Monastery of Spinjitzu
No One's POV
It was an ordinary day. The sky was blue, the clouds were puffy and white, a soft breeze was blowing... it seemed like a perfect day.

Yet a steady storm was brewing in the Monastery. The kind of storm that's impatient, that's begging for a lightning strike, yet all it can do is rumble and make everyone below miserable as it remains in the sky.

And that storm's name was Valt Aoi.

As it was considered an ordinary day, the others were to come to training during the afternoon, but the normally peppy blader had practically nothing to do until then. He was already leagues ahead of his fellow teammates, and he preferred to learn new things with them. That meant he was stuck doing nothing except picking up stray pebbles in the courtyard and attempt to arrange them to make a coherent shape.

PIXAL watched this display of boredom for hours; Valt didn't show any signs of getting up or getting invested in other activities. His sword was strapped to his back and there were a few training dummies in a corner of the courtyard, but he made no move to grab the hilt or head over to get some training in.

All of these extra activities... and he wasn't interested.

If she was being honest with herself, PIXAL was nervous. She hadn't seen Valt this under stimulated since before the other Masters had been gathered. At least now he was in the rays of Vitamin D instead of confining himself to the shadows of his room. But he was probably in imminent danger of getting sunburnt.

She had to do something.

Somewhat cautiously, she approached her "oldest" student. "Ahem... Valt? Are you... alright?"

The blue haired boy paused before sighing loudly. "Yeah, I'm fine, Pix. Just..." He fingered another pebble into his sculpted picture of... Valtryek, maybe? "Bored."

"You could train with the dummies," PIXAL pointed out.

Valt cast one side eyed glance at the training equipment in the corner of the courtyard before shrugging. "Nah."

Surprised, PIXAL tried another more obvious tactic. "The new Bey stadium was picked up in last week - you could break it in."

That stalled Valt's artistic fingers for a split second before they started again, pushing another pebble into his design. "Not interested."

If PIXAL was surprised before, she was absolutely floored now. Ever since Xander had returned his bey after the events in Brazil, Valt had been especially attached to Valtryek - he usually jumped at the chance to train with it. For the past few weeks, he'd been begging PIXAL to order a Bey stadium for the Monastery and been counting down the days to when she would pick it up.

Now he was saying he wasn't interested?

"If you don't mind me asking," PIXAL started delicately. "Why not?"

Valt fingered the last pebble into his design before settling his arms on his knees in a fetal position. "I want to do it with my friends," He admitted, sounding ashamed. "It's not fun without them."

PIXAL tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean?" She asked. "You've trained without them with no problem."

"Yeah, but that's was when I thought they hated me," Valt told her; he refused to look up at her and continued to stare at a stone in the far wall. "It's easier to do things alone when you think you actually are alone. But..." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I guess it's just harder when you know that they could do it with you."

It wasn't much to go off of, but it was all the Nindroid had. Within a few moments of running the few apparent symptoms through her medical database, PIXAL suddenly understood what was going on. Valt had attachment issues. Being away from his friends and everything he'd known for so many months was like being temporarily deprived of a drug - now that he had them back, he couldn't get enough of them. Everything he could do, he wouldn't do without his friends.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it could impede his growth as an individual.

She had the diagnosis.

And as for the cure...

"I think you should go out and do something," PIXAL announced decisively. "By yourself, for once."

Valt finally looked up at her, his eyes full of surprise. A small laugh escaped from his gaping mouth, trying to pull itself into a bemused grin. "You're kidding, right?"

"No I am not," PIXAL declared. She folded her hands within her kimono sleeves and looked down at her pupil with a serious expression. "You need to get out into the real world - get some fresh air."

"I get fresh air everyday!" Valt protested, throwing out a hand to indicate the courtyard. "If you haven't noticed, this place is about fifty percent outdoors!"

"You know what I mean," PIXAL replied simply, then her gaze softened. "Valt, you need to have your own fun for once. Learn how to enjoy yourself."

Valt continued to stare at her, his expression steadily transitioning into one of horror. "B-but... my friends..."

"Won't always be around to entertain you," PIXAL finished for him, trying not to sound unkind. "So you'll have to find other ways to entertain yourself."

Valt's fetal position on the steps of the Monastery tightened. "B-but... if they were there... they'd be able to protect me..." He muttered weakly. "T-the military-"

"Probably has bigger fish to fry right now than a twelve year old boy," PIXAL told him gently. "But to be on the safe side, I would go somewhere that you have not been known to visit."

Valt only tightened in on himself further. "B-but..." He tried, but cut himself off; it was clear that he was running out of plausible protests.

PIXAL removed one of her hands from her sleeve to gently caress the top of Valt's blue spikes. "It will be fine, my young pupil," She assured softly to his wide brown eyes. "All this will be is a little outing for you. A chance for you to do something for yourself for a change! I will be able to reach you at all times, and you can always activate the tracking device in your headset if you want me to come get you. And if you find yourself in a pinch..." She leaned down further and gave him a conspiratorial wink. "Do me a favor and kick some serious butt."

Valt still didn't seem sure about this decision, but he couldn't bring himself to go against PIXAL's wishes. He found himself nodding against her silver hand before leaning back and using the appendage as a means to stand up. PIXAL led him back to a room in the Monastery, which turned out to be a large closet. She removed a unadorned hoodie and a pair of dark sweatpants from their hangers and held them against his body, comparing their sizes. "Big enough to hide your actual size," She surmised, handing them to him. "Yet comfortable enough to keep your body temperature normal - that is, depending on where you want to go. Speaking of which, where are you thinking?"

"Maybe somewhere in America, since it's probably daytime there, too," Valt answered distractedly as he took the items of clothing, still disbelieving of the entire situation. As he ran his fingers over the soft fabric, though, he came up with one more question for PIXAL. "Pix... is this safe?"

She blinked at him before giving him a reassuring smile. "Of course. Like I said, you will be able to communicate with me at all times, and you know perfectly well that you can defend yourself in a corner."

"I-I know, i-it's just..." He stared down at the cloth in his hands. "I haven't really been... out since the incident. At least not without my friends as backup."

"All the more reason for you to start going out on your own," PIXAL insisted, holding up a pair of shoes she'd procured from the bottom of the closet. "You're a growing independent boy, you need some Me Time every now and then."

Valt's hands were shaking as he took the shoes from his teacher, but he managed a weak nod and went to his room to put the ensemble on. When he came out, his thin body was smothered in the folds of the bulky clothing. Anyone who didn't know him personally wouldn't be able to guess his true size under the heavy fabric. The perfect disguise.

PIXAL met him in the courtyard and gave him a hundred dollars in cash in case he needed to buy anything. Then she gave him one last hug before she sent on his (forced) day of personal relaxation, and one last tidbit of reassurance: "You will be fine - I promise."

With that flimsy piece of olive branch, Valt gave her another weak smile before he transformed into his Dragon Form before her eyes, her light receptors automatically adjusting to the bright light. Valt now stood a full head taller than PIXAL, but he made sure to look everywhere except her face lest she see the fear still in his glowing eyes. He bent at the knees and jumped into the air, firmly slapping his tail against the ground to give himself enough traction.

In the blink of an eye, he was nothing more than a rapidly shrinking speck of blue in the sky.

PIXAL ran the stats through her head again as she watched her student disappear from view. The ratio of probability in regards to Valt's wellbeing on his own was pretty 50/50, but weighing in his backup options and ability to defend himself steadily tipped the scales in his favor. It wasn't much, but it was enough to quell PIXAL's concerns just a little.

He will be fine... right?

To be certain, she ran the stats again. And again. And again.

Why didn't her worry go away?

—————

Somewhere in America
No One's POV
The city wasn't a big one, at least in comparison to the larger cities the country was known for. There were no historic views to brag about, no international landmarks to boast. It was, however, far enough in the times for there to be plenty of businesses to run, people to be walking the streets, eyes on their phones, minds on the day ahead and nothing else.

Which is why no one paid attention to the blue blur that landed in one of the many alleys.

And no one noticed the boy dressed in baggy clothing exit the alley a second later.

Valt tugged the hood low over his face as he merged into the crowds of people. Brown eyes peered out from within the shadows, looking for the first sign of trouble and noting every possible exit. He was sweating in the thick fabric, grateful that it hung far enough from his body that no sweat stains appeared. The last thing he needed was to look even more suspicious than he probably already did.

Why did PIXAL suggest this, again? He thought to himself as he glanced at someone focused on their phone screen. Some "Me Time", was it? He snorted as he considered the words from another perspective. For me or for her?

After double checking those around him to see if they were watching him, he allowed himself a small breath. Well, might as well find something to do while I'm here, He resolved. His eyes rose from the street to the buildings above, the noonday sun reflected a thousand times in their windows. Only problem is... what do I do?

Valt kept following the crowd across the streets, crossing with it at stop lights, passing with it between buildings. Some broke away from the crowd, others joined it; sometimes the crowd was small, other times it was about twenty people deep. The whole time, he was looking for something that could stimulate him. Nothing was looking promising until...

Huh? Is that a Beyblade store?

Valt stopped in his tracks when he saw the familiar storefront, causing a few of the people around him to hiss at the inconvenience. They quickly lost interest, though, and continued on to destinations unknown.

Valt paid them no attention. He distantly found himself sidestepping his crowd companions and making his way towards the store. As he got closer, he noticed the colorful forms of new bey designs in the display window, and a wave of nostalgia crashed into him.

He remembered first seeing Valtryek in a store not unlike this one, though with a sign in Japanese instead of English - nothing more than an impressionable piece of blue metal behind glass. He remembered how excited he'd felt when he saw it, thinking how cool it looked and deciding right then and there that it would be his partner. He'd begged his mother for weeks afterwards, doing chores around the house in order to sweeten the deal. Finally she'd caved and bought the bey for her ecstatic son, along with a launcher and a stadium, who had immediately set up shop in the backyard and put all three to good use.

And, well... look at where we are now.

He wasn't sure what made it happen - either the nostalgia or simply remembering his home - but Valt felt his chest loosen a bit as he reviewed some of his happiest memories. For the first time since PIXAL suggested he go on his own, he didn't feel the need to be afraid. He breathed a little easier and gave the storefront one last fond look before he rejoined the crowd on the sidewalk, looking at the surrounding buildings with a different attitude.

Might as well find someplace for lunch...

—————

Somewhere in Japan
No One's POV
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Night asked for the hundredth time, her worried hands hanging just a few inches away from her adopted son's shoulders as if she was going to give him a pat down. "You have your phone? Your earbuds? Your medication?" Her eyes narrowed as she tried a different tactic. "You better not bring those whips of those with you!"

Jin, standing in the foyer of their modest house in his school clothes, resisted the urge to sigh and roll his eyes, knowing full well that it would only earn him another lengthy scolding. "Yes, Mama, I have everything," He assured her, lifting the shoulder strap of his backpack for emphasis. "As for the whips - where exactly do you think I'd stash them?" He lifted both hands to gesture to his thin frame, currently dwarfed in a heavy jacket against the cold - no hiding place for such large weapons, and he'd left his holster belt in his room. "You know, you don't have to freak out like this every time I have to leave the house."

"You do not get to tell me how much I get to freak out," Night rebuked, jutting an authoritative finger in his face. Her gaze softened and her hand unfolded to smooth back his bangs. "But I guess my morning freak out is over, for now. Have a good day at school, my little ghost."

"I will, Mama," Jin promised her before ducking out of her reach and rushing out the front door before she could think of anything else to keep him back for.

Within moments, he was walking along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets in the direction of his school. He saw other students his age walking in the same way out of the corner of his eye, either walking in groups of three to five or duos. All of them were having animated conversations about something or other, often pausing long enough to share a fist bump or another type of friendly contact. It looked... entertaining, at least.

But none of them paid any attention to the lone boy walking on the other side of the street. Just as well. He had no intention of joining them.

His first destination was a little different from theirs.

Instead of taking a left on the fork ahead like the other students, Jin took a right, eventually walking far enough for the conversations to mute completely. This street would still take him to his school, though it would take longer with a few more twists and turns.

The destination was worth it, though.

A few minutes later, the frost-lined iron fence came into view. The arms of dark oak branches, bare for the winter, stretched over the tops of the spikes like lost souls struggling to get free - the thin twigs looked unsettlingly like groping fingers. Any other person would feel a sense of unease from such a foreboding landscape.

Quite the contrary for Jin. He actually felt a small burst of joy upon seeing the fence with its escaping inmates.

The cemetery was closed to visitors this early in the morning, so simply walking up to the fence and peering through the bars had to suffice. Jin wrapped his pale hands around the scratchy metal and pushed his head in between the bars as far as he could physically go. If he squinted hard enough, he could see the rough outline of a familiar tombstone.

Jin sighed in relief; each time he came, a part of him worried that the tombstone wouldn't be there. It was heavy marble and hadn't moved in the years it had been there thus far, but such facts did little to abate his unease. He couldn't shake the fear that one day, it would disappear for good.

He didn't think he could handle that.

"Hey, Mom," He said into the quietness of the early morning. "It's been a while since we last talked. Sorry about that. It's just been pretty hectic these past few weeks." A light breeze carried his breeze across the still earth, over other tombstones until it reached its intended recipient. The breeze changed direction back to him, bringing with it a soft sound that almost sounded like someone saying: Go on.

Jin smiled. "Well, you remember that ventriloquist guy I told you about, Ken? And those 'friends' he brought back with him?" He continued - he always spoke using limited information whenever he talked about his teammates in case anyone was listening. "He woke up three days after he went under, then was on his feet the day after." A bemused laugh escaped his throat. "It's funny, actually - he spent nearly four days in a coma, then immediately told the teacher I want to help them, what can we do? The next thing I know, I'm covered in paint and waiting for the shipment of customized windows!" The laugh gained strength the second time around. "Like I said, it's been pretty crazy!"

A sound like airy laughter reached his ears, and his smile widened when he saw excited shapes flying off the corners of his vision. He couldn't tell if any of them were his mother from such a distance, though it didn't really matter. It always made him happy to know that he would could brighten the days of the spirits.

But then a different kind of laughing reached his ears, and his mood immediately soured; the excited shapes of the spirits also disappeared from his vision. He turned his head to his right and saw a trio of boys heading his way. They were practically dripping confidence with their swaggering stances, condescending stares, and sleazy smiles. Jin knew them, had seen them in the halls of his school before, but had never bothered to learn their names. What would be the point? All they did was pick on him.

"What's up, Ghost Boy?" The lead boy called out as they got closer; Jin caught a whiff of the cologne they shared and fought back his gag reflex. "What are you doing? Talking to the dead again?"

Jin clenched his jaw at the boy's joking tone, yet kept his composure. "Yeah, so what?" He answered evenly.

The boys laughed again. "Hey, we just wanted to join you," Another protested mockingly. With that, they started climbing and banging on the iron fence and laughing even louder than before, yelling into the cemetery beyond things like, "HEY GHOSTS! HOW'S IT GOING? DO YOU LIKE BEING DEAD?"

Jin's eyes and mouth widened, horrified at the blatant display of disrespect. He knew he had the power to pull them off and discipline them, but he restrained himself and settled for a simple outraged, "Hey, knock it off!"

The boys laughed one last time before they jumped off of the fence and ganged up on him. "What? We're just doing what you usually do," the third boy sneered.

"Why do you always come to this cemetery anyway?" The lead boy asked, swinging his gaze distastefully amongst the headstones. "It's a little out of the way, ain't it?"

Clearly not enough, Jin mused drily.

"Oh I know why!" The other boy bellowed, sounding pleased with himself. "It's because his mommy is there, right?" He fixed a sickeningly sweet expression of mock concern, batting his eyes at the smaller boy in front of him.

"Right, his mommy died," the lead boy confirmed, using the same disgustingly sugared tone. "I heard she committed suicide!"

"I heard the daddy did it!" The second boy proposed.

"I heard he did it!" The third boy added, looking victorious with his theory. "That's why you keep coming here, ain't it? To apologize to mommy?"

The other two boys gasped as they stared at their friend in fake shock. "How horrible!" The leader said in a high-pitched voice. His smirk returned when he glanced back at a slack-jawed Jin. "Well, I personally wouldn't put it past him! He definitely looks like the murderer-type!"

Jin's shock at this accusation rendered him speechless for a few moments, allowing his bullies to deal their final blow. "You do know you'll never get a girlfriend like this, right?" The leader asked him rhetorically. "Talking to dead people all day is hardly what girls consider attractive, ya know!"

Too bad I'm gay, Jin mused, yet didn't dare give them that incentive.

"Forget that - tell them that he murdered his mommy and they'll avoid him like the plague!" The second boy protested.

"Don't they do that anyway?" The third boy pointed out.

"Wait - maybe his girlfriend will be a dead girl!" The second boy spoke up again, his eyes shining cruelly at the idea. "It would literally be a match made in heaven - or hell!"

While the three boys snickered and complimented each other on their insults, Jin's body temperature was growing while it got increasingly harder to hide his gnashing teeth. The audacity... to assume his actions as well as those of the deceased? As well as those of his mother? It was a wonder he hadn't exploded from his anger yet.

They don't know who they're dealing with. They don't know what they're badmouthing. They need to be punished.

The beast inside his chest stirred, growling into his thoughts. His anger abated as a plan came to mind, and he had to withhold a smile.

"Ya know..." He spoke over the boys' snickers. "The spirits have had a lot to say about you guys lately."

The boys immediately stopped laughing; the two lesser boys looked pensive while their leader looked amused. "Oh really?" He asked with a grin. "And what exactly do the spirits have to say about us?"

"That you're loud," Jin said simply. "And you're also rude. That's a very bad combination for the spirits. It shows that you're disrespectful. If there's anything that the dead prize above all else, it's respect." He tilted his head and gave them a crooked grin. "Which means that they especially don't like you three."

The other two boys shifted on their feet and sent nervous glances into the cemetery they had just been insulting. Their leader, however, only rolled his eyes. "Oh please," He said breezily, tipping his head back with contempt. "What do we care what a bunch of people buried six feet under think about us?"

"Y-yeah!" The second boy piped up, his voice cracking. "T-they're dead, aren't they?"

"Y-y-yeah!" The third boy agreed, his voice cracking just as pathetically. "T-they can't do anything to us!" His face crumpled as his voice took on a scared tone. "Can they?"

Jin's eyes narrowed. "What do you think?"

He placed his hands nonchalantly behind his back, but only so that he could hide his next move. He twitched his fingers in a repeating pattern, pulling at the currents around him. He stirred them from a breeze into a gust that slowly built as the seconds ticked by. Fabric flapped against the boys' bodies and their carefully sculpted locks went flying. The leader finally joined his posse with his own expression of unease, huddling together in their own triangle formation, watching and feeling the wind tear at the world around them.

Then their gazes collectively crept upwards - and saw the dead tree branches reaching like gnarled hands towards them.

Jin stood beneath them, seemingly unfazed by the entire situation as he secretly pulled the strings. In fact, he was greatly amused as he witnessed the boys' expressions turn from ones of unease to ones of flat out horror. He ushered the wind to pull the branches forward a little more and leaned forward with them, the creepiest smile he could muster on his face.

"Run," He said simply.

He didn't need to repeat himself - the boys were practically tripping over each other as they struggled to get away from him. As soon as they got their footing, they ran the opposite way down the street and didn't look back.

When they were out of sight, Jin released his control of the wind and allowed himself a small laugh that quickly turned into him gasping for air with his hands on his knees. It felt so good to give those guys the scare of their lives. It was probably wishful thinking to say that they wouldn't try to mess with him, but at least they would have second thoughts about doing so.

He caught his breath and glanced back at the cemetery. The spirits were excited again, flying as discolored shapes around the tombstones, sounds like happy gasps reaching his ears. He sighed and laid his hand on the iron fence. "As long as I'm here, no one will dare disrespect you," He said solemnly. "I swear it." The spirits breathed in his ears, thanking him.

With one last look at his mother's tombstone, he broke away from the fence and continued down the street in the direction of his school. All the while, he grouched, Seriously though - why can't people just LEAVE ME ALONE?

—————

Somewhere in Japan
No One's POV
Ken was also having trouble leaving home for school, though for a slightly different reason. His Element had Awakened only recently, leading his parents to believe that he could suffer from an emotional backlash if he was thrusted back into society so soon. No matter how much he assured them he would be fine, putting extra emphasis on how faint his face scar was and how well his new gauntlets covered the ones on his forearms, he was in imminent danger of being pulled out of school completely.

"I just don't want you to have a breakdown in the middle of class," His mother claimed, her hands clasped worriedly in front of her. "Or something worse."

"Don't worry about it!" Ken assured her through Besu's mouth. "We have a system for when Ken takes a trip down Bad Memory Lane - we'll just stop them by thinking of good memories!"

"I've had a few trips down 'Bad Memory Lane' myself in the past, Ken," His father told him, crossing his arms with a frown. "And I can tell you, it's not that simple."

I don't think so either, but I have to at least try.

Ken attempted another tactic through Keru's mouth, "Come on, please? We've seen nothing but walls for the past few weeks - we're getting suffocated!" He used his thumb and pinky to press Keru's small hands together in a pleading manner. "We need fresh air! No offense, but we need to see other people!"

His parents shot a worrisome look at each other before glancing back at him. "Are you positive that you'll be okay by yourself?" His mom asked, not for the first time.

Ken gave her a small smile. "I'll be fine, Mom," He said in his own voice. "Besides, I won't be entirely alone. I'm sure the Beasts will be all over me after ghosting them for Christmas Break - I'll be lucky if they do leave me alone!"

His mother still didn't look convinced, but his father put his arm around her shoulders. "Honey, if his friends are going to be there with him," He told her with in a soothing voice. "Then I say we give him a chance. We can't coop him up here forever."

"You say that, but it won't stop me from trying," His mother shot back. Her gaze shifted back to her son's pleading eyes and softened. "But if he says so, then... I guess we can send him off. BUT-" She said quickly when his expression started to lift. "You have to prove that you can take care of yourself. If I so much as hear along the grapevine that you had a breakdown in class and..." She thought for a second. "The pencil sharpener coincidentally flew off the wall, you're getting home schooled for a while, mister!"

That last proclamation should have caused Ken to worry, but he was too excited that his parents were actually letting him go to care. Within the next five minutes, he was on the sidewalk and heading towards his school, his hopes high for the day ahead.

Those hopes diminished as soon as he entered the courtyard. Eyes flew to him almost immediately, making his skin crawl underneath his winter coat. He could almost hear them whisper about him behind their hands and in hushed voices. The feeling of being watched, of being judged, was nearly overwhelming enough for him to consider running back home.

Come on, Ken tried telling himself, keeping his feet moving towards the front doors. I should be used to this. I've always been stared at because of my family's business. And this school is smaller than others I've gone to in the past - this should be nothing!

But for some reason, the eyes seemed especially heavy today. Even when he couldn't see who was directly looking at him, the weight of their gaze steadily slowed his steps. All of a sudden, he was back in the Pizzaplex, trying desperately to find a way out.

All while feeling like he was being watched.

Like he was being hunted.

Ken shook his head slightly yet fiercely, praying that, for all the eyes on him, no one noticed. Come on, this is exactly what Mom and Dad were worried about. You're not back there - you'll never have to go back there. You're here,
so you have to be here in the moment! With that somewhat reassuring thought in his head, he took a deep breath and propelled himself through the front doors before he could change his mind.

He was able to find his locker with relative ease, stashing his coat and backpack before balancing his books on Keru and Besu and heading to his first class. He didn't get two steps from his locker before a voice called out, "Ken!"

His shoulders tensed before he turned to meet who spoke. Ben Azuki, the captain of the Beasts, was barreling towards him through the crowd of students with the rest of the Bey Club on his heels. They were all wearing varying expressions of concern and fury, and the fact that they were approaching him now, before the first bell even rung, made Ken nervous.

Nevertheless, he plastered a smile on his face and spoke through Besu's cheerful mouth as they got closer. "Hey, guys! How was your Christmas Break?"

"Don't 'hey, guys' us!" Ben growled just as Raita replied, "We could ask you the same question!"

Ken winced on the inside. He knew they would confront him about this, had prepared a plausible story for when the time came. On the outside, he tilted his head quizzically and spoke through Keru's rough mouth, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend you don't know!" Ben bit out when he stopped about a yard away from the taller boy.

Ken continued to act the fool. "Uh... no I don't," He said dumbly through Besu.

Ben stared at him incredulously. "You mean that you don't remember completely dissing us a few days before break?" He tilted his head and gave Ken a wide eyed stare. "Or ignoring us over the holidays? No? Nothing ringing a bell?"

Ken pretended to connect the dots and made a show of nodding his head in understanding. "Oh, that! Sorry, the parents sprung a surprise family reunion on us a few days before Christmas Break started," He spoke through Keru.

"Couldn't you at least sent a text to the group chat?" Sanji asked, looking exasperated. "Or called one of us? Something, anything?"

Ken gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah, WiFi is horrible where my relatives live, and we left immediately after school and didn't get back into town until just last night," He amended through Besu. "The thought of checking text messages, for some reason, just hadn't occurred yet!"

The members of the Beasts stared at him for several long moments, making Ken sweat even more than he already was. Would they see through his story and call his bluff? Or worse - be disappointed with his apparent negligence and leave him? He desperately hoped it would be neither. He didn't think he could stomach all four of them leaving.

His worry steadily grew as they continued to stare at him, and a low rattling noise reached his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dials on the lockers shaking against their confines - as his anxiety spiked at the realization, the effect spread until nearly every locker dial in the hallway was dancing on their hinges.

No no no - don't lose it! Not here, not in front of them! They'll definitely think that something's up!

Ken forced himself to calm down by breathing in and out slowly through his nose, trying not to make it too noticeable. The dials finally stopped rattling, no one seeming to have heard them over the early morning din, miraculously. The Beasts didn't even glance in the direction of the lockers the entire time they were watching him.

After what seemed like an hour, though it could've only been thirty seconds, Ben finally sighed, and the other members followed his lead and relaxed. "You could have at least sent us a postcard, or something," He admitted in a much softer growl than what he'd used before.

Ken let out a breath of relief and gave them a more genuine smile. "I didn't know that you guys cared so much about me," He jested with his own voice. "I'll be sure to keep you in the loop next time."

"That's all we ask," Yoga said, sounding exasperated even as his face portrayed relief.

With the interrogation said and done, the Beasts rallied around Ken and started escorting him to their first class. They started talking about their own holidays, to which Ken responded with his experience of his made up holiday. He wasn't technically lying when he said that many attended the family reunion, though it was a lie when he said that they were "people", per say.

They continued to compare family holidays, yet Ken felt his stomach twist with every tale he spun. He hated lying to his friends like this, had never lied to them since they'd let him join their club. He knew he was doing it for their own good, but that didn't make him or his stomach feel any better.

His heightened hearing let him know that one of the locker dials had started to shake again, and this time he let it happen, if only to have something to focus on despite his queasy stomach. He didn't really care if anyone saw - it was all he had for stress relief at the moment.

This is going to take some getting used to.

—————

Later
Monastery of Spinjitzu
No One's POV
PIXAL was beyond relieved when Valt returned to the Monastery that afternoon safe and sound, apparently rejuvenated from his personal day in the United States. It took all of her motherboards acting together in order to keep her from wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug. Instead she pleasantly asked him how his day was, to which he replied, "I'll tell you when the others get here." PIXAL mock-pouted, but respected his wishes and waited patiently.

Not long afterwards, Ken and Jin showed up with their weapons in hand, eager to learn how to use them. PIXAL looked on as Valt excitedly greeted them before asking loudly, "Well then... how did your respective days go?"

"I had my first Me Day in probably a year," Valt told her with a large smile.

"I made a trio of bullies believe in the supernatural," Jin said with a small laugh.

"And I nearly made every locker in my school blow off their hinges," Ken added with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his neck.

The answers took PIXAL off guard, but it wasn't as if she didn't expect something as ludicrous as they were. She'd heard worse, after all.

Her mouth opened to provide her own answer, but she was cut off by the arrival sounds of her other students coming up the stairs. As the only boys who had Awakened their Elements turned to greet their fellow teammates, PIXAL put her chrome hands on her hips and allowed herself a small smile.

Let's see just how more interesting this day can get.

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6375 words.

GAAAAAHHHH I'M SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG WRITERS BLOCK HATES ME ANYWAYS ENJOY!!!!!!