//------------------------------// // One True Partner // Story: Bakugan EQG // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Flash let out a sigh as he stepped into his room and fell onto his bed, the teen planting his face right into the mattress as he let all the exhaustion of the day wash over him. After about a minute, he rolled back over and stared at the ceiling. As he did so, the day's events flashed before his eyes. Meeting the second talking Bakugan, being challenged and beaten by the mysterious Phantom and, of course... --- "You know what. I've had it with you. I thought you were cool before, but all you've done since you started talking is insult me. Well I'm done with you." With that, he clenched his first and forced Leonidas to close before throwing him with all his might. "JUST GET LOST!" --- Flash couldn't believe he had let his anger get the better of him like that, but it wasn't his fault. Leonidas had seriously gotten to his last nerve, constantly belittling him and claiming it was all his fault they lost. "Who needs him," he rolled back over and tried to get some sleep. Meanwhile, across town, Twilight Sparkle stepped into her bedroom and pulled her newest roommate out of her pocket. "Here it is," she placed Leonidas down on her desk and he opened up. "Home sweet home, for now." She moved over and sat on her bed. "You can stay here until you and Flash patch things up." Leonidas replied by simply grunting and turned away. "Come on, I'm sure he'll realise he made a mistake once he calms down." "Why should I care if he wants me back," Leonidas turned away. "I'm better off without him. He was just holding me back." "That's not true," Twilight told him. "Flash might not be the best brawler right now, but that's just because he's new to the game. He knows a lot about it, but actually being in the battle is a lot to process. In time, he'll get more used to it and will be able to make better decisions." "And until that time, any Bakugan forced to work with him will undoubtedly lose." Twilight frowned, starting to see why Leonidas grated on Flash. "Maybe so, but you didn't exactly help Flash." Leonidas turned to her. "If you hadn't been so mean, Flash wouldn't have made so many mistakes. It's hard to think straight when you're angry, so of course Flash wouldn't be able to brawl to his best ability." "Har," Leonidas growled, "why should I have to be nice to some pathetic humans." "That pathetic human could have thrown you in a river if he wanted to. And don't think for a moment you can use that same attitude with me." She moved over to the desk and opened a locked box, showing the inside of it to Leonidas. "Don't think just because you're a living think I won't stuff you in here until you have a better attitude." Leonidas actually started to panic at that thought. "Do we understand each other?" "Perfectly," he replied. "Good," Twilight nodded, "and think about what I said." She began to head for the door, but stopped just before opening it. "You might think you don't need anyone, but nobody can live alone." Leonidas slowly turned to her. "Even if you survive, even if you're able to beat every foe, a life without friends isn't one worth having. Because unless you have someone to share your victories with, they'll be meaningless and hollow." With that, she stepped out of the room and left Leonidas to think about what she had said. That night. Flash was trying to get to sleep, but couldn't help but feel wide awake. His mind kept flashing back to Leonidas, wondering if he made a mistake. "No," he told himself, "this is for the best. He'll never respect me and I can't work with someone like that." But despite saying this, as he looked out and window, he couldn't help but see the stars in the sky and mentally connect them to form an image of the Bakugan. "Leonidas..." The Bakugan in question was also looking out a window at the stars, Leonidas thinking about what Twilight had said. "It's better this way," he told himself. "To survive in this this world, one can only look out for themselves." But then more of Twilight's words came to mind and made him think. What was the point of surviving if he was alone? Dark Industries Sombra was typing away at his computer when Phantom suddenly appeared. "Well?" He turned to she him holding the cube, noting that several of the images looked faded. "It's growing weaker." "Just like you suspected," Phantom replied. "Whenever a Bakugan battles, it gives off an energy specific to its Attribute. The more energy this cube absorbs, the weaker the seals become." "Then keep brawling," Sombra replied. "I want the Bakugan awakened." Phantom nodded before Sombra spoke again, "how goes the other mission." "I battled Flash Sentry and whilst he is nothing special, his Bakugan certainly is. I plan on taking it from him, but I'm making the cube my priority. That's why I thought of delegating the task of ceasing the dragonoid to someone else, though I may require a little leverage." "What do you need?" Sombra asked before Phantom explained. The next day. The bell was minutes from ringing and we find Twilight talking to Lyra, Bonnie and Derpy. "So that's how you found Nimue," Twilight said. "That's just like how Flash said he found Leonidas," Derpy replied. "What's with these talking Bakugan falling from the sky?" "Like, who cares?" They turned to Lyra and she continued to cradle Nimue, "all I care about is that we're together." This made Nimue laugh. "Yes, I must admit I'm glad Ms Heartstrings found me. She's been treating me quite nicely, even emptied out a draw for me to use as my own personal space for whenever I want to be alone." "Of course" Lyra smiled. "This is your home now, so it's only right to help you feel as comfortable as possible." Twilight smiled at this and hoped Leonidas was listening. In that moment, Flash and Scootaloo pulled into school and split up after telling the other to have a good day. Flash rolled up to the bike shed and began to secure his vehicle, Twilight moving over to him. "Hey!" she smiled, "I have someone who wants to talk to you." She reached into her pocket and took out a familiar white Bakugan, which opened up to stare at him. "Err...hello," Leonidas told him. "Hey," Flash said back with little emotion in his voice. "How...how are you?" He asked awkwardly, Flash not saying anything back. "Listen...about yesterday-" He didn't get to finish as the bell rang and Flash began to walk off. "I gotta go," he told them before any of the girls could stop him. "Wait," Twilight called out to him, "are you gonna be at the stadium later?" "Can't!" Flash called back to them. "I got work today. Sorry." With that, he rushed into the school and was out of sight. Once he was gone, the girls all sighed. "He's clearly trying to avoid the situation," Nimue stated. "This isn't good. If he keeps running from his problems, he'll just end up finding it more and more difficult to eventually face them." Twilight frowned before turning to Leonidas. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to get you two talking again." The fact that Leonidas didn't automatically say he didn't want to talk to him felt like a good sign. Throughout the day, Flash made sure to avoid Twilight. He didn't want to, but he knew she would try and get him to talk to Leonidas. So he made sure to keep his distance, hiding away during lunch and not giving her any time to talk to him between classes. And as soon as the bell rang, Flash was the first student out of the school and was away on his bike before the girls even left the building. But throughout the day, he once again couldn't help but let his mind wander to Leonidas. Meanwhile, in another city, another teen had just stepped out of the Battle Stadium. This teen had black skin and mohawk-like hair of blue and white, wearing a black long sleeved jacket and green cargo pants with black boots. The teen smirked as he flicked a Ventus Bakugan up into the air before catching it, clearly happy about the day's events. "Oh yeah!" He cheered, "number one." "Thunderlane?" The teen stopped before turning to the voice that said his name, seeing a figure in the shadow of the building leaning against the wall. "Who's there?" He asked, "how do you know my name?" The figure chuckled before stepping out of the shadows, revealing themselves to be Phantom. "I know you are because you're a talented Brawler. One who has the skills I need to accomplish a very important task." "What kind of task?" Thunderlane asked before seeing something flying at him, the teen managing to catch it a find it was a Ventus Bakugan. "Hey?" He looked it over, "I've seen this one on the web. Never seen one in real life." "It's a very rare Bakugan. And it can be yours to keep if you help me out." Thunderlane turned back to him, "there's someone I want to you beat. Flash Sentry. Find him and take the Bakugan he wields named Leonidas. Do that and you can keep that Bakugan. Fail and I take it back." Thunderlane smirked as he stared down at the Bakugan again, liking the sound of this deal. "Alright, you've got a-" He stopped after looking up, finding that Phantom had vanished. "What the?" He eventually just shrugged and turned towards the stadium, heading inside to ask where she could find this Flash Sentry guy. That evening. As the last hour of sunlight ticked away, we find Flash in his back garden. There, he had the Bakugan he had won off of Garble in his hands and was starting at a bunch of tin cans that he had set up at different levels through the garden. "Bakugan," he threw the ball, "BRAWL!" The Pyrus Bakugan flew through the air towards one of the cans, but completely missed it and landed on the ground behind it. "Dang it." "Problem?" Flash looked around and saw his father walking over to him, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the cans. "Just...can't get my aim right." Flash took his second Bakugan and threw it, but once again missed the can. Trail then held out a hand and Flash gave him the last one, allowing his father to look it over. "Interesting toy," he said whilst tapping the ball and causing it to pop open. "Is this what you've been trying to buy for so long?" Flash nodded as he went to collect the other two. "I finally managed to get one and was able to win the others with it." Of course, he didn't have that first one any more. "Is this why you've been acting so off lately?" Flash raised an eyebrow before Trail went on to explain, "we can all tell son. You've seemed...distracted as of late. And especially over the last two days. Is something on your mind?" Flash frowned before letting out a sigh. "I had...an arguement with someone." "I see," Trail nodded. "A friend?" "I thought we could be, but he's just so...angry. Everything that came out of his mouth was either an insult or an order. And he kept blaming me for everything that went wrong. In the end...I just had it. I told him to get lost and left." "Sounds like a smart idea," Trail nodded. "So what's the problem?" "The problem is I can't stop thinking about him. Wondering if...maybe I made a mistake." He turned to Trail, "but it wasn't. It was a toxic relationship and I shouldn't have had to deal with all that." "Maybe," Trail nodded, "or maybe you think it was a mistake because you didn't give the time to think about everything from your friend's angle." Flash clearly didn't understand. "Humans are complex. What we show on the surface isn't always the whole of who we are. There may be more hiding deeper then the eye and ear can see and hear." "What are you saying?" Flash asked. "I'm saying that even if they were wrong for yelling, ordering and blaming you, maybe they had a reason. Maybe something happened to them that made them act this way. What did you know about this guy before you met him." "Nothing," Flash replied, "but he never told me about anything he did before we met." "Then maybe it's something they have a hard time thinking about," Trail told him. "Something bad happened, or they made a mistake they can't forgive themselves for. Who knows." "Still doesn't give him the right to do all that." "I'm not saying it does. But if it is something like that, they might need help getting over it. Some problems can't be solved by yourself. So maybe that's why you feel you made a mistake, because you want to help them." "But it's to late," Flash told him. "I already closed the door on our friendship." "You may have closed the door, but there's still a chance to open it again. If you're willing to swallow your pride and talk to them again, then there's a chance. But if you're not fast enough, that door my end up locking forever." With that, he threw the Bakugan at the can and hit it dead on." Flash was surprised by this while Trail smiled, "you're a good kid Flash. But if you don't at least try and fix this, it'll hang over you forever." Flash nodded, "you're right dad. I just hope it isn't too late." "I'm sure it's not," Trail assured him before taking the other Bakugan. "Now why don't I show you a few tricks. Your old man was quite the marble player in his youth." The two laughed before they started practising, Flash refusing to stop until he at least hit one of those cans. They were out there for a while. The next day. Being the weekend, everyone was free to spend their entire day at the Bakugan Battle Stadium. That was where Lyra and Bonnie found Twilight, the girl talking to two other girls. One was a pink skinned girl with puffy pink hair while the other was a white skinned girl with purple styled hair. The three seemed to have just finished their conversation when the pair entered the room, which the two girls walking off as Twilight turned see the pair. "Hey," Lyra waved at her, "who were they?" "Just some friends," Twilight replied. "And really good brawlers. You two should try facing them sometime." She then looked around, "you haven't seen Flash anywhere, have you?" The two shook their heads, making Twilight frown. She then pulled Leonidas out of her pocket, the Bakugan opening up and looking up at her. "Let's face it," he told her. "He doesn't want anything to do with me." "I'm not giving up," Twilight told him. "If we can just get you talking." Leonidas was about to reply, but another voice caught their attention. "What do you mean you don't know where he is!?" They turned to see Derpy being yelled at by a black skinned teen. "If he's a brawler, this is where he should be." "I'm sorry," Derpy replied. "I don't know where he is." She looked close to tears with how loud this teen was yelling. "Derpy?" She turned to Twilight and the others, "is everything okay." "Stay out of this," the boy replied. "He's looking for Flash," Derpy explained. This surprised the girls. "Why?" Lyra asked. The teen, Thunderlane, turned to them. "If you must know, somebody ask me to beat him and take his Bakugan." Now the girls were frowning, the lot having an idea who he was talking about. "This somebody," Twilight asked. "They weren't wearing a weird getup and shades, were they?" Thunderlane smiled, "so you know them." "Phantom," Lyra growled. "And this Bakugan," Bonnie continued. "Is it's name Leonidas?" Now Thunderlane looked really confused, "did he ask you to get it too?" "No," Twilight said, "but we know why he's after him." Nimue took this moment to leap onto Lyra's shoulder. "It appears Leonidas has been deemed worthy of taking." She turned to Leonidas, "but not worthy of actually taking by Phantom himself." Leonidas growled while Thunderlane seemed surprised by a talking Bakugan. That was until he realised who Nimue was talking too and turned to Leonidas, "so you're the Bakugan I was sent to take." "That's right," Leonidas replied. "No wonder that guy wants you," Thunderlane smirked. "So what, did this girl win you off the other guy." "Not exactly," Leonidas replied. "But it doesn't matter. You wanna battle, you've got one." "What?" Twilight turned to him, "I didn't agree to this." "If Phantom wants me, he should come take me himself. I'm not gonna let him make a mockery of me by sending someone else to do his dirty work." Twilight still looked unsure, "please." With that one word, Twilight suddenly found herself feeling very surprised. She wasn't sure she had ever heard him ask for something sincerely. After a few more seconds, Twilight let out a hum before turning to Thunderlane and smile. "Alright. You're on. I'll brawl you." Thunderlane smiled back, "awesome." He turned towards the stadium, "let's go." He walked off and Twilight was about to follow, but then turned to Lyra. "Can you do me a favour." Lyra raised an eyebrow. In the park. Flash was sitting at the fountain, thinking about the day he had found Leonidas in that very spot. Even though he had decided to talk to him, he still wasn't sure what to say. But before he could think of the words, his BakuColar beeped to signify he had a message. "What's this?" He pressed the button and the message appeared on the screen, "from Lyra?" He read it over and his eyes went wide when he learned what was going. "Leo," he whispered before looking in the stadium's direction. Back in the stadium, Twilight and Thunderlane stepped out into the battlefield. "Welcome Baku-fans!" The announcer cried, "we've got another awesome battle for you today. The stadium's fan favourite, Twilight Sparkle, verses a brawler who's new here but quite well known at his home field. Give it up, for Thunderlane!" The crowd cheered whilst Derpy, Bonnie, Lyra and Nimue watched from the stands. "This is gonna be a tough match," Bonnie gulped. "I can just feel it." "I just hope Leonidas doesn't give Twilight a hard time," Lyra frowned before looking around. Hopefully, Flash would get here soon. "Hope you're ready," Thunderlane told her while throwing the Bakugan he had gotten from Phantom up and down. "I can't go home empty handed." "We'll see," Twilight told him. "We'll see." She just hoped her plan worked. "Let's see where our Brawlers will be facing off against one another today!" The announcer cried. It was then that the floor below them began to glow, causing the stadium around them to transform into that of a giant forest with a river running through it. But was really surprised Twilight were the coins that floated through the air, just like the ones that had been in Flash's last brawl. "Our contestants will be facing off in a forest environment!" The announcer cried. "And with the new power ups. That's sure to spice things up. I can't wait to see how this brawl turns out." "It'll turn out with me winning," Thunderlane smiled. "That Leonidas Bakugan is as good as mine." Twilight chuckled, "we'll see. We'll see." She then looked up into the stands, trying to see if she could spot Flash anywhere. 'I hope you're watching.' "Are both Brawlers ready?" They nodded, "then without further ado. Bakugan...BRAWL!" With that, Twilight and Thunderlane's BakuColars beeped to signal the battle's start with both showing their current life gauges. Twilight: 100% Thunderlane: 100% "Let's do this!" Thunderlane yelled as he took out a Bakugan. "With pleasure," Twilight replied before throwing a card towards the ground. "Gate Card, SET!" The card hit the ground and was absorbed with a flash of purple light. As soon as it was gone, Thunderlane leapt towards the trees. Once one a branch, he leapt off before throwing a ball through the air and managing to hit a power coin as he did. "Bakugan Brawl!" The ball hit the ground and opened up, whilst exploding with green light and summoning a gust of wind. It formed a green tornado that quickly vanished to reveal his Bakugan. "Ventus Falconeer, STAND!" Falconeer: 340Gs The humanoid bird Bakugan flew around the forest, glowing as its power grew. Falconeer: 390Gs "Alright," Leonidas cheered before turning to Twilight. "let's do this." But then, Twilight gave him a smirk before throwing him into her left hand and taking out another Bakugan. "Hey, what are you-" "Bakugan!" Twilight threw the ball, "brawl!" The Bakugan hit the ground rolling before opening up. "Bakugan, STAND!" In a flash of purple light, Twilight's ace appeared on the field. "Darkus Spikenoid!" The wingless dragon roared, surprising everyone. Falconeer: 390Gs Spikenoid: 450Gs "What?" Thunderlane asked, "that's not Leonidas." He turned to Twilight, "what gives?" "Yeah," Leonidas cried, "what are you doing?" Twilight just smiled and pushed her glasses up. "I agreed to a brawl. That doesn't mean I agreed to use Leonidas." The two growled at this but couldn't argue, as Twilight held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" The card glowed, "Tearing Claw!" Spike charged as his claws glowed purple, but Falconeer flew up high and out of range. Falconeer: 390Gs Spikenoid: 550Gs Thunderlane frowned. "Fine," he held up a card, "then I'll force you to bring Leonidas out. Ability, Activate!" The card glowed, "Hyper Whirlwind!" Falconeer flapped its wings and unleashed a powerful gust of wind, which struck Spike and pushed him backwards. Falconeer: 590Gs Spikenoid: 550Gs "Ability," Twilight held up her card, "Activate! Fire Burst!" Spikenoid unleashed his green flames, which flew straight up and over powered the wind before hitting Falconeer. Falconeer: 590Gs Spikenoid: 750Gs Thunderlane didn't like where this was going. "Alright," he held up another Bakugan, "let's see if two Bakugan are enough to make you bring him out. Bakugan," he threw the ball, "brawl!" The ball hit the ground and opened up, "Bakugan, Stand!" Another green tornado signalled the arrival of another humanoid bird. "Ventus Ravenoid!" Falconeer+Ravenoid: 970Gs Spikenoid: 750Gs "Not good," Twilight realised as the two aerial Bakugan began to swarm around Spikenoid and cause problems for the two of them. "Throw me in!" Leonidas yelled. "Not yet," Twilight told him before pointing to the ground. "Gate Card, OPEN!" The field exploded into light, which then turned purple. "Darkus Reactor!" Spikenoid began to absorb the Darkus energy, powering him up. Falconeer+Ravenoid: 970Gs Spikenoid: 950Gs "And then," Twilight held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Both the card and Spike's back spikes began to glow, "Spiking Strike!" The light shot off the spikes and flew through the air, hitting Falconeer and Ravenoid. Falconeer+Ravenoid: 720Gs Spikenoid: 950Gs Thunderlane gasped as he watched the two get hit, about to activate an ability, but they both glowed before he could and reverted back to ball form. The two landed on the ground by his feet, Spikenoid returning to Twilight as his life gauge went down. Twilight: 100% Thunderlane: 54% "Awesome!" The announcer cried, "Twilight was able to beat her opponent despite it being two against one." The crowd cheered but Leonidas was not happy. "That would have been a lot easier if you'd used me from the start. What were you thinking?" Twilight simply smiled. "It's clear he wants you, so he's obviously come up with a strategy to beat and take you. And the best counter against a strategy like that is to not use you." This enraged Leonidas, angry that he couldn't fight in a battle like this. Back at the entrance, Flash had finally arrived and was looking around. All the while, the message Lyra had sent him was replaying in his head. He knew he didn't need to be worried. There was no way Twilight was gonna lose with Leonidas on her side. His power and her skills were a force to be reckoned with. But even so, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. It was then he spotted a TV showing Twilight and her opponent, their life gauges shown at the bottom. It appeared she was in the lead, but would that last? Flash had to be sure, so he rushed towards the battlefield. "Gate card!" Thunderlane threw the card and it hit the ground before disappearing in a flash of green, "SET!" He then took out the Bakugan that Phantom had given him, a serious expression clear on his face. "If you don't want to use Leonidas, I'll just have to take your Spikenoid. Then you'll have to give me Leonidas if you want him back." Twilight frowned at this, but she had to keep to her strategy. "Bakugan!" He leapt into the air and threw the ball, "BRAWL!" The orb flew through the air and hit a trio of coins before hitting the ground, "Bakugan...STAND!" The ball opened up and was consumed by the tornado, with a new Bakugan flying out of it. It appeared quadrupedal and had a bird's head, but also had three sets of wings coming out of its back. It flew around before suddenly transforming, its bird head folding down into its chest as a humanoid head appeared in its place whilst its body shifted upwards to make it look quadrupedal. "Rise, Ventus...INGRAM!" "Ingram?" Twilight asked, having never heard of this Bakugan before. She looked down at her BakuColar, seeing Ingram's points as they were powered up. Ingram: 550Gs "This one's powerful," Leonidas told her. "There's no way Spikenoid's gonna be able to win this. You need a Bakugan that can fly." "We beat you," Twilight pointed out before holding up her Bakugan. She looked around, spotting some coins through the trees and rushed over to them. "Bakugan," she threw Spikenoid, "BRAWL!" The ball flew through the trees and managed to hit one of the coins before landing on the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" In a burst of dark light, Spikenoid appeared and glowed as its power increased. Ingram: 550Gs Spikenoid: 500Gs As this happened, Flash arrived at the stadium and rushed to the side. He expected to see Leonidas, but was surprised when Spike appeared. "What the?" He looked down at Twilight as she held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" The card and Spike's back blades glowed, "Spiking Strike!" The light shot off his spikes and flew towards Ingram, but the Ventus Bakugan began to fly through the air at incredible speeds and managed to avoid them all. This made Twilight frown before she activated another ability, "Fire Burst!" Spikenoid unleashed a burst of fire, but once again Ingram proved to fast and managed to avoid it. Ingram: 550Gs Spikenoid: 700Gs "Ability, Activate!" Thunderlane held up his card as it glowed, with Ingram suddenly becoming wrapped in a tornado. "Cyclonic Strike Shot!" The tornado exploded and propelled Ingram forward, the Bakugan having morphed into its bird form, then struck Spikenoid before it or Twilight could activate an ability. Ingram: 750Gs Spikenoid: 700Gs Spikenoid fell backwards as Ingram flew backwards, while Twilight did her best not to fall over due to the ground shaking. "Throw me in!" Leonidas yelled, "you'll lose if you don't." "No," Twilight told him, "I can't." "Why not!" Leonidas cried. "Because I'm not your partner!" Twilight yelled at him. "Even if you don't want to admit it, there's only one person you can help you unleash your true power." As she said that, Ingram flew down again but she held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Spike's arm blades glowed and it swung them around, "Dark Spikes!" The blade struck Ingram and made the bird squawk in pain as its energy was drain, Spikenoid stealing half its G power. Ingram: 375Gs Spikenoid: 1125Gs "Wow!" The announcer cried, "that's a power difference of more then five hundred! If Ingram can't withstand it, it's all over for Thunderlane!" But to everyone's shock, the Bakugan managed to hold on as the attack continued to stab into it. "Ability," Thunderlane held up a card, "Activate!" The card glowed along with Ingram, "Armored Victory!" Twilight looked down at her BakuColar and saw their powers return to what they were before, Ingram's power then increasing some more. Ingram: 950Gs Spikenoid: 700Gs Spikenoid suddenly felt itself getting knocked backwards, as Ingram flapped its wings and pushed it back. "Fusion Ability," Twilight held up a card, "Activate!" Spikenoid arm and back spikes suddenly burst into green fire. "BLAZING SPIKES!" Spike leapt back and struck the ground, causing it to shake before a line of spikes blasted out of it towards Ingram. Ingram: 950Gs Spikenoid: 1000Gs "Double Ability!" Thunderlane held up two cards, "ACTIVATE!" The cards glowed as Ingram returned to human form, whilst the spikes formed a cage around it. "Shadow Echo, plus Double Fang, Jade Wind Shot!" Ingram suddenly melted into its own shadow, allowing it to escape the cage before shooting towards Spikenoid. It then shot out of its shadow and flapped its wings, unleashing blades of razor sharp wind that began striking the wingless dragon. Ingram: 1150Gs Spikenoid: 800Gs Spikenoid roared as it began to fall backwards, straight towards Twilight. She gasped and began to run, but Spikenoid struck the ground and caused it to shake and knock her off her feet before a gust of wind sent her rolling away. "TWILIGHT!" Everyone yelled in horror, Flash louder then anyone. He then turned to run off, whilst the others simply watched as Spikenoid reverted to ball form and fell. It hit the ground rolling until it stopped, a good five or so meters from Twilight. Twilight: 30% Thunderlane: 54% The girl moaned as she recovered and tried to pick herself, but the force that had struck her and really tired her out. All she could do was crawl along the ground, everyone worrying she might be hurt. "Stop the brawl!" She heard Lyra call out, "she can't keep going like this." "NO!" She yelled, "not yet." She kept pulling herself across the woodland floor, trying to reach Spikenoid. As she did, Leonidas pushed himself out of her hand and rolled along the ground before stopping in front of her. "Stop this!" He almost yelled, "you need to use me." "No," she told him, "I told you. I'm not your partner." "What does that even mean?" Before Twilight could reply, they both heard another voice call out from behind her. "Twilight!" They glanced around and saw Flash rushing towards them, kneeling down besides her. "Are you okay?" He looked her oven, but didn't see anything physically wrong with her besides a few scratches and scraps. Twilight smiled, "I knew you'd show up. Listen," she reached out to grab Leonidas, "do me a favour." She held up her hand and opened it, showing Flash his former Bakugan. "End this match for me." Flash and Leonidas stared at one another, unable to believe what Twilight was asking. He might have been open to talking to Leonidas, but brawling with him was still out of the question. "Twilight," he looked at her, "I can't." "Yes you can," Twilight nodded. "Because you two are meant to be together." They were both confused by this, Twilight getting to her knees. "Lyra told me about how she found Nimue and it's the exact same way you said Leonidas appeared." "So?" "So don't you think it's weird that Bakugan are just raining from the sky?" Flash turned to Leonidas, beginning to wonder that himself. "There's more to Bakugan then we know. They came here for a reason. Dark Industries is selling them for a reason. And Leonidas appeared to you...for a reason." The two continued to stare at each other, wondering if Twilight was right. "I think...no, I know Leonidas was sent to you by someone. Someone who saw something in you and believed you had what it took to bring out Leonidas' true potential. That's why you have to take him back." Twilight once again held Leonidas out to him. Flash stared at Leonidas, then reached out. But he stopped inches from him, "what about you?" Leonidas knew he was talking to him. "Even if I want you back, what do you want?" "You're asking me?" Leonidas asked. "You're a living thing," Flash told him. "You deserve to chose who you battle with. And it's clear you'd prefer someone else." "Maybe," Leonidas looked down, "but maybe Twilight's right." He looked up at him, "maybe I was given to you for a reason. And...maybe I was a little too hard on you before. But...our last two brawls. We lost, even though I'm so powerful" "It's true that you're strong," Flash told him. "But if Spikenoid and Fury are anything to go by, you're not the strongest. Not yet at least." Leonidas let out a sound that seemed to be something between a hum and a growl. He then looked back up at him. "Since it's clear Twilight will not allow me to be used by anyone but you, I ask that the two of us join forces. At least this once." Flash nodded and finally took Leonidas before turning to Thunderlane, who was looking bored while waiting for them to get on with it. "Here's the deal. I take Twilight's place and brawl you instead. That okay?" Thunderlane smirked, "you'll be using Leonidas?" Flash nodded. "Then I'm all good." Flash smirked before his BakuColar beeped and Twilight's face was replaced with him on all the screens. "Unbelievable!" The announcer yelled. "Flash Sentry will be taking Twilight Sparkle's place in this Brawl. I must admit, this is a first." "Alright," Flash held up a Gate Card, "time to turn this around. Gate Card...SET!" He threw the card and it hit the ground before exploding into light, Thunderlane taking this moment to rush towards where he spotted some power ups. "Oh yeah!" He jumped up onto a branch and then leapt into the air. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" He threw his Bakugan and hit three of the coins before it hit the ground, "Bakugan...STAND!" It opened up and created a tornado, which soon faded to reveal the bird-like Bakugan that flew around before transforming. "Ventus Ingram!" The Bakugan glowed as its power rose. Ingram: 550 "That's a lot of power," Twilight realised before turning to Flash. "How are you going to stand up to that?" Flash didn't reply and instead, ran towards another section of the woods. "What are you planning?" Leonidas asked. "I've got an idea, but it's gonna be risky." "How risky?" "You might end up being won by that guy, but it's our only hope to beat that thing." He looked down at Leonidas, "do you trust me?" Leonidas remained silent for a few seconds, then responded. "I do." Flash smirked but spotting a cluster of five coins up ahead, the teen leaping onto and off the trunk of a tree to land on a branch before jumping straight off. "Here goes. Bakugan," he threw Leonidas, "BRAWL!" Leonidas flew through the air and to everyone's surprise, he hit all five coins perfectly before landing on the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" The ball opened up and unleashing a burst of light, with the dragon flying out of it. "RAAAH!" He roared as he flew up to the same altitude as Ingram, a light surrounding him as his power increased Ingram: 550 Leonidas: 650 He glanced back at Flash as the teen landed on the ground, "that wasn't luck. Your aim was spot on!" Flash smirked back, glad all that practise payed off. "Ability," he turned to Thunderlane, "Activate!" The card glowed as Ingram morphed into its bird form, a tornado suddenly appearing to wrap around it. "Cyclonic Strike Shot!" The tornado exploded and propelled Ingram forward, claws ready to tear at Leonidas. Ingram: 750 Leonidas: 650 "Ability," Flash held up a card, "Activate!" Leonidas glowed before a dome formed around him, "Hyper Shield!" Ingram slammed into the shield but couldn't get through it. Ingram: 550 Leonidas: 650 "Fine," Thunderlane told him. "Ability, Activate!" He held up a card that glowed as Ingram returned to normal. "Double Fangs, Jade Wind Shot!" As the shield disappeared, Ingram flapped its wings and unleashed burst of razor sharp wind that struck Leonidas. "Arrr!" He cried as he felt his skin getting sliced. Ingram: 750 Leonidas: 650 "Double Ability, Activate!" He felt himself beginning to glow as his body felt lighter. "Dragon Flash, plus Brawling Dragon!" Ingram: 750 Leonidas: 850 Using his increased speed, he flew out of the path of the air blades and managed to get behind Ingram. "Surprise!" He yelled before beginning to slam his fists, feet and tail into the Ventus Bakugan. Thunderlane watched this but wasn't worried. "Ability," he held up a card, "Activate!" Ingram began to glow as braced itself, able to now take the assault. "Armored Victory!" Brawling Dragon was cancelled out whilst Ingram's power rose. Ingram: 950 Leonidas: 750 Flash frowned, but he wasn't done yet. "Ability," he held up a card, "Activate!" Leonidas opened his mouth as it began to spark, "Alpha Blaster!" He then fired a beam of light that shot straight towards Ingram, but the Ventus Bakugan held up its hands and let the beam hit them. The force pushed it back for a moment, but then it stopped and the two were in a stalemate. Ingram: 950 Leonidas: 950 "It looks like it's a dead heat!" The announcer cried as the two continued to fire their attacks. "Who will be the one to end this stalemate?" "Me!" Thunderlane yelled before holding up two cards, "Double Ability...ACTIVATE!" Ingram suddenly exploded into a shadow that the beam shot through without hurting it, the shadow breaking apart before shooting towards Leonidas and flying passed him. "Shadow Echo, plus Thunderbolt Torrential Wave!" The shadow reformed behind the dragon and Ingram appeared, it's wings beginning to spark. Ingram: 1150 Leonidas: 750 The lightning shot off its wings and began to strike Leonidas, making him cry out. The audience gasped, thinking the brawl was about to come to an end. But Leonidas wouldn't let himself go down this easily. "Have to...hold on!" He yelled despite the lightning. "Flash...has a plan." But what was that plan? The teen stared at Thunderlane, who simply smirked back at him. He waited, hoping Leonidas could hold on a little longer. And after a few moment, Flash smiled. "You're out of ability cards." Thunderlane's smirk became a frown. It was true. If he had just one more ability card, he would be able to win not just the brawl, but Leonidas. But he didn't. "So what?" "So I win!" Flash yelled, "Gate Card...OPEN!" The ground began to glow, the light flying towards the Bakugan and making them glow as well. "Reset!" Thunderlane's eyes went wide before he looked down and saw that the Bakugan's G Power was lowering. "This Command Card forces both Bakugan back to their Base Level." Leonidas suddenly flapped his wings and unleashed a burst of wind that hit Ingram and pushed it backwards, cutting the lightning Ingram: 550 Leonidas: 650 "And you said it yourself," Flash told him. "You're all out of Ability Card." He then held up two, "but I'm not." Thunderlane's realised what was about to happen, but it was too late. "Double Ability, Activate!" Leonidas flew straight up and began to spin around, as his body glowed and lightning formed around his mouth. "Shining Tornado, plus Fusion Ability...ALPHA HURRICANE!" Ingram: 550 Leonidas: 1150 Thunderlane reached for his other Bakugan, hoping to not lose Ingram. But before he could throw one, Leonidas accelerated. "IT'S OVER!" The dragon screamed before striking Ingram and causing a shockwave that flew out and knocked Thunderlane off his feet. Ingram cried out as it was thrown backwards, then reverted to ball form. The green sphere didn't fall to the ground however, instead flying over to Flash with the teen catching it as Thunderlane's points dropped. Flash: 30% (Winner) Thunderlane: 0% "We have a winner!" The announcer yelled as Leonidas returned to Flash and the field reverted back to normal. "Flash Sentry claims victory over Thunderlane and wins the match. That certainly was a surprise!" "You did it!" Twilight smiled as she moved over to them, Flash and Leonidas seeing she now seemed completely fine. "Wait," Flash raised an eyebrow, "were you faking being hurt." Twilight blushed at this, causing both Flash and Leonidas to be annoyed at being tricked, "so what if I was. It helped you two come together again and you actually managed to win. You were amazing together." "Huh," Flash looked down at Leonidas, "I guess we were." "Indeed," Leonidas nodded. "That move at the end was...quite something." "Thanks," Flash told him, "but it wouldn't have worked if you hadn't held on for so long." "You see," Twilight told them. "You two are perfect partners as long as you work together." It was then that they heard a groan and turned to see Thunderlane picking himself up. He then looked around and realised what must have happened. "Ah no!" He cried, "I can't believe I lost!" He then looked over and Flash and saw he was holding Ingram, "and I lost the Bakugan I was given. I can't believe it!" Flash could see he looked genuinely upset, then looked down at his newly acquired Bakugan. After a few moments, he turned back to Thunderlane. "Hey!" Thunderlane glanced up at him before seeing Flash thrown the green Bakugan towards him. Thunderlane caught it and looked it over, then glanced at Flash. "Keep it. Ventus isn't really my element anyway. Besides," he looked back at Leonidas, "I've already got a pretty awesome partner." With that, he turned to leave with Twilight following after him and leaving a very confused Thunderlane behind. "Did you really mean that?" Leonidas asked Flash once they were outside, "calling me your partner." "Yeah," Flash nodded, "I would like us to work together again." They stepped out of the hallway and found a table, Lyra, Derpy and Bonnie arriving at the same time as Flash placed Leonidas on the table. "But there's gotta be some changes." "I know," Leonidas looked down. "Twilight already gave me this talk." He looked back up, "I'll try and keep my anger in check." "It's alright to be angry," Flash told him. "I realised that whatever happened to you before must have been bad, especially if you don't want to talk about it." Leonidas looked down again. "I'm willing to help you find a way to work through that anger, but I refuse to be your punching bag. From now on, we respect each other. You keep from insulting me and I'll do my best not to lose my patience with you. And together, we'll work to be the best team the Bakugan world has ever seen." "I like the sound of that," Leonidas nodded. He tried to move closer and closer, though he was clearly having trouble, but eventually got close enough and turned to offer the plastic part representing his arm. "Partners?" Flash smiled before taking the arm between his finger and thumb, the two shaking it. "Partners." The girls all smiled, happy to two had made up. "And you know, I think Twilight was right." They all turned to Flash, "Leo and I were brought together for a reason." He turned to Lyra and Nimue, "same for you two." The girls smiled and nodded before Flash looked up at the ceiling. "Someone's entrusting us to find out what's happening with the Bakugan. Why they came to this world and what happened to Vestroia. They want us to discover the truth." "And I bet we're not the only ones," Lyra told him. "There has to be others out there. Others with special Bakugan that can talk." She turned to Bonnie and Derpy, "brawlers that can help us find that truth." They both nodded as Twilight spoke up. "If they're out there, I'm sure you'll met them. It's only a matter of time." They all nodded in agreement, all the while wondering who those people could be. Over in another battlefield, we find a Haos Serpenoid and Saurus collapse to the ground after getting hit by a the attack of a Pyrus Griffon. All three of them returned to ball form before flying over and getting caught by the same brawler. He was a gray coloured teen with fiery red hair, wearing a red a white jacket with brown pants. He smirked as his opponent yelled out in frustration. "And there it is!" The announcer cried, "the brawl is over and the winner is Heath Burns!" "Awesome," the teen named Heath smirked as he looked over his prize. "I bet I can trade you guys in for something a little hotter." All the while, he held another Pyrus Bakugan in his other hand and clutched it tightly. In another city all together, a Subterra Bakugan known as Vandarus was struck by a tornado and knocked backwards. It hit the ground and reverted back to ball form as its Brawler's life gauge fell to zero. The tornado exploded and revealed a Bakugan that couldn't be seen due to the light of the sun above it. It appeared to be a humanoid bird, having wing-like arms and letting out a loud squawk before returning to ball form and shooting towards its brawler. That brawler was a light blue skinned boy with dark blue hair, wearing a black shirt under a dark blue open shirt and white ripped jeans. The teen caught the Bakugan and smiled, as the announcer called out. "Another victory! Newcomer, Soarin Skies, is proving himself to be an incredibly skilled brawler. One can only wonder who is going to be a real challenge for him!"