her annoyance behind her. Serena and Berith both looked at each other, smiling but upset. Upset they didn't know a real name for their team.

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Sunday (5 days until regional qualifiers), Outside Hinagiku Stadium, 10:40 AM

A few minutes passed as the two teams talked amongst each other. They spoke of lots of things, including their Decks, playstyles, even schoolwork at one point. Berith and Fira went to go look around the outside of the Stadium, intrigued by its Romanic design. During their conversation, another group of players turned up at the entrance, where Chain, Serena, Yuki and Sorin were sat. There were 5 of them, 3 boys and 2 girls. As they walked past, they turned to Chain, Serena, Yuki and Sorin, and each one was easily describable.

The first girl, and the oldest looking one there, was a young, attractive looking woman, about the same height as Chain and Sorin, with long black hair, pale skin and her blue eyes reflecting the light. She wore a white short sleeve dress and a pair of black jeans with boots.

The next one, a boy, was about the same size as Yuki. He had wild blonde hair, sticking upright in a powerful looking style. He had black eyes, different from the first girl. He wore a white and blue polo shirt, with blue jeans and white shoes. Chain couldn't help but think he looked a little wacky, but chose not to say anything. Stood next to him, was a slightly taller boy, dressed in a form of yellow and red regalia. He, unlike the boy, had calm looking hair, which was also red and yellow. Even this boys eyes were red.

The last one, also a girl, was the second youngest looking out of the 3, being slightly taller than Yuki. She was also the most shy by the look of it. She had wavy brown hair, with a few purple streaks intwined into it. She, unlike the first girl, had fairly tanned skin and purple eyes. She, like the boy before, was stood next to a slightly taller boy. This boy however, had unruly blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a green T-shirt, which had a symbol for the Magic World on it, as Chain recognized. He also wore skinny blue jeans and brown boots and was carrying a large sports bag. He also had strangely pointed ears, which Chain couldn't help staring at. Of course, the boy noticed and replied, "I'm not sure what you staring at but i'm over here, big guy". Chain quickly drew his attention away and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare". The first girl turned to speak to Chain, saying "It's ok, hardly any of us could tear our eyes away when we first met him". Serena then stood up, asking, "Are you guys here to sign up for the tournament too?". The first girl and the young boy smiled, while the other girl, only managed a small smile, still very shy. "That's right!", the boy said. "And Team Worlds Unite is gonna win it all!".

Serena, again, grew annoyed that they had a team name and her team didn't, but let it slide, realizing introductions were more important. She held her hand to her chest, gesturing towards herself and said, "I'm Serena, who are you guys?". The pointed ear boy stood next to the second girl, pointed at himself with his thumb and said, "I'm Axia, and this is Allisia", gesturing to the girl, still feeling shy, but she took a deep breath and smiled, saying, "Nice to meet you!". The young boy then folded his arms, along with the boy behind him and stated in a loud voice, "I'm GX, don't call me anything else, cause you won't get a response, and this is Blaze!". The taller boy nodded towards Serena, who simply stared at his hair, being curious as to its colour. Chain noticed Serena staring and tried to cover for her, "I'm Chain, and those two are Sorin and Yuki", pointing at each one respectively, who gestured back in reponse. At this time, Berith and Fira had turned the corner to see the new kids, when Berith paused. The still unnamed girl, tilted her head in a cheery fashion and smiled, saying "And I'm...". Just then, "Kagome?!?!", Berith shouted.

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Berith was stood there, dumbstruck by Kagome's sudden appearance. He saw her last on the Friday night, walking off in a hurry. She simply looked at him, with a confused look on her face, and asked, "Um, yeah, that's me, do I know you?". Berith's face grew more confused, thinking she forgot who he was after what happened. "Yeah, It's me Berith. That club, remember?", Berith tried to remind her. But it all seemed in vain, she still had a confused look on her face, hinting that she had no idea what he was talking about. "Sorry, my mistake, I guess we havn't met before", Berith assured the others, but he wasn't fooled. Berith believed that she was putting on an act, to stop anyone from finding out about her. Kagome's face started to turn from confused into a smile, and she said, "Well, at least you got my name right". Chain looked at the dissappointment on Berith's face, and knew something was wrong.

Registration was still not open, so everyone decided to hang out on the beach. The coastline was clean, not a single piece of litter in sight. The waves slowly moved back and forth as the morning sun reflected off it, allowing the sea to sparkle. Yuki, Allisia and Kagome stared out to the sea, watching the lights twinkle. "It's so pretty!", Kagome shouted, making both Yuki and Allisia jump a little. "Y-yeah, it is", Yuki stuttered out. Allisia didn't say anything but looked at Yuki and nodded. Yuki noticed how shy Allisia was and attempted to talk with her, while Kagome was still complimenting the ocean in the background. "So, Allisia, W-What deck do you use?", Yuki asked, trying to get over her nerves. Allisia, once again, took a deep breath and replied in a cheery mood, "I'm with Magic World, what about you?". Yuki was amazed how easily she got over her shyness, wishing she could do that, and responded, "I am too, though my Buddy, along with my friends Buddies are on their way right now". Yuki then thought and said, "So, who's your Buddy?". Allisia turned to face the others, all talking in a group, and simply said, "Axia".

Back with the group, Axia noticed Allisia and Yuki talking, and smiled. He was happy she was making new friends so easily, when a year ago, she didn't have any. "Hey, Axia", Blaze said, trying to get his attention. Axia turned to Blaze, who responded with, "You don't have to keep staring at Allisia, you know, she'll be fine". Axia glared at him, irritatingly saying, "What do you care if I'm keeping an eye on her?". Blaze saw his attitude and backed off, saying, "Alright, Alright, jeez". Chain was still a little confused by what he had just been told, "So, Axia and Blaze are the Buddy Monsters of Allisia and GX?". Axia nodded, also replying with, "Yeah, the Buddy Laws allow us to to maintain a Human form if we have the ability to do so, and it helps us intergrate with society". Chain didn't really need a reason, Hearty had a Human form all the time outside of a Buddyfight. "Hey, miss us guys?", A voice from afar shouted. Chain and everyone turned to see Hearty, Dagger, Abend, Jace, Ocker and Jack, all in Human and Mini-form, walking along the beach towards them.

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Chain and the Humans, except Yuki and Allisia who were still talking happily on the rocks, and Kagome, still complimenting the ocean, all grouped together to talk, while the Buddy Monsters did the same in their own little group. Hearty was surprised to see more Human looking Buddy Monsters. Dagger and Abend were relaxing in the sun while they had the chance. Jack and Ocker spent the time training and fighting with each other, leaving Hearty to talk with Jace, Axia and Blaze. "So, Blaze, what World do you originate from?", Hearty questioned. Blaze looked at her, grinning and claimed very proudly, "I'm from Dragon World!". Hearty had never heard of or seen the card Blaze came from, and wasn't surprised that with a name like Blaze, that he came from Dragon World. Hearty noticed that Axia was keeping to himself most of the time, and left to go speak with him while Jace chatted with Blaze. "Are you ok?", Hearty asked. Axia turned his head to speak with her and responded, "Yeah, its just, me and Allisia had plans here, and I'm afraid she won't want to go through with them anymore". Hearty, a little confused, placed her hand on his shoulder and asked, "What plans?". Axia turned away a little and said, "We were going to swim around here, to try and help her feel more confident. I brought our towels and stuff in this bag, but she's very shy around new people".

Hearty looked towards Allisia, still talking with Yuki and reassuringly told him, "I'm sure she will still want to, there's nothing wrong with getting a little exercise and she probably still wants to anyway", noticing how she kept looking towards the ocean. Axia looked up towards Hearty, and asked, "You think?". Hearty smiled and replied, "Of course, I know I would still want to do something fun, regardless of whether anyone was here or not". Axia, feeling a little better, stood up and smiled back at Hearty, before running towards Allisia. Hearty watched as he spoke with her and she smilied back at him, nodding. Hearty was then surprised as Allisia ran into and hugged Axia, causing him to blush a little. She pulled away and ran further into some of the rocks, gesturing at Axia to stay where he was, which he agreed to. He looked back at Hearty and gave her a thumbs up, so Hearty smiled back. Hearty walked round and sat on the rock Axia was sat on and continued to watch Axia.

After a minute or two, Allisia came out from the rocks, wearing a swimsuit and carrying her clothing. Yuki, still there, started talking with Allisia, but from where Hearty was sat, she couldn't make out what she was saying. Just then, Axia snapped his fingers and was engulfed in a bright light. When the light dispersed, he was also wearing swimming gear. Trunks, snorkle, diving goggles, tube, the whole lot. Hearty almost burst out into laughter, but Yuki and Allisia beat her to it. Axia then made a pouting face, before turning towards the water and jumping in, splashing a little on Allisia, who annoyed by the splash, followed him in. Hearty watched as they splashed water at each other and occasionaly at Yuki and Kagome, just to annoy them, before looking back towards Chain, also laughing from talking with everyone else. Hearty couldn't help but wonder, if she and Chain could ever be that close.

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Chain and the other Humans heard the sound of laughter as Allisia and Axia played in the water, splashing Yuki and Kagome. He looked towards them and saw Hearty sat on the rock, by herself. "Go on then", Sorin then snapped at him, "She IS your Buddy Monster, right? You should see whats bothering her". Chain looked at Sorin and smliled, "Yeah, I'll do that, I'll be right back", Chain said as he stood up and left. Sorin couldn't help but wonder if they were as close as Allisia and Axia. Sorin looked at his watch and realised the time, 11:24, registration would be open in 6 minutes. "Hey everyone, 6 minutes to registration", He pointed out to the others. All the Humans started to gather any things they had brought and stood up, when Serena had a thought. Berith noticed she had that look across her face and asked her, "What's up?". Serena replied with, "We still need a team name that we can all agree on". Berith was quite annoyed that Serena wouldn't drop it like he asked, but knew she was right.

Chain walked over to and sat next to Hearty, before asking, "What's up with you?". Hearty turned to him and quickly said, "Nothing, why?". Chain looked in the direction that Axia and Allisia were playing in, and a thought crossed his mind, which he repeated to Hearty, "You wanted to join in?". Hearty's face turned bright red from even the thought of that. She turned away from Chain, who started to tease her a little, "You did, didn't you?". Chain smiled at how easily taunted Hearty was, but not so much when she turned around, looking really angry. Chain quickly thought ahead and replied, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just you looked like you wanted to take part from how you were staring at them". Heartys rage dampened a bit as she turned back towards Axia and Allisia, still playing in the water, and she said, "You idiot".

Serena and Berith walked over to Chain and Serena pulled on his arm. Chain, almost falling from the pull, turned to Serena and said, "Hey, what's up, why the rush?". Serena looked straight at Chain and stated, "Registation will be open soon and we still don't have a good name". Hearty heard this and asked, "Why not just have your name as something you have in common?". Serena, Berith and Chain all looked each other, before Berith broke the silence by saying, "Well, I guess, I like seeing the sparkly effect when I Buddy Call Abend". Serena looked at him, surprised by this and exclaimed, "Me too, I always love that when I Buddy Call Dagger", which reminded them both to go get them. Berith and Serena ran to get their Buddies, as Hearty asked Chain, "Do you like seeing that?". Chain turned to her, with a smile, and said, "Of course, I do. It's like watching stardust fall from you and the others when their Buddy Called!". Hearty smiled at him, happy with his answer, though she saw it more as a compliment. Chain then had a thought, and shouted, "Berith, Serena, I got an idea!"

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Sunday (5 days until regional qualifiers), Outside Hinagiku Stadium, 11:32 AM

As the 3 teams, excluding Axia and Allisia, who were too engrossed in playing in the water to hear anything, walked up to the stadium, a boy was already there. No one could see his face long enough to make him out, but he filled out a team registration form and walked away. "Wow, someone beat us to it, and we were here first", Fira exclamied. Fira, Sorin and Yuki all walked up to the now open registration desk and filled in their team form. "Team name?", the man behind the desk asked. Sorin stepped forward and proudly declared, "Team Burst". The man looked at Sorin for a second before going over the paper, then saying, "Ok, your all set, next please". Sorin, Yuki and Fira all stepped out of the way and Sorin shouted to the others, "We're going to be off now to train, we'll see you guys at school!".

Chain and the rest waved Sorin and Team Burst off, as Kagome and GX stepped up to the desk and filled out their form. The man looked around for a minute and asked, "Where's your third?". Kagome rolled her eyes and claimed, "She's playing in the ocean with her Buddy, but she's on the form". The man went over the form and asked the same question he asked Sorins team, "Team name?". GX stood proudly and announced, "Team Worlds Unite!". Kagome covered her ears from how loud he shouted, until the man signaled her that he was done with a thumbs up. Kagome and GX turned to the others and stepped back, allowing them to sign up. Kagome and GX started to walk back to the beach, as Kagome turned around and asked, "Will you guys be back down when your done?". Chain turned to Kagome and said, "Of course!". Kagome, GX and even Blaze smiled as they walked down to the beach again. Hearty, Dagger and Abend however, were smiling for a different reason. Everyone was after what Chain had said as his idea on the beach.

Chain, Berith and Serena filled out their forms and handed them in, smiling. The man quickly looked over the forms and once again asked, "Team name?". Serena smiled at Berith, who smiled back, but it was Chain who stated, "Team Stardust!"

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Now come a few announcements:

1. This is the entire chapter and yes, there was no Buddyfight, as this was a story only chapter.

2. The chapter was uploaded earlier than usual due to me going on holiday without internet on Thursday, so I uploaded it now to allow everyone to read it on time(ish).

I hope you all will look forward to the tournament and the amount of Buddyfights it brings and thank you so much for reading!