Routine

CHAPTER 1

"And then I let him have it with my secret weapon, Frame Fire," Dan Kuso continued to gloat on the Chat Room on the Bakugan website.

"Man, you should've seen me. I was like, totally wicked. But then again, what would you expect from the greatest Bakugan brawler!"

"Whatever," Runo cut in. "I just checked the world rankings and you're sitting at one twenty-one."

"That's impossible, Runo. I've gotta check this out for myself." Dan walked over to his computer and scrolled through the world rankings. "Scrolling up. Ha, one seventeen!"

"Save your breath until you break into the top 10," Runo said.

"Yeah, right! Like you're one to talk! You're not even ranked," Dan snapped, comming closer to the screen and sticking out his tongue at Runo.

"Yeah, like that's real mature!" Runo fumed.

"Would you two stop fighting! Besides, the two of you couldn't live up to the number fifty-eighth spot," Tiana teased with a victorious smirk on her face, causing both of them to glare at her though the screen.

"Danny, that's so dreamy! One seventeen! That's four whole spots in one day!" Julie Makimoto praised, probably boosting Dan's ego more than what's needed.

"Julie, please don't boost his ego even more," Tiana complained, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"That deserves a big smoochy from Julie," she continued, completely ignoring Tiana and kissing the screen, causing Tiana to cringe and Dan to fall back onto the floor.

"Ah man, that hurt," he complained. "Quit slobbering up the screen! I'm not your boyfriend." Dan's cheeks tinted red as he fiddled with his nose, a habit Tiana noticed he had when he was uncomfortable.

"Woah, this is so kindergarten!" Runo stated, crossing her arms and turning away from the screen.

"You go, Danny! I'll always be your biggest fan in the world!"

"Dan, might I suggest you set your eyes on Shun," Marucho Marukura suggested, changing the subject which Tiana was thankful for. "He's ranked number one and, in a few years, you could surpass him."

Tiana only knew Shun Kazami from when he had joined them on the Chat Room. He and Dan had created the rules of Bakugan, with Tiana's aid, and they had apparently been friends since childhood.

That was until Shun started to pull a disappearing act frequently, without any real reason, and then one day, he just disappeared all together, blocking off all contact with Dan and the rest of the Brawlers.

To this day, Tiana still wondered what had happened for him to just drop them like that without so much as an explanation.

Dan looked taken back when Marucho mentioned Shun but quickly went back to his usual expression.

"In a few years?" Alice Gehabich questioned. "There has to be some way you can challenge him or something, isn't there?"

Dan leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head with his eyes closed. "Huh, I bet I can take that jerk."

Tiana's jaw nearly dropped to the floor at his remark. She knew Dan was upset with Shun but she never thought he would talk this say about his old friend.

"I don't mean to brag, you know, but no one's even come close to challenging me," Dan continued. "Better look out Shun...because I'm gonna take you down."

°°°

"Hey, Tiana! Feelings up for a battle?"

"Not in the mood."