Coach Shu in the Snake Pit

Prologue

Shu felt disoriented upon waking up. He had been sure to have fallen asleep in his bed last night, however...

This was not his room. Not his apartment even. And, judging from the fact that Shu could barely hear anything outside, he was not in New York either. Great.

He stood up, feeling surprised at the pain assaulting his senses. He sat back down, checking himself over. There were bruises and scratches all over his skin, and his muscles felt as if he'd run a marathon without bothering to stretch beforehand. After collecting himself, he stood up, this time bracing himself for the pain, and looked around the room.

The first thing he noticed was that there was no window. A small light illuminated the room, and Shu looked around to find a bigger source of light. He found it next to the door. As the light flooded the room, Shu let out a curse. He recognized these rooms. He was in the Snake Pit.

Shu felt like he was going to be sick, actually. It had been years since he had been there, months since his last nightmare about that place and he hadn't had any desire to relive the worst period of his life. Not to mention that he didn't have time for this. Lean needed him. His kid was out of control and Shu did not want to see him going even more out of his teacher's reach.

What do I do now?, Shu thought. I'm probably not asleep. The pain is too real, something like this would have woken me up immediately. Though, what else could be going on? I don't seem younger or anything, but I don't look like myself either.

At that, Shu decided to search for a mirror. Luckily, there was a bathroom attached to the room. Shu looked at himself. Besides the bruises and the hair that fell almost mid back, Shu didn't look that different. A little paler, tired, but not younger or older. Fifteen years old and in the Snake Pit. Shu's worst nightmare coming to life.

At least he wasn't wearing his horrid uniform. He was just wearing grey sweatpants, not even a shirt. Made it easy to see all the injuries.

And scars. So many scars. I thought I had a lot of those.

Shu paced around the room. The clock said five in the morning. If he remembered correctly, then he should start training soon. The Bladers here had the most unreasonable training schedule he had ever seen.

"You're awake, kid?", a voice asked. Shu held back a scream of terror. He knew that voice.

"Requiem?"

"Oh my. The brat really outdid himself this time. Didn't he, owner of the New York Bulls, Crimson Flame, Kurenai Shu?"

Shu was on guard at once. He had learned to control Requiem, after the first disaster, but he had never felt comfortable using that bey again. Until he managed to get himself a new one, he had, though, and he'd learned. Now, he was facing it again.

"What's going on?", Shu asked. He was startled as the voice laughed.

"The brat, I think you call him Ashram, did a little experiment. He managed to make your mind dimension travel. Congratulations, you're in a different timeline, Crimson Flame."

"A different timeline? As in, a parallel world where we made different choices?"

"Smart boy", Requiem said. "And yes, you are correct. The brat knows that something is off about you, but he doesn't know that you're not a Snake Pit Blader. That you're not loyal to him anymore. I think you'll see this as useful information."

"Wait!", Shu called. "Do you know how I can get back home?"

"Of course", the voice answered him. "We spirits know many things. It'll take a while, though, until we're ready to send you back. Until then, well. Do whatever you wish. I'm sure you'll find something interesting to pass your time with."

Shu was surprised. He tilted his head. "No warning about doing something that could change the timeline? Nothing about keeping my identity a secret? I'm honestly surprised."

"You humans. You think too simple. Do whatever you wish. If you destroy the timeline, we'll do something about it. Besides, I do not believe you'll be able to do that. Though, the Snake Pit might not survive your stay, won't it?"

Shu grinned. "You're reading my thoughts, aren't you? Well, I don't care. And yes, I don't think I'll leave the Snake Pit as it is. We'll see just what I am able to pull off."

Shu was sure he hadn't imagined the amusement that the spirit gave off before leaving Shu alone once more. Shu took a breath. Okay, so he was stuck here for a little while. He could manage. Besides, a little down time could be just what he needed. Now, where to start...