//------------------------------// // Say it ain't so Joe // Story: Bakugan Legends of Equestria // by KnightGomora1994 //------------------------------// It was a beautiful day in Kir City, the people were enjoying their every day lives. In one house, a young girl was watering her mothers flowers to make sure that they stay strong and healthy. But to her surprise, one of the flowers just died from dehidration. She panicked and turned to her mother knowing she had to do something. "Mommy! Come here, one of your flowers has died! Mommy!" she cried out. The moment she turned around to it, a bright light shined down on her catching her by surprise. The light itself was pure, and to the young girls surprise... the flower came back to life. She was amazed of what happened and looked to the cause, though it was hard to see, she could have sworn she saw the silhouette pf a dragon. The creature smiled at her, and vanished as her mother arrived. "What's the emergency...? Did one of your dollies break a nail again..?" she asked only to get no response as she walked to her daughter. "Honey...? Is everything okay...?" Taking a moment to collect herself, she nodded her hand and smiled from what she saw. She waved her hand out to the open sky. "Bye-bye!" she called out as she watched the light fly away into the distance, believing it to be an angel from the heavens above. Meanwhile, Dan, Twilight and their friends had arrived at the hospital to find Joe. "Well... here we are gang. Sunny Kire City..." he looked to the hospital seeing how big it was. "And this is be the hospital that Chan told us about..." said Runo as she looked around. "Yes, and according to her... Webmaster Joe should be here." said Twilight. Marucho turned to them with something on his mind. "Do you guys really think that Joe is one of Masquerade's minions...?" he asked them. "Marucho has a point... I mean we don't have any official evidence that links him to Masquerade." Pinkie reminded them of that fact. "That's what we want to find out Pinkie, and we're going to find out even if we have to beat it out of him." Julie said to her. Scoffing from hearing it, Rarity knew a brutish action when she heard one. "Honestly Julie, there are other methods to interogations." she said to her. "Even if he is... then he'll have to face the Wrath of Preyas!" Preyas jumped from Marucho's shoulder. "I'll give him an uppercut to the chin, and a right to the ribs!" he jabbed his fists around. Lancelot and Tigrerra gave him a blank stare knowing he's acting like a complete fool. "You do that Preyas..." Tigrerra said to him. "Well I think its time we find out what the deal is with this creep." Dan was about to head inside but felt a lasso grab hold of his ankle. He screamed and fell down to the ground landing face first, he then turned to Applejack knowing it was her. "Hey, what's the big idea AJ...?" he asked her. "You might wanna slow down there Dan... he may be the webmaster and all, but he's just a kid in a hospital. And we can't rush in acting like complete psycho's." Applejack looked to the hospital, seeing a sign. "Not to mention, I'm pretty sure animals aren't allowed inside..." Spike leaped to his shoulder. "Applejack's right, unless you want to get caught sneaking us in, good luck with that..." he said to him knowing that it was a bad idea. Thinking it through, Dan knew that she was right. "Good point... we need a plan to get you in without security seeing you..." "Don't worry, I know a spell that can help..." Twilight assured him as she looked to her friends. Once inside, Dan asked the nurse if there was a joe in the building, and luck was definitely on their side. "Yes, here he is... he's in room 501. That's over in the east wing to your left." she directed him and his friends. Twilight, who was invisible along with her friends, she looked to them and whispered. "That can't be too hard to forget, hopefully this will be easy. "Let's hope Dan doesn't-" Rarity started to, but suddenly... "Yes, thanks lady!" Dan rushed off heading towards an elevator. "Hold the elevator!" he cried out as he managed to get in but Drago somehow fell out of his pocket. "Dan!" Twilight accidentally cried out and covered her mouth. The nurse's ears perked from hearing it. "Did someone say something...?" she asked them. Runo and the others (besides Shun...) freaked out know Twilight slipped up. "N-No, that was... probably someone outside... lets get going guys!" she walked away in a hurry with the others as Twilight and her friends followed in pursuit. Once they were in the hallway, Twilight immediately released the invisibility field that was around her and her friends. Sighing knowing she messed up. "I can't believe I did that..." "Nah, you think?" Spike said to her giving her a look. "I'll say, you aren't exactly stealthy Twilight." Rainbow said to her knowing she had a point. "Look, it doesn't matter, I'm gonna meet up with Dan and Drago, hopefully he didn't get far. Lets go Bahamut..." she said to him and vanished with him. "Well, looks like we're taking the stares..." said Rarity knowing it was going to kill her hooves. Shun soon realized something. "Hey... before Dan got into the elevator, I saw Drago fall out of his coat pocket. We should probably look for him and get him back to Dan." he suggested. "Good idea... oh my, Drago is probably lost and alone again..." Fluttershy started to worry. Meanwhile, Dan looked at the rooms that were listed. "Room 501..." he checked for it only to find 510 to 519. "It's not even listed!" he exclaimed. "Well it would be if you didn't rush to the elevator." Twilight said to him as she arrived with Bahamut. "This is where she said it would be though." "Yeah... hey Drago, that Lady said 501 right...?" Dan asked his partner, but when he checked his pocket, he wasn't there. "Drago?" Back at the first floor, Drago was waiting for the elevator to come down. "I can't believe this... why would Daniel abandon me like that?!" he asked but heard the elevator open. "Please! Wait for me!" he called out trying to move his tiny little body. But after a few steps, he fell down onto his face and struggled to get back up. "Its no use... should have learned the art of mobility when I first arrived in this realm." he said to himself as he thought back to when Preyas was trying to help him. "Come on soldiers, look alive! Lift those knee's, move it! Move it! Move it!" Preyas was trying to motivate him in his memory flashback. "One, two! One, two! One, two! Count them! I can't hear you boy!" he only watched as Drago fell down. "Oh, that's gonna hurt..." he looked as Drago was laying on the ground. "Come on soldier! Get your butt back up here, double-time!" All of Preyas' yelling finally got to Drago. "YOU NUMB SKULL! COME DOWN HERE AND HELP ME!" he yelled back knowing he was helpless in this situation. Present time, Drago was still trying to get himself up. When all of a sudden, he found himself being lifted off the ground. He looked to who picked him up, not recognizing who it was. But had a strong feeling as to who it was. Meanwhile, Shun and the others were looking around for him. "Where is that Drago hiding?" asked Julie as she looked around. "I say, we should forget the little pester and continue our quest in finding Joe." said Preyas with a British accent. Ignoring what he said, Alice looked to the others feeling concerned. "Maybe we're in the wrong wing of the hospital. Let's try the West wing." she suggested. "No Alice, the receptionist said the East Wing, its here." Runo said to her. "I'm with Runo on this... but there is also the matter to consider, that Dan may have lead us to the wrong one." Rarity suggested, only to hear Runo groan in annoyance. "Oh you're right Rarity, he's such an IDIOT!!!" she exclaimed knowing she was right. "I suggest, we find Joe on our own... what do you think Shun...?" Rainbow Dash turned to him hoping to get a good response from him. Shun's eyes were closed at the moment, but he looked to her and nodded. "That's actually the smartest idea you've ever come up with Rainbow Dash." he said to her as they entered the next elevator. As it lifted them to the next floor Dan was supposed to be, the doors opened revealing rooms 501 to 509. "Bingo! Room 501, right down this way!" Pinkie leaded them to it. They followed her, trying to find the room Joe was staying in. Upon seeing it, Runo found the number to where Joe's room was. "Come on guys, its down this way." she walked to the room. "Looks like this is it..." said Marucho. "Let me do the honors..." Fluttershy walked to the door, and knocked on it. In response, an unfamiliar voice called out to them. "Come in..." said a soft womanly voice. Runo opened the door only to find what appeared to be Joe's mother. "Yes, can-" before she could start. "Yeah, is... is this Joe's room...?" Runo asked feeling pretty nervous about the situation. Upon hearing it, the mother stood up looking to them. "Are you friends of Joe's...?" she asked them. "Yeah... well, kinda..." Runo wasn't sure how to put it in words. The woman stood up and walked over to them. "Joe's just out for a few minutes with his doctor..." she said to them. "Oh, I see..." said Runo feeling disappointed. The ponies looked to each other knowing that it would be wise to come back later when Joe was around. "Maybe we should come back later when he gets here..." Spike whispered to them. "I agree... we'll have a word with him when the doc is done talking to him." whispered Applejack. "No, please stay..." Joe's mother said to them catching an expression of surprise. "He'll be back any minute now, make yourselves at home." The ponies gasped in surprise. "You heard us?!" Rarity cried out. "Well I heard rumors from my son, but I didn't think it was true. Now that I see you girls, I'm starting to become a believer." she said to them and smiles at them. "W-Well, quite a pleasure to meet you darling, my name is-" before Rarity could finish... "Rarity right...?" Joe's mother caught her surprised. "I must say, you sound like a British Princess..." she complimented her of her accent. "O-Oh... thank you very much. I do fancy myself as such." Rarity boasted only to get an elbow from Rainbow Dash. Looking to the others, Joe's mother started listing them down. "And that would make you, Rainbow Dash... Pinkie Pie... Fluttershy... Applejack... and..." she looked to Spike seeing what he was. She pondered a bit and knew that he wasn't who he she was thinking about. "Judging by you, you're no Twilight Sparkle..." she said to him. Spike immediately snapped from hearingi t. "WHAT MADE YOU THINK I WAS A GIRL?!!" he snapped at her only to be restrained by Fluttershy. "Terribly sorry about that, he's not normally like that... but no, this is Spike. He's a dragon... Twilight Sparkle raised him when she was a filly. As to her whereabouts, we don't know where she is." she explained to her. "Oh... well I hope she'll find you all soon. In the meantime, why don't you all rest..." Joe's mother said to them as the brawlers and the ponies sat down. She walked over to a counter and picked up a plate of cookies and returned to them. "Anyone up for some cookies? I made them this morning." she set the plate down on the table. "Oh wow! I'd love some, I haven't eaten all day!" Julie cried out. "Me neither!" Pinkie grabbed one and tried it out. Suddenly her tastebuds literally popped. "Best... cookie... ever..." she started drooling. Immediately grabbing Pinkie before she devoured the rest of the cookies, Rainbow Dash held her back with all her might. "Easy there Pinkie, save some for the rest of us." she advised her. Fluttershy turned to Joe's mother with curiosity. "Um... It's a kind offer... but no thanks..." she said to her. Returning her kindness with a smile, Joe's mother insisted. "Oh please, don't be shy..." she said to her. "Well, okay I guess..." Runo said to her as Julie ate a cookie of her own. "Yum! Home-made chunky chocolate chip and peanut butter." Julie listed the ingrediants. Marucho looked over to her. "I believe those are called Macadamia Nuts." he said to her. "I hope they're calorie three, because they're delish!" Julie cried out with a bright smile. Runo let out a sigh knowing she won't hear the last of it. "I don't think so..." she said to her. "Well I for one would like to try one of these..." Rarity took one of the other cookies. "They're rather tiny, but I'm sure they'll be delicious none the less." she picked it up with her magic. "Oh! Let me try it first!" Julie tried to take it from her. Rarity immediately pulled it away from her. "Julie please, your manners!" she managed to take a bite out of it and was amazed by the taste. "Wow! Delicious, its like tasting something heavenly." she complimented the taste of the cookie. "It's so nice to see that Joe has such wonderful friends..." said the mother as the brawlers and the ponies looked to her. "Joe should be getting out of the hospital any day now, and all he does is stare out the window and wish he were back at home." she explained to them. "So... what's your son's condition...?" asked Fluttershy. "Yes, what's his prognosis...?" asked Marucho. The mother lowered her gaze a bit thinking about it. "Ohh... he's fine... he just here for some tests..." she said to them. "His doctor says he just needs a little rest..." she shut her eyes knowing she's trying to keep her feelings from going out of control. "I must say my Joe is one tough little trooper..." the ponies saw how worried she was about her son. They looked to each other wondering if what they believed was wrong. Meanwhile, Dan and Twilight were still in the hallway searching for Drago after Dan lost him. "Aw snap, I'm tired of this...! Where did you go Drago...?" he searched for him on the floor. "Well if you hadn't rushed to the elevator like you did, HE WOULD STILL BE IN YOUR POCKET!" Twilight cried out showing just how mad she is with him. "Okay, sheesh, no need to yell... I thought most princesses were supposed to keep their composure..." Dan muttered to himself, but it did not go unheard. Twilight immediately used her magic to pull his ear causing him to yelp in pain from it. "Okay! Okay, I'm sorry!" he cried out in agony but noticed someone approach them. The unfamiliar boy who approached them held up what appeared to be Drago. "Is this what you're looking for...?" the boy asked. Just from seeing it, Dan's heart leaped with joy. "Drago!" "Daniel!" Drago cried out. Dan rushed to him. "I can't believe it, where'd you find him?" he asked as he took Drago back only to give him a scowl. "Hey what's the big idea Drago?! Never take off on me again!" "Excuse me mister, but you're the one who dropped me!" Drago glared at him. "So therefore, you're not one to talk Dan." Twilight said to him with a scowl. "Wow! So you really can talk..." said the mysterious boy standing before them. Panicking knowing that she slipped up, Twilight tried to hide it with a chuckle. "Did I speak...?" she asked him only to recieve a nod from him. Causing her to lower here head in regret. "Curse my temper tantrums..." "Anyways, ignore all that... she and Drago sometiems get a little cranky. I appreciate you finding him, but how'd you know I was looking for him...?" Dan asked him. The boy smiled a bit. "Because you were looking for me... right Dan... Twilight...?" he asked him. Eyes widened, Dan and Twilight were surprised how he knew who they were. "Then... you... must be Joe!" Dan exclaimed. "The Web Master!" Twilight cried out. Chuckling at how shocked and surprised they were, Joe knew they were trying to take it all in. "That's me..." he said to them with a kind smile on his face. A glare soon formed across Dan's face forming a fist. "Oh man! I got so many questions for you!" he said to him only to see him turn around. Joe looked out and thought about something. "You want to come to the roof you two...?" he asked them. Twilight looked at the young man sensing nothing malice, but she couldn't let her guard down, not even for an instant. On the roof, the three walked to where the sky was most wide, and where there was much room on the roof. Joe stood still spreading his arms out, inhaling the fresh air and letting out a sigh. "Isn't this great...?" he asked them and walked to the fence to look to the horizon. "I just love it up here... and the view is awesome." "Yeah... I'm not to big into heights..." Dan admitted to him. "Not to change the subject, but lets..." he said to him preparing for anything that may happen. "We need to know if you're in cahoots with the human called Masquerade." Twilight said to him only to her a soft chuckle from him. Joe turned around to face them knowing the answer but chose to change the subject. "I remember the day I found my Bakugan... it was a day, almost exactly like today..." Twilight's face showed a sign of shock and confusion. "It was right in the middle of summer, I was here for tests..." he looked to his left thinking back. "Sitting on that bench over there..." he remembered a card that landed in front of him the day of his test. "I searched the web to find out what it was... that's when I saw kids blogging about their battles. Then, I created my home page so everyone would have a place to log on and chat about their Bakugan Brawls." he looked to Dan and Twilight with a smile. "Its funny, but you were one of the first to log on." Twilight was amazed that he remembered so much, despite how long it had been since the Bakugan arrived on earth. "Then Shun was next to visit your site... then Runo, Marucho, and Julie showed up, is that correct...?" she asked him. "That's right, then Dan and Shun started thinking up the rules... heh, those two were on fire coming up with all the regulations. It was so simple, and completely brilliant to watch." Joe said to the Alicorn Princess. But Dan just had about enough of memory lane. "I didn't come all the way here to chitchat! All I want to know is if you're working for Masquerade or not!" Dan yelled at him trying to get his answers. Joe didn't respond to him knowing he didn't know anything just yet. "You think somehow I'm connected to Masquerade...?" he asked him. Twilight stepped up to speak. "All he's saying is, Masquerade seems to know everything the Brawlers are doing... and because all of us chat on your website, its the only way we figured he could get that kind of information." she explained to him. "She's right, there's a snitch, and we want to find out who... and I hate to be the one pointing the finger, but..." Dan pointed his finger straight at him. "Looks like its you Joe...! Are you the snitch?!" he demanded to know. Remaining silent, Joe didn't respond to his quesion. "Hey, you better fess up before I get mad...!" "He's serious Joe, and you won't like him when he's angry..." Twilight warned him. "Too late Twilight, because now I'm mad!" Dan cried out glaring at Joe. Letting out a chuckle, Joe shut his eyes for a bit. "I could simply answer your question... but that would be too easy. Instead, I think I have a better idea... how about..." he held our a Bakugan Card. "We make it more interesting Dan...?" Dan was surprised to what he's suggesting, he wants to go into a Bakugan Battle. "You saying... you wanna brawl...?" he asked him. "Yep... me and you...." Joe said to him. Dan didn't know what to do, but at this point he could never miss out on an opportunitty. "Okay, Joe... you're o-" before he could finish, he saw two of his Bakugan get taken by Twilight's magic. "Hey! Twilight, what gives?!" he asked her. "Let me handle him... I want to see how good he is and see if our theory is correct." Twilight said to him. "Besides, I've been itching for a brawl since we got here." Looks like Dan was completely disarmed... what harm could there be in letting her take over the brawl? Time to find out as the battle gets underway. Both Twilight and Joe held out their Bakugan Cards. "Bakugan Field Open!" they called out as they entered a pocket dimension battlefield. As they entered the field, Joe looked at each of the six worlds in awe. Like it was his first time... and truthfully, it might as well have. "Oh wow... this is so amazing!" he cried out. "Are you saying this is the first time you've ever played Bakugan?!" Dan asked in shock. Given the situation, Joe was far too distracted to even pay attention. This immediately got on Twilight's nerves. "Hey! You want to battle or not?!!" she shouted at him. To respond to her question, Joe turned to her with a kind smile. "It's even better than I imagined... its like I'm inside a dream." he said to her. Twilight scowled at him losing her nerve. "If Princess Luna were here, she'd smack some sense into you... but..." her expression changed to a soft surprised look. "This really is your first time then..." "I'll start...! Gate Card Set!" he tossed the card to the field. Reacting late, Twilight immediately tossed in her card. "Gate Card Set!" she called out as both their cards expanded on the battlefield. "Okay, I'm gonna make this official... but I don't care if this is your first time Joe! I'm gonna to play to-" before Twilight could finish her sentence. "Bakugan Brawl!" Joe tossed in his first Bakugan onto the field. "Haos Siege stand!" he called out as Haos Siege emerged on the field readying its lance for battle. "Haos Siege enters battle at 280 G's." the Bakupod informed them of Siege's power level. Twilight pulled out one of Dan's Bakugan. "Alright, not bad for a newbie... but now its my turn! here it goes-" before she could throw in the Bakugan... "That is so cool!" Joe cried out in amaze and excitement, catching Twilight offguard and Dan by surprise. "I never imagined my Siege would be so big!" Twilight's eyebrow began to twitch just from watching him. "Why me...?" she was close to losing her temper. "Easy Twilight, don't let it get to you..." Dan advised her not to lose her cool. "Easy for you to say, you're the one who doesn't like rookies... and I'm starting to see why." Twilight said to him. "Twilight, don't let his inexperience blind you..." Bahamut advised her. Meanwhile, Joe was living the moment of looking at his Siege. "This is amazing..." he smiled at looking at his Siege. "This kid is totally...!" Twilight was close to yelling it out... but her head lowers knowing she won't win by arguing. "Messing up my Bakugan rhythm... but no matter! Bakugan Brawl!" she threw in Dan's Tuskor onto the field. "Tuskor Stand!" she called out as Pyrus Tuskor emerged on the field roaring out. Joe's excitement escallated. "Pyrus Tuskor!" he cried out. "Tuskor enters battle." said the Bakupod. "Alright, Ability Card Activate!" before Twilight could yell out its name... "Nose Slap right?" Joe asked catching her off guard. "Nose Slap is an ability suited for your Tuskor, it allows a player to attack an adjasent zone. You're going to throw it, right Twilight...?" he asked her after explaining what the card would do. "Well... yeah..." Twilight replied but shook her head and shot a glare at him. "YOU ARE TRYING TO DISTRACT ME!!!" "Hey Siege, you better watch out for her Tuskors trunk!" Joe called to his Bakugan. Dan knew this was crazy... they're dealing with the biggest rookie they have ever seen. "This dude is totally wearing on us... Twilight was right to take over..." "Tuskor! Nose Slap!" Twilight activated her ability as Tuskor roared out stretching its trunk out. It swung it towards Siege, but missed seeing Siege dodge its attack. Joe felt the ground shake causing him to fall down, Tuskor went for another swing but Siege blocked its attack with its lance trying to hold its ground. "That's it Tuskor, you keep on him...!" she said to the elephant Bakugan feeling eager to finish the battle. Watching the battle, Joe pulled himself up from the ground and watched Tuskor trying to strike Siege. "So this is a brawl... the colors... the sound... intense!" he exclaimed in excitement. But soon, Tuskor managed to land a powerful strike against Siege. He was surprised it happened, meanwhile Tuskor returned to Twilight as she caught it with her magic. "Looks like I won that one Joe." she said to him. "That was only round one Twilight..." Joe held out another card. "Now things start to get interesting!" he tossed the card to the field seeing it expand on the field. "Bakugan Brawl!" he tossed in his Robotallion. "Haos Robotallion Stand!" he called out seeing his Bakugan emerge on the field. "Ability Card Activate! Robotallion Enforcement!" he called out as Robotallion's body was enveloped with a golden aura. "Robotallion Power Level at 390 G's." said the Bakupod. "Thanks for the update bakupod..." "So far Joe, I'm liking what you're putting down... but watch and learn! Bakugan Brawl!" Twilight used her magic to throw in Dan's Pyrus Griffon. "Griffon Stand!" she called out as Griffon emerged on the field, snarling at its opponent. "Griffon enters battle at 350 G's." said the Bakupod. "Oh, you purposely threw down a lower power Bakugan and now you're going to use your Wing Burst ability." said Joe as he once again caught Twilight by surprise. "Wing Burst Ability increases your Bakugan by 50 G's, while at the same time decreases your opponents by the same amount as your increase." he explained. Irritated of the situation, Twilight sneered at him. "Right again Einstein...! Which is how are you gonna counter it...? Ability Card Activate! Wing Burst!" she called out as she sent the card to Griffon increasing his power. Griffon's wings lit up in flames, as it snarled at Robotallion. "Wing Burst Activated." said the Bakupod. Griffon flapped its wings sending streams of flames at Robotallion. "Get him Griffon!" Twilight called out as Griffon charged at Robotallion. "Now its my turn again! Gate Card Open!" Joe called out as it activated increasing Robotallion's power. "Robotallion Power Increase to 440 G's." said the Bakupod. Robotallion armed itself and blasted Griffon before it could attack. In that instance, Griffon reverted to ball form landing next to Twilight. Shocked from what happened, Twilight's eyes were as wide as dish saucers. "No... way... HOW DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!!" she cried out. Meanwhile, Joe caught his Robotallion and cheered. "Yes! I did it! I won my first battle!" he celebrated his first victory. "Hey Joe! When you're done celebrating, can you get on with the battle? Because Twilight looks like she's about to-" before Dan could finish his sentence, Twilight's magic wrapped around his legs causing him to hang upside down. "One more word, and you're road kill...!" Twilight warned him knowing she was close to blowing up. Joe only chuckled but pulled out another card. "Alright, here we go Twilight!" he tossed the card onto the field seeing it expand. "Bakugan Brawl!" he tossed his Robotallion back onto the field. "Robotallion Stand!" he called out as Robotallion emerged onto the field. "Okay... Twilight, time to kick it into high gear, send in Bahamut!" Dan said to her as she dropped him on his head. "OUCH!" he yelped in pain. "Don't have to tell me twice... finish this Bahamut!" Twilight said to him. "I shall!" Bahamut replied as he curled up into ball form. "Bakugan Brawl!" Twilight tossed him onto the field. "Bahamut Stand!" she called out as Bahamut emerged through flames and roared out. Joe was amazed at seeing him for the first time. "I... I can't believe it...! Is that the Pyrus Bahamut in the flesh?!" he asked in surprise. "You bet he is..." Twilight said to him. "This is so cool...!" Joe said as he stared at Bahamut in awe, like he were looking at a god. "I read about you Bahamut, but I never thought I'd see you for real." he said to him. "Oh believe me buddy, you haven't seen anything yet! Alright Bahamut, time to show him what you've got!" Twilight said to him as Bahamut roared out and charged at Robotallion. "Gate Card Open! Level Down!" Joe called out before Bahamut could reach his Robotallion. The affect of the card started draining Bahamut's power. "Bahamut Power Level Decrease detected to 350 G's." said the Bakupod. "What do you think Twilight? My ability dropped your Bakugan by a hundred G's, not bad for a rookie huh?" "Nice try joe, but I'm not letting you get away with that! Ability Card Activate! Spiral Flame!" Twilight called out as flames swirled around Bahamut as he charged at Robotallion. "My Ability allows me to increase my Bakugan by a hundred G's... and drops my opponents by the same amount. So you tell me who's the bigger rookie." she said to him with a smirk. "Time for the Coup De GrĂ¢ce!" Bahamut charged at Robotallion and crashed agaisnt it, forcing it back into ball form. Joe watched as his Bakugan landed right next to his feet and looekd to where Bahamut was. "Bahamut is one powerful Bakugan... but from what I heard, Drago evolved to a higher power level right...?" he asked them. "That's right... hey, you're smarter than you look... now listen up! You lose the next battle against Twilight, and you have to spill it about you and Masquerade! Got it?" Dan asked him hoping for a good response. Finally listening... Joe nodded to him. "Yeah sure... but first you gotta win. Bakugan-" before he could finish, he felt something inside him causing him to lose consciousness. He dropped his Bakugan and collapsed to the floor. Gasping from seeing what happened, Twilight rushed to him. "Joe!" she flew up to him and tried to wake him up. "Joe! Come on, wake up!" she panicked from seeing the state he was in. "No choice... Field Down!" she deactivated the Battlefield and turned to Dan. "Dan, quickly get a doctor!" "Right!" Dan ran off to find a doctor to get to Joe as fast as possible. Meanwhile Twilight looked at Joe seeing his condition, and felt guilty of what she put him through. The doctors got to Joe just in time, Dan and Twilight were running beside him as the nurses rushed him to the medical room. "Hang in there Joe, you're gonna be just fine!" Dan assured him as Joe was still unconscious. He and Twilight stopped and looekd to the nurse. "Is he gonna be okay?" "You'll have to wait out here..." the nurse replied as the door closed. Dan and Twilight starred at the door feeling worried, but Twilight at the moment... was feeling guilty for what she put him through. "Oh what have I done...? I must have pushed him too hard that I didn't take his condition into consideration..." she said to herself. "Twilight its okay... we didn't know, what matters right now is that we have to pray he recovers." Dan said to her trying to lift her spirits. "Dan! Twilight!" Runo called out as she ran up with the others along with Joe's mother. "What's the deal...?" Rainbow asked but saw Joe's mother run inside to check on her son. "What I want to know is, how bad is it...?" Dan asked them of Joe's condition. "Just a fainting spell... low blood sugar is what the doctor said..." Marucho informed him. Lowering her gaze, Fluttershy felt sorry for the young boy. "His mother said he wasn't supposed to do anything that might be too strenuous." she told them. "You were there Dan, what exactly happened when Joe collapsed...?" Runo asked him. "Well... he and Twilight were right in the middle of a battle, and the next thing we know he's down..." Dan explained to them of what happened and shut his eyes. Twilight shut her eyes as well, feeling guilty of what happened. "Oh sweet Celestia... I think I messed up big time..." she admitted. "Twi... sugar, don't go beating yourself up over this... you didn't know, its not your fault." Applejack assured that she wasn't to blame for what happened to Joe. "AJ's right Twi..." Dan opened his eyes feeling regret. "Its my fault... if I knew the guy was going to keel over, I never would have challenged him, and neither would you... we just have to hope he's.... okay..." he said to her as he looked down feeling guilty. "Hey, this isn't your fault either, don't blame yourself either Dan..." Runo said to him touching his shoulder. Looking to her, Dan knew that her words were true to her self. He smiled a bit but heard a soft gasp from Marucho and looked to him. "Guys, come here and check this out!" he called to them as they all gathered around the computer. Marucho pulled up a video that Joe himelf made. "Joe here... and if you ever meet a player named Masquerade, and he challenges you to a brawl... please... just say no." he said in the video as the brawlers and ponies formed an expression of surprise on their faces. "All he wants to do is send your Bakugan to the Doom Dimension..." "What is that...?" Twilight asked. "Its a video me and Pinkie downloaded from Joe's website..." Marucho answered him first before Pinkie. "He sent it to all the top players around the world..." Pinkie finished the explaination. "As a warning..." said Tigrerra as she looked to Drago. "Yes, then that must mean... Joe isn't..." before Drago could finish... "Isn't working for Masquerade for Masquerade after all..." said Julie. "Joe is on ourside..." said Gorem as he was on Julie's shoulder. "Sheesh, that's what I've been saying all along..." said Preyas long to get a punch to the face by Scylla. "Okay, maybe not..." he admitted. A moment of silence filled the room, but when the door opened behind them, Alice and Spike walked in to give them the news. "How is he...?" Runo asked her. "They should know better in the morning..." Alice replied to her. "We thought it would be good to stay the night until he recovers." Spike said to them. Eager to find out, Dan turned to her showing he couldn't wait that long. "I want to know right now! I'm gonna go ask the dotor myself-" before he could run off however. Runo grabbed his arm pulling him back. "You're not going anywhere mister! You're gonna wait here like everyone else!" she yelled at him. "She's right Daniel... I know you're eager to find out how he is, but you have to wait patiently. Joe can wait till tomorrow, alright...?" Rarity asked him. "But I can't wait... I gotta know right now..." Dan's eyes shut as he fell to his knee's. "Man I wish there was something I could do for Joe... all this waiting is driving me nuts...!" he said to them knowing he still feels responsible. Spike walked up to him and touched his shoulder. "I get how you feel man... I really do..." he said to him. As for Twilight... she stepped out of the room when no one was looking. Later that night... Joe's mother was watching over he son, but she fell asleep during her watch. But her mind was still awake. "I must say... my Joe is one tough little trooper." her mind repeated what she told Dan's friends. But she suddenly heard the sound of hooves and woke up. She looked and saw Twilight who sat beside her watching Joe. "Oh... you must be Twilight..." Twilight nodded her head and looked to her. "Ms. Brown... I'm so, so sorry... it's all my fault your son wound up like this..." she said to her as tears started to appear in her eyes. "I never should have..." "Ohh... oh don't worry sweetheart..." Ms. Brown touched her cheeks and cleaned away her tears. "You didn't know... so its not your fault... I don't blame you for what happened." she smiled at her. "But..." Twilight sniffed a bit trying to dry her nose. "How could you forgive me for what happened to Joe...? I thought that you would be..." "Furious...? Normally I would be... but..." Ms. Brown looked to her son who laid in the medical bed with an oygen mask on. "I know that Joe wouldn't want that." she said to her and shut her eyes. "When he was a boy... I would sing him his favourite song to him..." she said to Twilight. The young Alicorn looked to her sensing how she's feeling at the moment... so, as a show of kindness, she gently placed her hoof on her hand. "I would like to hear it... if that's alright with you...? I'm sure Joe would want that..." she said to her. Ms. Brown looked at the young pony, but smiled and gave her a small nod and looked to her son. (How does a Moment Last Forever, belongs to Beauty and the Beast) Ms. Brown; How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die? It is love we must hold onto Never easy, but we try Twilight listender to her sing the song, amazed of how beautiful it was. As she sang the song, Twilight could almost see the memories of her life with Joe when he was young and healthy. Sometimes our happiness is captured Somehow, our time and place stand still Love lives on inside our hearts and always will Minutes turn to hours, days to years and gone But when all else has been forgotten Still our song lives on Smiling at her song, Twilight looked to Joe feeling better... but she still felt guilty of what happened to him. Twilight; Maybe some moments weren't so perfect Ms. Brown heard her sing and looked to her surprised. Maybe some memories not so sweet But we have to know some bad times Or are lives are incomplete Then when the shadows overtake us Just when we feel all hope is gone We'll hear our song and know once more Our love lives on Ms. Brown looked at her amazed of her voice, but she smiled and looked at her son. She reached to him and gently placed a hand to his chest. Ms. Brown; How does a moment last forever? Twilight; How does our happiness endure? Ms. Brown; Through the darkest of our troubles Love is beauty, love is pure Twilight; Love pays no mind to desolation It flows like a river through the soul Ms. Brown; Protects, persists, and perseveres And makes us whole Twilight & Ms. Brown; Minutes turn to hours, days to years then gone But when all else has been forgotten Still our song lives on That's how a moment lasts forever: When our song lives on They sang the last verse of the song... but Ms. Brown began to cry, knowing that she may never see her son again. She kneeled down and held Twilight trying to seek comfort. Twilight held her knowing that she needed it. Suddenly, something catches her attention as a light began to form. She couldn't tell what it was... but she managed to catch a glimpse... of what she believed to be a Dragonoid type Bakugan. The next morning, Ms. Brown was sound asleep, but when she heards birds tweeting... she woke up and found her son wide awake. She couldn't believe her eyes at what she saw, Joe looked to his beloved mother and smiled at her. "Hey mom, good morning..." he said to her with a smile. "How's it going...?" he asked her. His mother immediately stood up looking at her son. "Joe... you're all better..." tears began to form in her eyes again as she rushed and held her son. "My boy... my dear sweet boy...!" she cried hold him "Hey mom, its okay..." Joe held her to comfort her. "I'm alright now..." she assured her. Suddenly the door opened, Dan and Twilight were the first to enter as their friends followed in. "Joe! You're okay..." Dan said to him as he walked up. "Its good to see you up and around Joe." "We were REALLY worried about you!" Pinkie said to him as she lept onto his bed bouncing on it. Joe chuckled seeing it. "Ahh, its no big deal... I'm ready to brawl again." he said to Twilight catching her by surprise again. "I want to feel the way I felt when I battled you Twilight... you see, way out here in Kir City, we don't have any top ranked players. But then you and your friends came to see me, it was like the greatest feeling ever." "You sure you didn't knock a screw loose...?" Rainbow asked him only to get a look from Applejack. Twilight smiled at him, knowing that he was definitely better. "Hey, if you wanted to battle me, you should have said so instead of letting me volunteer. You shouldn't have pretended you were working for Masquerade, which I'm still upset about by the way...!" she said to him with a scowl. Chuckling nervously of it, Joe knew she meant it. "Sorry about that..." he apologized to her. Losing her scowl, Twilight formed it into a smile and let go of the grudge. "Actually... I should be the one apologizing for ever thinking of something like that. Dan's sorry too..." she elbowed him. "Right...?!" "Ow!" Dan yelped but chuckled a bit. "Yeah... sorry..." Everyone, including Joe, laughed together... but suddenly Joe remembered something. "Oh yeah! I found the Infinity Core." he informed them only to hear surprised gasps from them. "Yeah, I saw it in one of my dreams... and, Twilight was there too.." he explained... Last night when Joe was still asleep, he was wandering through an endless abyss, wondering what was going on. "Where am I...?" he asked himself. "That's what I wanna know..." Twilight appeared before him. Seeing her, Joe was surprised she was there with him. "Twilight...? What are you doing here...?" he asked her. "I don't know, but something about this seems... strangely familiar... like I've been here before." Twilight explained but wasn't sure what she was seeing was real. Suddenly, a light appeared before them. She shielded her eyes along with Joe's from the intense brightness. "What's going on...?" "I don't know...!" Joe responded and looked to the source seeing the same Dragonoid type Bakugan she saw. "What are you...? Some kind of Bakugan...?" he asked the strange creature. "Yes... my name.... is Wavern..." she responded to them with a soft tone. "Wavern...?" Twilight asked in surprise. Nodding her head, Wavern looked to them with gentle eyes. "Listen carefully you two... you must never give the Infinity Core to Naga. The Infinity Core and the Silent Core are the two entities that preserve the balance of both Vestroia, and Equestria." she explained to them. "What?! You mean my world and your world have met before?!" Twilight asked in surprise. "Yes... but our history with Equestria was hidden, never to be found. Because it was better if Equestria forgot about the Bakugan... Prince Nova and Princess Solaria believed it to be best." Wavern explained to them. "But that is not important right now... the Silent Core has taken over Naga, and in order to restore balance... the Infinity Core has taken over me." "So... that means the Infinity Core..." Joe started to put it together... "Yes... the Infinity Core is within me. Remember you two... never give the Infinity Core to Naga, or Earth, Equestria, and Vestroia are doomed." Wavern said to them and vanished right before their eyes. Twilight panicked wanting to know more. "Wavern wait!" she called out to her only to disappear from Joe's dream. Surprised of the story, everyone merely blinked a bit knowing this was a lot to process. "Wow, that's some story..." said Dan feeling surprised. "But who is this Wavern may I ask...?" Rarity asked them. "Wavern is naga's twin sister..." Drago said to her. Surprised from hearing it, the ponies could only feel their eyes widen, and jaws dropped from hearing it. "Hmm... interesting, but not surprising." said Tigrerra. "Not surprising? NOT SURPRISING?!!! This is Naga's twin sister! And she has the Infinity Core, who know what she's doing with it?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed to her of the situation. "Wavern is different from her brother... and the Infinity Core only links itself to positive emotions. If Wavern is holding onto it, and warned Joe and Twilight to keep it away from Naga... that could be a sign she's on our side." Rarity said to her. "Rarity might be on to something..." Dan turned to Joe. "So where did this Wavern disappear to Joe?" he asked him of where she went. "Heh, sorry... she just vanished." Joe admitted to them. "Yeah, sorry everyone..." Twilight apologized. Sighing in defeat, Dan knew it was a lost cause. "Aw man... so much for that..." he said to himself. "But its interesting... this means we don't have to search for the Infinity Core anymore." said Shun as everyone looked to him surprised. "As long as the Infinity Core stays hidden inside Wavern... its another level of protection against Naga." he explained to them. "And that means there's one thing all of us have to do..." said Runo as she looked to Marucho. "Our Bakugan have to evolve to their ultimate form before Hydranoid." Marucho pointed out. Spike rubbed his chin a bit. "It won't be easy... but that's never stopped us before." he said to them. "Spike's right, if the Bakugan evolve, they'll protect us from Naga nabbing the Infinity Core." said Alice as she held the young dragon in her arms. Dan nodded his head in agreement, meanwhile Joe smiled at them wishing for more adventure. "Boy... I wish I could go with you guys." he said to them as they turned their attention to him. "But I'm stuck in here for the next couple of days..." he said feeling depressed. Placing a hoof on his shoulder, Rainbow Dash smiled at him. "Don't sweat it... from here on out, you're a part of the brawlers. Right guys?" she asked them. "Yes, that's right... in fact Joe, I showed the cool video warning you posted on your website." Marucho explained to him. "You're forgetting, we really need you to help us track down Wavern and the Infinity Core." said Runo as she looked to Fluttershy. "Besides, it would be nice to meet her, wouldn't it...?" "Oh yes, it would be an honor." Fluttershy replied. Dan walked up to Joe and smiled a bit. "I told you that you were part of the team Joe... it means you're a brawler... forever." he said to him. Surprised of what he said, Joe couldn't believe it. Him, a Battle Brawler... he didn't know how lucky he was. "I... I don't know what to say..." he said to them but smiled at them knowing what a sweet relief it was. "But thanks..." he expressed his gratitude to them. Twilight held out her hoof to her and smiled at him. "Welcome to the team Joe..." she welcomed him. Smiling at her gesture, Joe took her hoof and held it. "Yeah..." he chuckled along with her. Dan watched it happen and smiled proudly at how this all turned out. He then looked out, knowing Masquerade is out there somewhere. "Just you wait Masquerade... we're gunning for you, and when we find you... you're going down." he thought to himself knowing he will face him sooner or later. A couple of days later when Dan and the brawlers left, Joe's doctor came to give his mother the good news. She felt a bit nervous, but she held onto a brave face. "What is the good news doctor...?" she asked him. "Joe's all good to go, perfect health... in fact, he passed all his tests with flying colors!" the doctor said to them with a smile. Overfilled with joy, Ms. Brown cheered out and held her son. "Oh Joe!" she held him tightly. "Mom, please!" Joe complained knowing she was embarrassing him. But he soon looked outside and smiled. "Now to get on with my new job... finding Wavern..." he said to himself knowing that she was out there somewhere. Protecting the Infintiy Core from Naga.