//------------------------------// // A Perfect Match // Story: Bakugan Legends of Equestria // by KnightGomora1994 //------------------------------// Miles away in Julie's hometown, she went to a place in the Frontier called Bakugan Valley to meet up with someone. When she arrived, she found that her friend (or so we believe...) had arrived in the valley before she did. "Hey Julie, I'm gonna clean the floor with you today, and you wanna know why? Because me and my Bakugan are a precision team, and we're in the top twenty of the Bakugan Players! YEAH!" the boy yelled out. His name is Billy Gilbert, a Subterra Brawler like Julie. He wears a reddish sand and white baseball cap with a lightning bolt on it. His jacket is a combination of orange, black and white, and he wears a normal white shirt under it. His pants are a grayish green, and he has blonde hair and blue eyes. Julie was amazed that he managed to make it into the top Twenty Bakugan Players. "Wow, cool! Is that really true Billy?" she asked him. "You bet your Bakupod! Am I right Cycloid or what?" he asked his Bakugan Partner as he held him up. Cycloid opened up revealing himself as a cyclops-like Bakugan equipped with a large hammer made of stone. "Oh yeah you said it! Together, you and me are unstoppable!" he said to him as he turned towards Julie. "So you might as well go run home to your mama!" "What?!" Julie scoffed. "How dare you! I'm not going anywhere! I can't believe you got a talking Bakugan Billy, where'd you find him?!" she asked him. Rather than answer her question, Billy looked to his partner. "Yep, we're a perfect match. I hate to say it Julie, you're toast." he said to her with a smug grin. Julie meanwhile, was not amused as her anger overboiled. "THAT'S IT!!! Let's brawl!" she declared as she and Billy pulled out their Bakugan Cards. "Bakugan Field Open!" they called out in unison as they entered the Pocket Dimension Battlefield. They took out their Gate Cards preparing for battle. "Gate Card Set!" they called out as they tossed their cards onto the field. "Okay Baku-babe... why don't you show me what you got?" Billy said to her with a wink only to taunt her. And boy did he hit a nerve. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!!" she asked with much fury. She pulled out her first Bakugan preparing for battle. "Bakugan Brawl!" she tossed it to the field letting it stand on the field. "Rattleoid Stand!" she called out as Subterra Rattleoid stood on the field. It is a slithering rattlesnake with a three-pronged metallic tail. Two large fangs release a lethal poison. Indestructible golden horns on its head with bright red eyes are used to hypnotize its opponents. It uses the strategy of camouflaging itself during combat. It looked to Billy and started hissing. "Try tht on for size!" Julie called out to him. Billy only smirked as he lowered his hat confidently. "Pretty impressive... Bakugan Brawl!" he tossed his Bakugan onto the field. "Hynoid Stand!" he called out as Hynoid emerged on the field snarling at Rattleoid. It is a hyena-like Bakugan with a humanoid body resembling a werewolf. As being one of the fastest Bakugan, Hynoid ruthlessly tracks down its enemies. Hynoid creates a stunning thunder and lighting attack to destroy its opponents. "Do it Hynoid!" he called out as Hynoid charged at Rattleoid. Julie immediately pulled out an Ability Card. "Ability Card Activate! Poison Fang!" she called out as Serpenoid charged straight at Hynoid, bite down on the humanoid hyena. "Hey wait!" Billy immediately looked to his Bakupod and saw a major difference in power level. "50 G's transfered from Hynoid to Ratteloid." said the Bakupod. Hynoid was now standing at 260, where as Rattleoid was standing at 350. Julie smirked at him. "Sorry, I know we've been friends for a long time Billy. But I need to teach you a lesson." Rattleoid threw Hynoid down to the ground and hissed at it. Billy meanwhile let out a fake laugh. "That was just a warm up, Gate Card open now!" he called out as the Gate Card revealed Hynoid's Character Card. Hynoid snarled viciously at Rattleoid. "Friend or no friend, you're going down!" he exclaimed. "Hynoid's Power Level doubled to 520 G's." the Bakupod informed him. A panicked expression formed on Julie's face from when she saw it. "This doesn't look too good!" she exclaimed. "Go Hynoid! Take him out!" Billy called out as Hynoid resumed its charge towards Rattleoid, it leaped toward the giant snake and bit it right in the throat. Forcing it back into Ball Form. Julie was shocked from what happened, meanwhile Billy was laughing as he caught Hynoid. "You sure showed me. Nice one." he said only meant to taunt her. Julie scoffed at him. "That was just my warm up smart guy! Bakugan Brawl!" she threw out a new Bakugan onto the field. "Tuskor Stand!" she called out as Tuskor emerges onto the field roaring out as it slammed its large feet on the ground. Tuskor is an armored elephant like creature. It uses its immense trunk to crush its opponents. The tip of the massive trunk has multiple spikes. Four strong horned tusks can penetrate any armor. The end of the tail has a sharp needle to attack opponents. "Tuskor's Power Level 350 G's." said the Bakupod. Billy only smirked as he grabbed Hynoid. "Ha, Bakugan Brawl!" he tossed it back onto the field. "Hynoid Stand!" he called out as Julie's Gate Card opened forming an African Environment. "And now... Ability Card Activate! Whirlwind!" he called out as Hynoid mysteriously vanished, but in reality he was moving in super fast speeds. Given Tuskor's size, it made it impossible to keep up with Hynoid. "Ha! Check that out, your Tuskor doesn't know which way to turn!" he said to her. Tuskor roared out and tried to stop Hynoid but was missing him by a hair. Meanwhile... a smirk began to form over Julie's face. "Hynoid Power Level decreasing." the Bakupod informed him. Billy looked at it shocked and saw that Hynoid was starting to slow down. "Hynoid, what's the matter? What's going on?" he asked worriedly, as Hynoid was getting tired. "Hynoid's power being decreased due to Poison Fang. Character Card still in affect." said the Bakupod. "No way!" Billy cried out as Hynoid stopped in its tracks. "It will continue to decrease as long as he keeps battling!" Julie informed him. "Hynoid Power Level still decreasing." said the Bakupod. "Now! Tuskor!" she called out as Tuskor roared out and rear up on its hind legs. Hynoid's eyes widen as Tuskor's large foot slammed against it forcing Hynoid back into Ball Form. Billy couldn't believe what had happened as Hynoid rolled next to him. "Aw man!" he cried out. Julie smiled as she caught Tuskor. "Now, Gate Card Set!" she tossed in a new Gate Card. "Bakugan Brawl!" she tossed Tuskor back onto the field. Billy saw it but formed a determined expression. "This is it, I'm depending on you Cycloid." he said as he looked to his partner. "No problemo coach, just put me in!" said Cycloid. Billy stood like a baseball player and readied the pitch. "Bakugan Brawl!" he threw Cycloid onto the field landing perfectly on the Gate Card. "Bakugan Stand!" he called out as Cycloid emerged in his true form. "Cycloid power 370 G's" said the Bakupod. "Gate Card Open now! Tripple Battle!" Julie called out as the Gate Card activated. "Tripple Battle allows the battle to start when the third Bakugan is on the field card!" she explained to Billy. He growled knowing he couldn't let that happen. "No more mister nice guy! Ability Card Activate! Smack Down!" he called out as Cycloid's left hand grew bigger than his body. He rose it up with ease and roared out slamming it on the Gate Card forcing it to break. Julie was shocked from what she saw. "OH NO! MY GATE CARD!!!" she cried out. "Give him a love tap Cycloid!" Billy called out to him. "BOOYAH!!!!" Cycloid roared out and smacked Tuskor down with his still really large hand. Tuskor was then forced back into Ball Form landing next to Julie. Billy chuckled as Cycloid returned to him. "That's how you brawl Baku-babe." "You better go home, I think I hear your mama calling!" Cycloid teased her. Julie glared at them and threw out another Gate Card. "I'm not going anywhere!" she exclaimed as she pulled out her next Bakugan. "I'll show you, Bakugan Brawl!" she tossed it to the field. "Manion Stand!" she called out as the Bakugan known as Manion emerged on the field in its true form. Manion is a mysterious sphinx with golden armor protecting head, back, and forearms. It is a four-footed creature with sharp terrorizing claws. Soaring with its huge wingspan, it preys on its opponents from above. "Ability Card Activate! Earth Power!" she called out as Manions power rose up by 50 G's. "Manion Power Level 350 G's." said the Bakupod. Billy prepared Cycloid for another round. "Oooh, scary... Bakugan Brawl!" he tossed him to the field. "Cycloid Stand!" he called out as Cycloid emerged on the field. "I'm back! And I'm feeling nasty!" he said as he held his hammer. "Gate Card Open now! Character!" Julie called out revealing Manions Character Card. Cycloid looked to his partner. "So what do you got for me?" "This, Ability Card Activate! Smack Down!" Billy called out. Julie saw Cycloid's left hand grow again and panicked "Oh no! Not this again!" she exclaimed. "Okay Cycloid, do your thing!" Billy called out to him. "Anybody need a hand?!" Cycloid asked as he slammed his hand on the card destroying it, he then charged at Manion and slammed his hand on on it forcing it back into Ball Form. "Manion defeated." said the Bakupod. Filled with shock and defeat, Julie's face fell into sadness. "I don't believe it..." she said as she lowered her head in defeat. "He beat me... I lost..." she admitted as she and Billy returned to the real world. "Alright, we did it Cycloid! I'm telling you, you're the man!" Billy complimented his partner. "No, you the man!" Cycloid returned the compliment. Billy smiled and looked to Julie. "Did you see how the two of us work together? The very moment I found him deep in the heart of Bakugan Valley, I knew we were meant to be together." he explained to her. Julie's head shot up from hearing it as she quickly looked to him. "Bakugan Valley...?" she asked. "You betcha... in a remote corner, in the deepest cavern, there he was just waiting for his destiny. And then we took you down." Billy boasted as he held out Cycloid. Julie scowled at him. "You were lucky! I don't need a perfect match anyway! And next time, I'll take the two of you down!" Julie declared with a harsh glare. Billy laughed a bit. "Any time Baku-babe, any time." he said to her and started walking away. He felt Julie's glaring eyes burning in the back of his head knowing he really hit a nerve. Cycloid opened up and looked to his partner. "You know boss, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually like her." he said to him. Billy smiled a bit and let him rest on his shoulder. "I guess in a way Cycloid... I kind of do." he admited. Night fell over Julie's home town, and she was still frustrated with what happened during her battle. "UGH!!! I can't stand him!" she cried out from her room. "I lost a Bakugan Battle today to my childhood friend named Billy." she said to her friends. "Oh no, that's the real loud mouth guy isn't it?" Alice asked her as Fluttershy was in the same screen with her. "Yeah..." Julie nodded. "Aw that bites..." Dan said. "It must have really hurt your pride." Rainbow Dash said as she appeared on screen. Julie shot her head up in anger. "Of course it did! Billy can be a real jerk sometimes and it makes me want to scream! To top it off, his Bakugan is just as bad!" she explained. "Oh really?" Preyas asked her. "Well what's his Bakugan Partners name?" "Umm... I think it was Cycloid." Julie said. "Interesting... Tigrerra, do you know this Cycloid?" Preyas asked her. "No, I don't know him." Tigrerra replied only to disappoint him. Applejack turned to Drago and stood up on her hind legs holding onto the desk. "How bout you Drago? Do you know this Cycloid?" "Yes, a rather big fellow as I recall." Drago said to her. Dan meanwhile was feeling excited. "I'd sure like to throw down and see who's tougher, huh Drago?" Dan asked him. "Yeah, you can show him what a real team brawls like!" Pinkie included. "Yes, sounds great." Drago said sarcastically. Dan looked to Julie. "I gotta say Julie, you don't know what you're missing not having a Bakugan you can talk to." he said to her receiving a surprised expression from her. "I'm sure you'll meet one at any time now, and you two will get along famously." Marucho said to her. Julie scoffed at them. "I'm perfectly fine, I'm happy just the way I am thank you." she said to them aware that she was really lying to herself. Applejack saw it clear as day in a winter breeze. "I don't need a talking Bakugan to feel good about myself, well... goodnight everybody, talk to you later." she immediately logged out. Meanwhile at Dan's house, Applejack saw the way Julie was acting and knew that she was hiding something. "Ya'll... I'm startin to get the feelin that Julie isn't bein honest with herself." "I sensed that too, she might say that she doesn't need a Bakugan Partner that can talk. But in reality she really needs one." Fluttershy said as she looked to Alice. Dan looked to Twilight. "Do you think she's gonna hide it from us forever?" he asked her curiously. "Its possible, but we have no way of finding the truth from her." Twilight said. Applejack thought about it but her eyes snapped open getting an idea. "Twilight, do ya think you can use your magic to teleport me from here to Julie's house through Dan's computer?" she asked her. "WHAT?!!" Dan exclaimed. "Well its a possibility, but what are you thinking Applejack?" Twilight asked her. "You know very well that I'm the Element of Honesty, and I think I can help Julie. But I need to get to her house as fast as possible to find out how she really feels." Applejack explained to her. "That's all well and good, but do you have to go through my computer to get there?" Dan asked. "You have any better options?" Applejack asked him seeing that he couldn't think of anything. "I thought so..." she looked over to Twilight. "Think its worth a shot?" she asked her. Twilight thought it over, but looked to her. "Its worth a try... I'm still new to technology, but if I can calibrate the coordinants to Julie's house. It should get you there no problem." she explained as she walked to Dan's computer. "Okay Twilight, you're the Princess... just try not to blow up my computer." Dan said. Twilight nodded and focused her magic on his computer. She linked it to Julie's home address and got a lock on it as a portal opened up. "Alright Applejack, its now or never... lets just hope nothing bad happens on the way over." she said to her. Applejack nodded and looked to the portal and appraoched it. She hesitated at first, but she reached to it and touched it feeling it pull her in. Dan and the Mane Six were surprised from what happened. "Well that worked." Pinkie blurted out. "Do you think she'll be okay?" Rarity asked. "Come on! Its Applejack we're talking about here. I'm sure she'll be just fine... right guys?" Spike asked them as he noticed some concerned faces. "Ooookay... maybe a little." Meanwhile at Julie's house, Julie just recently got into her pajama's and was about ready to get in bed. But suddenly a portal opened from her computer and Applejack came flying out screaming. She crashed on the ground, surprising Julie as her eyes spun around in her head. "Eeyup... should have taken a pillow with me." she said to herself. "Applejack?!" Julie asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? As a matter of fact, how did you get here?" she asked curiously. "Twilight, long story, you don't wanna to know." Applejack said to her. "Okay, then go ahead and answer my first question." Julie said to her. Applejack leaped onto her bed and looked to her. "I came here because there's somethin wrong with you." she said to her. Julie was surprised from what she said. "You're not bein honest with your friends, and you're not bein honest with yourself. Julie... tell me what's goin on...? You can tell me sugarcube." she said to her. Julie looked at her and looked down with a sad expression. "The truth is..." she started as she looked to the moon. "I'm not perfectly fine at all..." she admited as she slumped down onto her bed letting out a sigh. Applejack looked at her but noticed a toy cowboy riding a horse. "Hey, what's that...?" she asked her. Julie looked at it and frowned. "That was a gift from Billy..." she said to her gaining a surprised look from her. A flashback appeared in her mind from when she and Billy were kids. Billy handed her his favorite toy. "This is for you." he felt Julie take it from him. "Wow! Thank you so much Billy!" she thanked him for such a wonderful gift and looked to him. "You and me are gonna be best friends forever, I can just feel it!" she said cheerfuly. Billy nodded in agreement. "Yeah!" he said with a smile. "Since that day, we've been friends no matter what..." Julie let out a sigh. "But I'm not too happy that I lost to Billy this afternoon." she explained to Applejack. The Earth Pony looked at her feeling sorry for her, but she knew that she had to help her out. "Oh well, it was only one loss... its not like it's gonna happen again next time." she said to her. "Huh...?" Julie looked to her surprised. "What do you mean?" "Like you, I too have friends that look up to me. Your friends are the same way, they want to help you in anyway they can. Which is exactly why I'm here Julie." Applejack said to her. "And there is no reason why you should give up now." Julie was surprised from what she said, then her eyes widen as she remembered something Billy told her. "Bakugan Valley..." "Huh...? Bakugan Valley...? What's that...?" Applejack asked her. "Its where Billy found Cycloid. I do have a day off from school tomorrow, I suppose I could go to Bakugan Valley. Like I said, I don't need a talking Bakugan to feel good about myself." Julie said to her. "But everyone seems to have one, and I think you're still not bein honest with yourself." Applejack said to her. Julie was surprised but sighed lowering her head. "You're right... to be honest... I'm a little bit-" "Jealous...?" Applejack asked. Julie didn't want to admit it... but she did feel jealous of Dan and the others for having Bakugan Partners they can talk to. Except Alice of course, she doesn't exactly have a Bakugan Partner. "Yeah, jealous seems to be the right word." she admitted. Applejack looked at the poor Subterra Brawler, but smiled and touched her shoulder. "Julie, sugar... if it makes ya feel any better... I did have my own flaws when I was a filly." she admitted to her. "You did...?" Julie asked surprised. "Eeyup... in fact... I used to be a liar back then, not somethin I'm proud of. But I was just a filly back then, I didn't know any better. But the truth finally came out of me when my brother Big Macintosh nearly got hurt on an operating table." Applejack explained it. "Wow... was he sick? Or was he pretending to be?" Julie asked her with a smirk. Applejack blushed in embaressment. "I... kinda had a little somethin to with that..." she hid her face in her hat. Julie giggled at it. "Its okay AJ, at least your brother made it out safely... didn't he...?" "Eeyup, not a single scratch on him. Although I was gettin ready to clobber him myself if he didn't keep his mouth shut about it. And I might do the same to you if you tell anyone." Applejack said to her in a firm tone. Julie motioned herself zipping her lip to keep her mouth shut. "Not a word." Applejack smiled feeling satisfied. "Good, and just so you know, I'm bit of an early bird. So I might wake you up so that we can go to Bakugan Valley together." she said to her. Julie was surprised. "Wait, you're going with me?" she asked her. "Of course, I'm gonna help ya find a Bakugan Partner. And I'm gonna help ya defeat Billy." Applejack said proudly. The Subterra Brawler didn't know what to think, but the only thing she could do was smile and nod at her. "Alright, and try not to wake my parents up, they might get mad." she advised her. "No promises." Applejack said to her. The next morning, Julie and Applejack looked at Bakugan Valley admiring the view. "Wow... so this is Bakugan Valley. A little barren from what I imagined, but it does remind me of Appleloosa in a way." Applejack admitted just from looking at it. "Appleloosa? Is that like your worlds version of the town we call Appaloosa?" Julie asked her curiously. "When you put it that way, it does seem that way. Appleloosa is the biggest Apple Farm you would ever lay eyes upon, but of course there was one incident with the Buffalo Tribe and Chief Thunderhooves because we planted our tree's on their stampeding grounds. But we managed to work things out with Chief Thunderhooves, when ever he and his herd stampede through the orchard, we give them some of our delicious apple pies." Applejack explained to her. "Wow, if I ever go to Equestria, I'm definitely gonna have to check it out myself." Julie said. Applejack chuckled a bit. "Well good luck in getting there, but just so you know, ponies ain't never seen humans before. So they might find you a bit... well..." she gestured to her outfit. Julie was surprised and scoffed a bit. "Is it a crime to look so good?" she asked her defensively. Applejack rose her hooves up in the same defense. "I'm just sayin Julie." she said and started heading into the Valley with her. They looked around for any signs of the Bakugan that lived there. Applejack leaped up to a ledge climbing up the hill as Julie followed. She looked down to her. "Come on Julie, there might be a Bakugan up here." she said to her. "Easy for you to say! You're a pony, I can't climb as fast as you can!" Julie exclaimed as she tried to climb up. "I think.... maybe if-" before she could climb up, the ledge from which Applejack was standing one fell out from under her. Applejack screamed and started falling down. "HEADS UP JULIE!!!" she cried out. Julie looked up and screamed as Applejack accidentally tackled her and they both screamed falling down into a cavern. When they reached the bottom, Applejack was still on top of Julie as they both groaned in pain. "When I say heads up, I didn't mean literally." she said to her. "Well its not my fault you landed on top of me." Julie exclaimed as Applejack got off of her. Then out of no where, bats came flying out and they started screaming from them. Julie's hand reached down only to see a group of scorpions, they started screaming from the lot of them and started running. "Somebody get us out of here! I hate it here, I hate it! I hate it!" she cried out while running. "I don't need a talking Bakugan, not if it means putting up with icky caves, icky bats, icky bugs, and icky other stuff!" she complained. "You said it! Lets get the hay out of here!" Applejack cried out and ran out of the caves with her. The two got back to Julie's house, and Julie herself was exhausted from everything that happened. She sighed and slumped down onto the bed. "We wasted my entire day off running around Bakugan Valley. And I have nothing to show for it." she said feeling depressed. "Come on now Julie, you can't give up now. Maybe tomorrow we can try again, and we'll have better luck." Applejack suggested. Julie sighed and sat up from her bed. "That's all well and good Applejack, but I don't think that's gonna happen. Oh well, I'm happy just the way I am. I'm fine battling without a companion, I don't need any talking Bakugan." she said trying to fight back her tears. Applejack looked at her concerned knowing she's still denying what she really wants. "I'm fine... just cause everyone else has one." Applejack frowned but looked to her. "Julie... I know that isn't really true. You want a partner that can talk to you more than anything, I can see it in your eyes." she pointed out to her. "You can tell me I'm wrong, but I know for certain... that's what you need right now." Julie... feeling her words hit her like a bullet train, knew that there was no way of hiding how she was feeling that the moment. She didn't want to admit it, but Applejack's words reached her like a horse at the finish line. "You're right... the truth is, I want a Bakugan to talk to more than anything." Tears began to form in her eyes as she lowered her eyes starting to cry. "More than anything in the world...!" she said as she started to cry. Applejack watched the poor girl as she cried her eyes out, and leaped onto the bed and held her close to comfort her. "There, there... its gonna be alright. I know for certain that there is a Bakugan out there just waiting for you." she said to her trying to comfort her. "She's right Julie..." a strong deep voice called out to her. Both Julie and Applejack gasped in surprise and looked up. "In fact... I'm here... I'm here for you." said the voice. Julie looked to where the voice was coming from, and found that there was a Bakugan sitting next to her toy cowboy. "For me...?" she asked him. "Like you, I have longed for a companion with whom I can share my joys and sorrows. I began to despair that it would never come to be... but finally, a pure and sincere voice reached me... your voice." said the Bakugan. Julie stood up from her bed and looked at him. "I... think I get it. Until now, I was not being honest with myself." she admited. "That's because your voice wasn't being pure and honest enough to be heard. But while you didn't notice... he was there the whole time." Applejack said to her. "And now that barrier that separated us, is gone... I feel as if I've known you for ages. Though we've only just met." the Bakugan said to her. Julie began to escape her sorrow and move towards her joyfulness. "Yes, it like we're best friends already!" she said and began to smile. "My name is Julie... and this is Applejack." she introduced herself and Applejack. "May we ask what your name is partner?" AJ asked him. "I am Subterra Gorem." the Bakugan introduced himself but hasn't opened up from his ball form yet. Julie was surprised by the name. "Subterra Gorem..." "You can just call me Gorem." he said to her wishing he could smile. Julie began to smile as tears of joy formed into her eyes. "Ooohh... Gorem...!" she reached up and grabbed him. She held him to her cheek nuzzling him. "Lets be friends forever... and ever, and ever... sound good?" she asked as a blush formed on her face. Gorem was also starting to turn red feeling the softness of her cheek. "Sounds good..." he replied to her. Applejack watched and smiled for the two of them, she walked over to them and tapped Julie's leg. "I know I'd hate to say I told ya so... but I told ya so." she said to her. "And now that you have a partner... we can finally face Billy and his partner Cycloid." "But you don't have a Bakugan Partner yourself AJ..." Julie said to her knowing she and her friends were still new to Bakugan. "I may be without a partner at the moment. But I know it will come eventually, but for now... you mind if I use some of your Bakugan?" AJ asked her. Julie smiled and nodded at her. "Sure, I hope your skills are good, because you'll need them." she said to her. "You can count on me Julie!" Applejack replied to her with much enthusiasm. The two brawlers got ready for bed, and Gorem... finally being able to find his destined partner, slept beside Julie on her pilow. Back at Bakugan Valley, Julie and Applejack were waiting for Billy and Cycloid to show up. They didn't have to wait for long, because they had just arrived. Billy walked up with a confident smirk knowing he's gonna win, but he will be in for a big shock later on. Julie glared at him and pointed a finger at him. "You're going down Billy!" she declared. "You gonna teach me another lesson today? You're the one who never learns." Billy said to her as he held up Cycloid. But he soon noticed Applejack and raised a curious eyebrow. "What's with the pony? Thought this was a battle, not a pet show..." Applejack stepped up with a firm glare. "The only thing I'm gonna show is me kicking you in the rear." she said to him. "WHOA!!! Did that pony just talk?!" Cycloid exclaimed. "And besides... you might find things are a little different Billy-boy." Applejack said to them. "She's right, because I finally found my Baku-partner!" Julie held out Gorem. Billy was surprised seeing him, but a smirk reformed across his face. "Oh good... you finally managed to find yourself a talking Bakugan. Well in that case... its time to Battle!" he declared. "I couldn't have said it better myself!" Applejack exclaimed. "Alright, its show time!" Julie cried out. "Bakugan Field Open!" they called out as they entered a Pocket Dimension Battlefield. They each pulled out a Gate Card to start the battle. "Gate Card Set!" they tossed them onto the field seeing them expand. "Okay Julie, hope you and your little pony over there are ready... because its time for the second inning... Bakugan Brawl!" Billy tossed out his Hynoid onto the field making his first move. "Hynoid Stand!" he called out as Hynoid emerged on the field snarling viciously. "I got this guy Julie, you just ready your next card. Bakugan Brawl!" Applejack tossed her Bakugan into the air and bucked it towards Billy's Hynoid hitting it in the forehead. "Hynoid Stand!" she called out as her Hynoid emerged on the field. It snarled viciously at its opponent. "Hey! What kind of throw is that?!" Billy exclaimed. "You ain't the only one with skills partner!" Applejack called out as her Hynoid and Billy's fought like rabid wolves. "My turn!" Julie called out as she tossed in a new Gate Card. "Bakugan Brawl!" she tossed in her Tuskor. "Tuskor Stand!" she called out as Tuskor emerged in its true form. "Tuskor Power Level 350 G's." said the Bakupod. "Alright Julie, now that you're Tuskor is in, Hynoid fall back!" Applejack ordered her Hynoid as it leaped away from Billy's Hynoid. "Ability Card Activate! Nose Slap!" Julie called out as Tuskor's trunk lengthened and went to smack Billy's Hynoid to the ground. But it dodged its trunk trying to avoid getting hit. "With this, he can reach out and attack a Bakugan standing on the next card." Julie explained. Applejack watched as Billy's Hynoid wouldn't stand still, and decided to take action. "Hynoid! Get that fella to hold still!" she called out. Her Hynoid smirked and charged towards Billy's Hynoid and tripped it for Tuskor to catch it off balance. "Alright Tuskor, take him out!" Julie called to it as Tuskor slammed its trunk against Billy's Hynoid, forcing it to go back into Ball Form. Billy was shocked from what happened but glared. "Pretty good Julie... especially your little fiend. But its not good enough! Gate Card set!" he tossed a new Gate Card onto the field. "Bakugan Brawl!" he tossed in a brand new Bakugan onto the field. "Wormquake Stand!" he called out as a giant worm like Bakugan with really sharp teeth emerged before them. "WHOA NELLY!!!" Applejack exclaimed. Wormquake is a terrifying gigantic earth worm. Its gaping mouth is filled with razor-sharp teeth to bite through anything in its way. It squeezes its enemies using deadly body spikes to subdue and overcome. It maneuvers underground to gain advantage over unsuspected opponents. Wormquake also has the ability to nullify the Gate Card when he is on it. "Wormquake's Power Level 340 G's." "Hope you two are in for a surprise!" Billy called out as his Wormquake burrowed underground heading towards Tuskor. "Ability Card Activate! Sand Trap!" he called out. Tuskor eventually found himself being pulled down into a sand dune. "Come on, Tuskor's Power Level is 350 G's, you won't be able to beat him with a lame attack like that." Julie said to him with a smug grin. "Don't get cocky Julie, this guys just getting started." Applejack warned her. "She's right, in fact here's a little tid bit for ya. You see, the cool thing about Sand Trap is that it knocks down the opponents power level, check it!" Billy pointed out. Julie looked to her Bakupod only to find a shocking discovery. "Tuskor Power Level decreased by 50 G's." it informed her. Julie found herself in a panic as she looked to where Tuskor was. "Wormquake is stronger now?!" she asked as Wormquake burrowed underground moving toward Tuskor. Tuskor tried to get out, but it was too late... Wormquake resurfaced swallowing Tuskor whole. it burrowed under the ground only to rise up and spit Tuskor out as it was back in Ball Form. Applejack saw it feeling surprised from what Wormquake did, she then looked to Julie who was also surprised. "Bet ya didn't see that comin." she said to her. Julie knew that she couldn't lose this battle, so she reached and grabbed Gorem preparing for battle. "Please... help me Gorem, I think I'm in real trouble here." she pleaded to him. "I need you... help me..." "Don't worry... I will do my very best to help you." Gorem said to her. Billy chuckled as Wormquake was digging through the ground. "So then, where's this new Bakugan you were so proud of?" he asked her as Wormquake shrieked at them. "Careful Julie, don't let him psych you out. Just stay focused... focus on the battle." Applejack advised her. "Right..." Julie held out Gorem preparing for battle. "Okay Gorem, show me your stuff!" she tossed him out to the field. "Gorem Stand!" she called out... but to her surprise, he didn't rise in his true form. "Gorem?" she watched as Gorem floated back to her. "Oh no, Gorem what's the matter?" "Yeah partner, did Julie do something wrong?" Applejack asked him in a worried tone. "The time isn't right..." Gorem said to them. "Not right? What are you talking about?" Julie asked him. "Trust me..." Gorem advised her. Julie panicked knowing things are getting bad. "Oh no... then what on earth am I gonna do?" she asked only to hear Billy chuckling from his side of the Battlefield. "Looks like its my turn. Gate Card Set!" Billy tossed in a new Gate Card. "Okay, batter up..." he held up Cycloid. "Bakugan Brawl!" he threw him onto the field. Cycloid emerged on the field roaring out. "Ability Card Activate! Stare Down!" he called out as Cycloid's eye glowed red and shot a beam around the Battlefield. "You're in for it now, with this ability... my Bakugan can increase the power level of every Bakugan on every card within the red border by 50 G's." he explained to them. "That ain't much... but I think its wize not to underestimate that ability." Applejack said as she looked to Julie. "So what's the plan? I hope you got one." "Its a long shot, but I have to try... I'm just gonna throw a card outside it." Julie pulled out another Gate Card and tossed it to the field. "How do you like that? Bakugan Brawl!" she tossed in her Manion onto the field. "Manion Stand!' she called out as Manion emerged in its true form. "Watch this Applejack, Ability Actvate! Copycat!" she called out as Wormquake was forced to emerge from the ground. "Copycat?! Then that means you can...?" Billy began to theorize what it meant. "That's right, I can copy Wormquakes ability Sand Trap and use it against him!" Julie finished the explaination as Wormquake was forced back into Ball Form and Manion emerged on the card it disappeared from. Billy was surprised from what happened, but it didn't matter because he still had Cycloid on the field. "Pretty good..." he looked to them with a grin. "Now try this on for size! Ability Card Activate! Grand Slide!" he called out as the ground began to shake. Applejack and Julie tried to balance each other from the shaking. "What in the hay is going on?!" Applejack asked. But she then noticed that the card Manion stood on slid towards the card Cycloid was on. "Manion moved within Stare Down perimeter. Manion Power Level decrease by 50 G's." said the Bakupod. "OH NO!!!!" Julie cried out. Cycloid rose his stone hammer in the air. "Get ready, cause this just might hurt!" he roared out as he swung his hammer striking it against Manion. "No, Manion!" Julie cried out as Manion was forced back into Ball Form. "Okay, I've waited long enough Julie! Time to meet this new Bakugan of yours!" Billy called out. Cycloid grinned as he held his stone hammer. "I want a new playmate." he said to her. Julie was in a panic, she felt Cycloid's gaze burning her. "What should I do? Gorem said to trust him and wait..." she thought to herself. Meanwhile, Gorem finally had enough of Billy's way of treating Julie. "Julie, I cannot bear to see you tormented like this." he called out to her gaining her attention. "I told you... I wanted to share your joys and sorrows." "Gorem..." Julie looked at him feeling almost speechless. "Julie, throw me in..." Gorem told her knowing it was time to face his foe. "What...? But I can't risk losing my perfect match." Julie said to him feeling worried. Applejack touched her leg and gave her a strong but serious expression. "Trust him Julie, the time is now... I know you're scared about losing this battle, I am too. But that's what makes life interesting... even if you fall down from a loss, you can always get back on your feet. And tell yourself that you will never give up." she said to her. Julie's eyes begin to widen in amazement. "No matter how tough things get... you can still show everyone that you're strong, just like Gorem who believes in you... just like I do." she said with a smile. At that moment, Julie's heart leaped with joy from hearing Applejack's words. Never before had anyone believed in her before... but at the same time. She felt unsure... "But I..." "Don't worry... now that I've found you I won't abandon you." Gorem assured her. Julie looked at him but smiled as she held Gorem to her cheek. "Thank you so much Gorem... thank you for finding me. I promise I won't let you down either." she said to him. If Gorem could smile, he would show how happy he was. "Thank you Julie." Billy only smirked as he prepared for the last battle. "Come on!" he called out to them. Julie looked to Applejack with a smile. "Okay, what's the plan?" she asked her. Applejack smirked hearing her determination. "Just watch... Bakugan Brawl!" she tossed her Hynoid onto the field with Cycloid. "Hynoid Stand!" she called out as Hynoid snarled at Cycloid viciously. Cycloid only laughed in amusement from seeing it. "Is that it? Is that the best you can do little pony? This will be easier than I thought!" he said as he held up his stone hammer. He roared out and went to crush it, but Hynoid managed to dodge his attacks. "Hey! hold still!" he tried to crush him with his hammer, but Hynoid was playing a game of Whack-a-mole with him. "That's it Hynoid, line him up." Applejack said as Julie prepared her next throw. Julie readied her shot as she found her mark. "Okay, here it goes..." she held Gorem into the air like a professional baseball player in the womens league. "Bakugan Brawl!" she threw him to the field but rather than aim him at the field, she aimed straight at Cycloid. "Heads up!" she yelled as Gorem hit Cycloid in the head causing him to fall down. "Gorem Stand!" she called out as Gorem's true form was finally revealed. He rose up on the field, revealing himself as a giant colossal golem of stone with a large shield. Billy panicked from seeing him. "W-What is that?!" he asked. Meanwhile Julie and Applejack watched in awe from seeing Gorem in his true form. "So that... is Gorem...?" Julie asked as she looked at him. Cycloid looked at him with much fear in his eye from seeing the colossus standing before him. "He's huge!" he exclaimed. Gorem turned around and faced Julie and Applejack, he leaned down and reached his hands to them. "Oh Gorem, you are incredible!" Julie called out as she and Applejack leaped into his gigantic stone hands. "I gotta hand it to ya big fella, you're as big as Canterlot Mountain." Applejack said to him giving him a compliment. "Yeah, and you're the best Bakugan a girl can hope for." Julie said to him with a warm smile. She and Applejack leaped onto Gorem's shoulder to get a high view of the battle. Cycloid got back up forming a glare. "I don't know, he doesn't look so tough. I'll have him sayin' uncle in no time!" he said to them with a confident smirk. "Well then Cycloid, why don't ya come on over here and see if you're right. That is if you're not chicken enough to face him." Applejack teased him only to a menacing glare from him in return. "NO BODY CALLS ME CHICKEN AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!!! NOT EVEN A LITTLE PONY!" Cycloid roared out in anger. "Ability Card Activate! Mega Impact!" Julie called out as Gorem roared out feelign his power rise. "What's happening?!" Billy asked as he looked to his Bakupod. "Gorem Power Leve Increase to 430 G's." it informed him. "430 G's?! No messing around Cycloid... you gotta take this guy out fast." he said to him. "I hear ya big time on that." Cycloid agreed with his human partner holding up his hammer. "Gate Card Open!" Billy called out as the Level Down Command Card activated. "The Level Down Command Card decrease the Power Level by a hundred G's." he informed them as Gorem roared out feeling his power being drained. "Gorem Power Level decreased to 330 G's." the Bakupod informed them. "Okay Cycloid, here's your chance!" he called out to him to attack. Cycloid charged at Gorem with his hammer. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" he went to strike him down with his hammer. "Gorem!" Julie cried out seeing Cycloid charging. "I'll be fine Julie, just watch." Gorem said to her in a calm demeaner. "Alright, its hammer time!" Cycloid went to strike him, but Gorem held up his shield blocking his attacks. "Hey! You're not getting off that easy!" he continued to strike Gorem's shield, hoping that the stone golem would give in. But none of his blows seem to be doing any affect. "This is bad... that shield is too strong, and Cycloid's Power Level goes down with every blow...!" Billy said as he began to panic. Meanwhile, Cycloid was beginning to look tired from all the swinging with his hammer. "Cycloid power reduced to 270 G's." the Bakupod informed them. Cycloid roared out and went to strike them again, but as he struck Gorem's shield, his hammer smashed into pieces and he began to panic from it, as did Billy. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed. "Hynoid! Give this big fella a good trip!" Applejack called out to his temporary partner. Hynoid gladly obliged and charged right behind Cycloid and tripped him over causing him to lose balance. "This is it Gorem! Get him now!" Julie called out. Gorem pulled his fist back and swung it towards Cycloid, landing a powerful punch against Cycloid forcing him back into Ball Form. Julie and Applejack were beginning to cheer from it. "Gorem, you big beautiful Bakugan, you did it! You did it! You did it!" she screamed to the top of her lungs. "He sure did, in fact if I ever do find my partner... I hope they'll be just as strong as him." Applejack said to her. "I'm sure you'll find your destined partner soon Applejack. You can count on it." Gorem assured her as he reverted to Ball Form. They soon returned to the real world, and Julie looked to Billy who stood like a statue in defeat. "Billy...?" Billy soon broke from his frozen state and walked over to Cycloid picking him up. A smile soon formed across his face as he turned around to face Julie and Applejack. "Good job Julie... you two battle well together." he said to her only to get throat clearing from Applejack. He looked to her seeing her give him a look as she tapped her hoof. "Oh, right... you did a good job too there... miss...?" he looked at her not knowing her name. The mare smiled at him and playfully punched his leg. "Name's Applejack... but you can call me AJ." she said to him. "Sure, by the way where did you learn to brawl like that?" Billy asked her out of curiosity. "I learned a little bit from Dan Kuso, but I added bit of my own style to get a good feel for it." Applejack explained to him. "And after going through this battle, I say I got the hang of it." A soft chuckle came out of Billy as he formed a kind smile. "You sure did..." he then looked to Julie. "But you Julie, you and Gorem did well as a team." "Thank you, I think Gorem and I are a perfect match for each other." Julie said to him with a kind smile. Cycloid chuckled a bit and looked to Gorem. "Good job out there Gorem." he said to him. "You too Cycloid." Gorem replied to him as Julie giggled happily at them. Billy held Cycloid up smiling brightly. "Okay Cycloid, come on! We need to start training, I think we're getting soft." he said to him. "And we can't have that now can we? Gotta keep in tip top brawling shape!" Cycloid asked him. "Yeah!" Billy agreed and turned away starting to run. "See ya Julie! AJ!" he called out to them as he ran off. "See ya Billy! I can't wait till we battle each other again!" Julie called to him with a warm smile. "Same here partner!" Applejack called out and smiled proudly. She eventually looked to Julie who soon had a bright blush on her face. Applejack didn't know what it was... but she immediately connected the dots and figured that there was more than just friendship between Julie and Billy. "Julie... is that a blush I see on your face...?" she asked her with a smirk. Julie immediately noticed as she arced her eyebrows at her. "What are you talking about...?" she asked her. "You sure you and Billy were just friends? Or is there something you ain't tellin' me?" Applejack asked her. Julie's face became redder as she quickly looked away trying to hide it. "I don't know what you're talking about Applejack! Billy's just a friend, and I have my eyes set on Dan, that's it!" she said to her with a really red face. Applejack smirked knowing that she still isn't being honest, but she decided to let it slide knowing that deep in Julie's heart she might have feelings for Billy. Even if she doesn't want to show it of course. "What ever you say Julie... your face says otherwise. Anywho, lets head on over to your place and tell everyone the big news." she said as she walked away. "Hey, wait up!" Julie called out and followed after her. "You better not get any idea's Applejack, because there is nothing going on between me and Billy." she said to her as she walked beside her. "Sure there ain't..." Applejack said bluntly. Night fell over Julie's home town, she and Applejack went up to her room to connect with her friends online to tell them what happened. "Hey everybody! Sorry for the wait, but we kind of got held up at dinner. Anyways, I'd like to introduce you to my new special friend, his name is Gorem!" Julie introduced him to her fellow brawlers. Dan was amazed at seeing him. "Wow Julie, you finally found a talking Bakugan." he said to her. "You bet I did, and I have him and Applejack to thank." Julie said as she looked to her. Applejack blushed embarrassed and looked away. "Aww... it was nothing really." she said to her. "That's great! I'm so happy for you." Marucho said to her while Preyas got into the camera. "Hi there Mr. Gorem! I'm so pleased to meet you, I'm Preyas! And this is Drago!" Preyas introduced himself and Drago, only to get a confusing look from Gorem. "Dra- what...?" Gorem asked him. "Drago!" Dan's partner yelled out. Runo and Tigrerra appeared on screen in front of Dand and Drago. "My Bakugan is called Tig, say hello Tig!" she said as she looked to Tigrerra. (Why she called her Tig, I will never understand.) "Tig...?" Gorem asked curiously. "Call me Tigrerra.." she said to reassure him. (THANK YOU!!!) Julie smiled warmly as she held Gorem to her cheek. "Gorem, you have lots of friends now. Isn't that great?" she asked him. Alice's screen soon enlarged on Julie's screen. "Well it looks like you two are best friends." she said to her with a smile. "You bet Alice, in fact she and Gorem are the bestest friends in the whole world." Applejack said to her as she looked to them. "They even impressed Billy back there." "Sure did, you know something Gorem, you're the best!" Julie said as she gae Gorem a kiss causing the now tiny Bakugan to blush intensly. He quickly curled up into ball form hiding himself. "Not in front of people!" he exclaimed trying not to show his shyness. The brawlers and the ponies laughed a bit as Julie held Gorem to her cheek. Tigrerra let out a small giggle and looked to them. "Welcome aboard Gorem." she welcomed him to the team. "Well Applejack, now that you've gotten Julie to tell the truth, guess its time for you to come on back." Twilight said to her. "Actually Twilight, I was thinking I should stick around with Julie. There's still so much I don't know about Subterra, I thought it would be better if I stayed and learned as much as I can from Julie and Gorem." Applejack said as she looked to them with a smile. "That isn't much of a problem is it Julie?" she asked her. "Not one bit, and besides... you can really learn a lot from me when it comes to being a Subterra Brawler." Julie said to her with a bright smile. "And I can teach you everything about my world Subterra." Gorem added. "You sure AJ?" Twilight asked curiously. "I think it's a great idea." Fluttershy stated. "With me staying here at Runo's, I'm learning everything about Haos from her and Tigrerra." "And me learning Pyrus from Dan and Drago." Twilight stated. "But that just leaves the rest of us without teachers. Surely there is someone out there to teach Rarity the ropes of being a Darkus Brawler... other than Masquerade." Rainbow Dash pointed out. A scoff came from Rarity as she looked to Rainbow. "I would never want to learn from a fiend such as him. Ryo I could consider, but he's mostly about battle strategies." "I think I can help you with that Rarity." Alice spoke up as everyone looked to her. "I know everything about the Bakugan, including the worlds they came from. True I never battled before, but you'll learn a lot from me." she said to her. "You sure darling?" Rarity asked her as Alice gave her a smile. "It's no trouble really, I just want to help in any way I can." she reassured the white unicorn. A smile formed across Rarity's face at Alice's offer. "Very well, it certainly helps when it comes to a dear friend like you." Alice couldn't help but blush a little bit with a warm smile. At that moment, Twilight knew that they still had a lot to learn about the Bakugan, Vestroia, and the Cores of Vestroia. But for now, they took the time to relax, and enjoy the time they have. "Alright everyone, we best better rest up. We have a lot of training to do if we're ever going to stop Masquerade." she said to them. "You got it Twi." Applejack agreed with her. "We'll be ready when you are." Rainbow said to her. "I'll do my best." Fluttershy said to her. "You'll have my support." Rarity assured her. "Lets have some fun!" Pinkie yelled out. "I'll always stand by you Twilight." Spike said to her with a big smile. Twilight couldn't help but hug her number one assistant. "I know you will Spike." she said to him. Dan and the rest of the Brawlers smiled letting out a chuckle along with the ponies. They knew for certain that they will be in for an adventure of a lifetime, but they will never know what surprises will be waiting for them. Meanwhile, at a familiar Japanese compound. A dark haired brawler was sitting on the roof of the compound. Who could it be? It's Shun, playing a tune from a Leaf Whistle. Soon, a Ventus Bakugan landed on his shoulder. "Shun... I trust that you've seen the newest Brawlers that appeared...?" she asked him curiously. Shun stopped playing the Leaf Whistle and looked to the moon. "I did... its rather strange how a group of Ponies have learned how to Brawl in so little time." he admitted to the Bakugan. "They seem rather interesting if you ask me." she said to him. "That may be... but we need to be sure they can be trusted first." Shun said to her.