"I don't know how I came into being. It all happened in an instant. One moment there was nothing, then there was everything. But even then there was still nothing.
I was born in the Doom Dimension. A realm of finality for all Bakugan that exist. It was because of that finality that I even came into being. For every time a Bakugan finally succumb to the realm and their spirit faded, something was left behind. Me.
All the hatred, anger and rage that the Bakugan felt before their end remained after they were no more, like an energy that continued to grow with every Bakugan lost. And all that energy came together and built up, growing more and more powerful. Until, eventually, it formed a consciousness.
I was that consciousness. But whilst I knew I was alive and knew how I came to be, I didn't have any kind of physical form. I was a body-less spirit, doomed to wander throughout that accursed realm. Watching as more and more Bakugan succumb to its evils and their hatred became a part of me as well.
I don't know how long this went on for, but the anger I felt never died down. I thought I would have to spend all of eternity like that. But then, something happened.
One day, there was a massive explosion. It rocked the Doom Dimension and ripped it apart, the evil realm crumbling to dust. The Bakugan still there were all destroyed by the explosion, whilst I was thrown away by the shockwave. The next thing I know, I'm floating aimlessly within a black void.
I began to panic, fearing my tormented existence had just gotten worst. The Doom Dimension might have been torture, but at least I knew where I was. There, I had no idea what was happening or how long I was there for. I was worried I'd go insane, but in that moment I was saved.
From out of nowhere, a light filled the void. This light gave off a warmth the likes of which I had never felt in the Doom Dimension. I was drawn towards it, feeling like it was calling me. And I responded, somehow finding myself floating towards it. And when I was finally enveloped by the light, I felt an overwhelming comfort overcome me. The searing rage that made up my being began to slowly simmer into only a burning anger.
And as this happened, I felt something else happen. My formerly formless existence began to vanish, as my spirit was suddenly encased within a physical form that began to take shape. I had no control over what I became, but anything was better then having no body at all. And as my body neared completion, I heard something. A voice. One that was so gentle and loving, it made even my blazing rage flicker."
"Do not be afraid, my child. I know you have suffered much and feel nothing but anger, but there is so much more to life then hate. I hope you will come to understand that in time. You will live your life and decide for yourself what you wish to do with that life. For that is your right as a living thing. Leonidas.'
"I wanted to speak back to her, but I had never spoken before. I wasn't able to before then." Leonidas was explaining how he came into being to the Flash and all his friends, the lot of them being in the Bakugan Stadium's foyer. "After that, everything when black. The next thing I knew, I was being picked up by Flash." He turned to the others, trying to gauge their reaction.
Flash, Twilight, Rarity and Applejack looked intrigued by this, whilst Fluttershy, Pinkie and Bonnie looked sad. Heath looked like he didn't know how to feel, but Soarin, Rainbow and Lyra all looked like they were suspicious of his story. He then turned to the Bakugan, who were all standing on the other side of the table.
"I know what I just said was a lot to take in."
"It's not the information itself we're having trouble with," Nimue told him. "It's the fact you didn't tell us from the start. You have to understand how that looks."
Leonidas looked down whilst the other Bakugan remained silent, but he could tell they were all thinking the same thing. "Come on," Flash then spoke up. "I get him being from the Doom Dimension is a big deal, but that's no reason to give Leo such a hard time."
"It's not that simple," Garuda told him. "The Doom Dimension is a living nightmare to all Bakugan. Nothing good has ever come out of that place. You can't expect us to trust him now."
"And he lied about being from there," Wukong stated.
"I didn't lie," Leonidas told him. "I just...didn't tell you."
"And I don't think he was wrong to keep it to himself," Twilight agreed. "It was his business. He didn't have to tell anyone if he didn't want too."
"That may be your viewpoint," Gaia told her. "But the Doom Dimension is not something to be taken likely. If you had lost a friend to that place, you wouldn't be so quick to trust anything connected to it."
"Maybe that's why Leo didn't tell you," Flash stated. "So you wouldn't judge him unfairly before you got to know him." He then turned to the humans of his team. "Come on guys. You're with us, right?" But they said nothing, making Flash and Leonidas feel even worse. "Guys..."
"It...does make it harder to feel like I can trust him," Lyra explained. "And him being from the Doom Dimension does explain why he was so violent and angry when he first got here."
"But he's changed," Flash stated.
"Maybe," Soarin replied, "or maybe he's just pretending to have changed so he can lull us into a false sense of security."
Heath continued, getting swept up in the paranoia. "And when we're least expecting it, he strikes and sends us all to the Doom Dimension."
"Guys!" Flash cried, looking at each of them. Lyra, Soarin and Heath all seemed to be convinced that Leonidas was up to something. Then, he turned to his final teammate. "Bonnie..."
The girl played with her hair, whilst looking at the table. Then, she looked up at him with apologetic eyes. "Maybe it would be best...if you didn't use Leonidas for a little while." Flash couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Guys." They all said nothing else, Flash's face turning from looking sad to looking angry. "Well I think you're wrong." He grabbed Leonidas. "And I don't wanna be on a team with anyone who doesn't trust me or my partner." With that, he stormed out of the building.
"Flash, wait!" Twilight cried, but Flash didn't listen. he left and he didn't look back. Twilight sighed, Flash's former teammates all seemed unsure how to feel in the situation. Lyra and Bonnie were wishing Derpy were here right now, as she would probably know what to do in the situation.
Dark Industries.
Sombra sat at his desk, working away whilst waiting for his number one agent to arrive. And just as he finished looking over a report, he sensed a presence in the room and looked up to see Phantom leaning against the wall. "Well?" He asked, "how did it go?"
Phantom simply smirked before taking a Bakugan out of his coat and throwing it, the ball landing on his desk and opening up. "So," Ragnaroid whispered, "you're the one running the show?"
Sombra smirked as he sat back. "Just call me an equal partner in this situation." As he said that, he opened a desk draw and took out the grey Bakugan. "And here is my other partner." He placed it down in front of Ragnaroid, who stared at the orb for a second before realising who it was.
"Master," he whispered.
"He can't talk right now," Sombra explained. "He's very low on power."
"I see," Ragnaroid looked the Bakugan over. "All the power I sent him must have been used to free himself and escape to this world."
"And capture the ark that held you and all the other Bakugan used by the players," Sombra told him. "When I found the two, he was completely drained of power. He barely had enough time to explain everything to me before locking himself away."
"Then it's time to awaken him," Ragnaroid stated before glowing slightly. "Luckily, I should have just enough spare power to bring him out of his coma." The light floated off Ragnaroid and into the Bakugan, "but this will take time."
Sombra nodded before turning to Phantom, "your match with Sentry and Skies ended in victory. But you were still unable to acquire the Leonidas Bakugan."
"Don't worry," Phantom told him. "We'll get him next time."
"No need," Sombra replied. "I've already taken a few steps to acquire him myself." Phantom raised an eyebrow as Sombra turned in his chair and looked out the window. "I tasked a Brawler with some interesting battle skills to win him."
"Good," Ragnaroid told him. "Leonidas is a dangerous Bakugan. Being born in the Doom Dimension will likely give him abilities even he doesn't know he has. We must bring him to our side before he finds a way to awaken them."
"Which is why I'm making it a prime directive to get our hands on him," Sombra nodded. "On all the Bakugan that have mysteriously begun to appear and talk. We'll start with Leonidas, then move onto the others." Phantom nodded whilst Ragnaroid continued to transfer power into the locked Bakugan.
"And who knows," Phantom stated. "Learning the truth about his little friend my have thrown Sentry off his game. And his friends might have even turned against him. That'll make taking Leonidas all the easier."
Back at the battle arena, Flash's former teammates all sat around the table looking rather upset. "I can't believe Flash quit," Lyra whispered. "I've never known him to walk away from his friends."
"I guess Leonidas just has to much of a grip on him," Soarin stated.
"What do you think he'll do now?" Bonnie asked.
"You don't think he'll join up with Phantom, do you?" Heath looked worried as he said this, the lot of them remembering the offer Ragnaroid had given Leonidas. The thought of fighting that monster alone was bad enough, but putting Leonidas into the mix was terrible.
"If that happen, we'll need to take them down." They all looked down at Garuda. "Ragnaroid went on a rampage once and managed to destroy an entire world before he was stopped. We can't let that happen again." The other Bakugan looked like they were in agreement.
"I can't believe you guys!" They all looked over and saw Twilight, who was staring down at them with a frown on her face. "You're talking like Flash and Leonidas have already decided to join Phantom, even though you know Flash would never do that."
"But Leonidas might," Nimue pointed out. "And who knows what kind of powers he has. He could end up brainwashing Flash and make him fight for Phantom."
"You're being ridicules," Twilight told them. "Leonidas isn't going to brainwash Flash and you guys are being a little unfair with how you're judging him. Leo might be a little arrogant and rude at times, but he's far from evil."
"He was born in the Doom Dimension," Wukong reminded her.
"Exactly," Twilight told them, "in the Doom Dimension. Not from the Doom Dimension. Being born someplace doesn't define you. He was born from the spirits of all the Bakugan that perished there. In a way, him being alive is a miracle. As long as he's alive, so are all the Bakugan that were unjustly thrown into that dimension."
"He was born from their anger," Gaia reminded her. "That's not exactly the part of the spirit you want to stick around after you pass on."
Twilight crossed her arms. "Leonidas didn't decide to be born from that anger. He didn't decide to be born at all. He barely had any choices since the day he was born. He didn't choose to come here and he didn't choose to be found by Flash. But what he did choose was to keep fighting with him and you all when he started talking."
"He also chose to keep his origins a secret," Lyra pointed out. "How can we trust him if he was willing to keep such a big secret from us." The others nodded as Twilight let out a sigh.
"I'll admit, learning the truth from someone else was hard. But I understand why Leonidas didn't tell us. Honestly, if I was born somewhere like the Doom Dimension I'd probably keep it to myself as well. For fear of everyone misjudging me before they really got to know me. And I'm willing to bet you guys would do the same thing." The fact that nobody denied that statement said everything. "And I would also wage a guess that there's something each of you have kept hidden about yourselves." Bonnie, Lyra and Soarin flinched at this, as Twilight turned away. "So don't go judging Leonidas until you can look me in the eyes and say that there isn't a thing you haven't told me." With that, she walked off and left them all to think about what she had said.
"She's right," Lyra told them. "It was totally lame of use to judge Leonidas like that."
"We didn't even give him a chance to prove us wrong," Bonnie agreed. She began to hug herself, "and because of that we pushed Flash away."
"It's like Lyra said," Heath reminded her. "It's not like him to abandon his friends. And Leonidas is his friend. A friend that needs support."
"Support we refused to give him," Soarin finished.
The Bakugan all turned to one another, Garuda speaking up. "It'll be a major risk, trusting him."
"Maybe," Nimue nodded before Gaia spoke up.
"But honestly, there can be no trust without the risk of betrayal."
"Yeah," Wukong nodded, "you could trust someone after years of knowing them and they could still stab you in the back. But I'd rather trust someone and get tricked a hundred times, then trust nobody at all." Nimue and Gaia nodded, both appearing to agree with him. Meanwhile, Garuda continued to think about it.
"I guess...Leonidas would be more likely to turn to Ragnaroid without anyone else willing to trust him." He waited a few more seconds before turning towards them, "we have to find them."
"And apologise," Lyra agreed before they all got up and rushed out the building. Twilight watched them leaving, hoping they could find Flash and Leonidas and hoping the two would accept their apology.
Flash had biked over to the nearby park and had begun to wander around aimlessly. As he did, he couldn't stop thinking about what the others had said. He had no intention of abandoning Leonidas, but he couldn't get what they said out on his head.
Eventually, he reached the fountain area where he first found Leonidas and sat down. As he did, Leonidas jumped out of his pocket and landed besides him. "You don't have to do this, you know." Flash turned to him, "choosing me over your friends. I know that can't have been easy."
"It wasn't," Flash told him. "But I don't regret it. We're partners and partners stick by one another."
"Even now that you know my secret?" Leonidas asked, "do you really believe you can trust me after learning where I come from?"
"Of course I can," Flash assured the Bakugan before picking him up. "Now, let me ask you something. Are you here to course problems or have some nefarious scheme?" Leonidas looked him straight in the eye.
"No."
Flash smiled back, "I believe you." He then let out a sigh and put Leonidas back down. "I guess we won't be competing in the tournament. On our own, we'd probably exhaust ourselves going up against all those teams."
"I guess," Leonidas agreed. "I'm sorry you had to quit the team."
"Like I said, I don't regret it." Meanwhile, someone was watching the two. It was a bulky teen with cream skin and brown hair, wearing black sports clothes with a football on the front of his shirt. He stared at Flash, then took out a picture of him and compared the two.
"Finally found you," he smirked before walking forwards. "Hey!" Flash and Leonidas turned towards him, "Flash Sentry."
Flash suddenly got very suspicious, having a feeling he knew why this guy was here. "Let me guess," he stood up and Leonidas jumped into his hand. "Phantom sent you to beat me?"
"Phantom?" He raised an eyebrow, "never heard of him. But I was sent to beat you. And take your Leonidas."
"Not gonna happen!" Flash told him. "If you wanna brawl, let's go."
"We'll take you down no sweat," Leonidas agreed.
"Good," the teen smirked, "name's Teddy by the way."
"Flash," the blue head replied, "but you already knew that. Now let's get to the stadium so I can clean your clock."
"We don't need a stadium," Teddy explained before holding up his wrist. Flash spotted his BakuColar and noticed the screen lighting up.
At that moment, Flash's team all arrived at the park and spotted Flash and Teddy. "What's going on?" Lyra asked, only to see a light explode out of Teddy's BakuColar.
"That can't be good!" Heath cried as the light began to spread around Teddy and Flash. Soarin rushed forward, the others following, as the light formed a dome around the two teens. In that moment, the world around the dome began to slow down. The birds in the sky came to a stop and the drops of water that slid off the leaves became frozen in midair.
The five teens all felt this as they reached out with their arms, trying to grab hold of the teen before the light construct completely formed. "FLASH!" They yelled before time came to a complete stop.
Flash and Leonidas blinked away the bright lights, both looking around and seeing they were in some kind of black void with a white ground.
Floating around them were six spiralling galaxy-like objects that appeared to be made out of fire, wind, water, rock, light and shadow. Flash then looked around where he was standing and spotted several platforms that were suspended in the air along with power-ups floating with them "What is this place?"
Leonidas hummed, "I don't know. But the air feels strange. It has the same atmosphere I usually feel when a battlefield is activated."
"Welcome to the battle space!" Teddy cried as he held up his BakuColar, "a special upgrade from Mr Sombra. Now I can battle anywhere I want."
"So this is how Phantom was able to become so strong without being at any of the stadiums," Flash frowned. "Whatever. I can battle here as well as anywhere else. Ready Leo!"
Leonidas didn't respond, clearly still upset about what had happened before. But he quickly shook his head, knowing those thoughts wouldn't help him now. "I'm ready!" He closed himself up and Flash grabbed him, Teddy taking out his Bakugan as they focused on one another.
"LET'S BRAWL!" They cried together as their life gauges activated.
Flash: 100%
Teddy: 100%
"Gate Card!" Teddy took it out and threw it towards the ground, "SET!" The card hit the ground and exploded with orange light, Teddy then leaping up onto one of the platforms before throwing his Bakugan at a cluster of power-ups. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" It hit them before landing and rolling along the ground. "Bakugan," it popped open, "STAND!" It a flash of orange light, the Bakugan appeared. "Subterra Mantris!"
"WOW!" Flash cried as a giant brown insect appeared, having four legs and a pair of arms that ended in giant curved blades.
Mantris: 380Gs
The mantis Bakugan roared as it began to glow, being powered up by the coins it hit.
Mantris: 480Gs
"Our turn!" Flash cried, as he leapt up onto one of the platforms before leaping onto another and another. Then, he leapt into the air and threw Leonidas. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" The dragonoid flew through the air and hit a trio of power-ups before landing on the ground, "Bakugan," he popped open, "STAND!" In a flash of light, Leonidas appeared and roared at the height of his voice as he glowed from the power-ups.
Mantris: 480Gs
Leonidas: 550Gs
"Raaah!" Leonidas flew down, ready to take Mantris down in a single blow. And Flash was ready to help him.
"Ability, Activate!" He held up a card that glowed, "Dragon Flash!"
Mantris: 480Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
Leonidas roared as he threw a punch at Mantris, the insect raising its arms and using them to try and block. Leonidas struck its blades and the mantis was pushed backwards, but managed to stay up as Teddy cried out. "Gate Card, OPEN!" The ground glowed before giant stone pillars popped up, "Subterra Reactor!"
Mantris: 680Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
As Leonidas flew forward, Mantris swung its blade around and slashed at him. "Augh!" He cried as the attack landed, slashing him down the chest. He was pushed backwards, but managed to spread his wings and stop himself before shooting into the air.
"Ability, Activate!" Flash cried as Mantris glowed, "Co-Side!" The light flew off it and into Leonidas, powering him up.
Mantris: 680Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
Leonidas flew back down and swung his tail around, smashing Mantris in the face and causing it to stagger off. As it did, Teddy pulled out another card. "Ability, Activate!" The card glowed, along with Mantris' blades. "Twin Machete!"
Mantris: 780Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
Mantris swung one of its arms around, firing the light at Leonidas as it formed an orange energy blade. "Augh!" Leonidas cried, as Mantris fired the second blade at him. But before it could reach Leonidas.
"Double Ability, Activate!" Flash's cards glowed along with Leonidas, who managed to avoid the energy blade whilst moving at incredible speed. "Dragon Flash, plus Shining Tornado!"
Mantris: 780Gs
Leonidas: 1000Gs
Leonidas spun and formed the light drill, which shot towards Mantris and smashed into it as it tried to block with his blades. The Bakugan was pushed backwards and roared in pain, until Leonidas eventually broke away and Mantris staggered backwards. By the looks of things, one more hit would take Mantris down.
"Give it up!" Flash told Teddy, "your Bakugan can't beat Leo!"
Teddy smirked, which confused Flash. "Maybe my Bakugan can't," he took out another card. "But I bet yours can. Ability," the card glowed, "Activate!" Mantris' blades glowed again before it pointed them at Flash, "Marionette!" The energy exploded off of the blades and formed a bunch of energy strings, which shot towards Flash and hit him in the chest.
"Augh!" He cried, Leonidas gasping.
"FLASH!" He cried in shock, as the strings retracted from him. And as they did, something could be seen on the end of them. "A Bakugan?" Flash also saw this and gasped, trying to reach out and grab it but it was too late.
The Bakugan was pulled over to Mantris and dropped on the ground, opening up to unleash a bright light. "Rise!" Teddy cried as the Bakugan formed, "Haos Serpenoid!"
Flash gasped as he saw his Bakugan appear next to Mantris, then looked down at his BakuColar.
Mantris+Serpenoid: 1100Gs
Leonidas: 1000Gs
"Now way," Flash turned back to the Bakugan as they both charged towards Leonidas. "How can you control my Bakugan?"
"Just something Marionette lets me do," Teddy smirked as Serpenoid leapt at Leonidas and wrapped its body around his waist. All the while, Mantris began slashing at the dragon.
"Get off!" Leonidas cried, taking to the air and trying to pull the snake off of him. But Serpenoid then whipped its tail up and curled it around his wing, "augh!" He fell towards the ground and crashed into it as Mantris kept slashing at him, "FLASH!"
"Double Ability, Activate!" He held up a pair of cards, which glowed whilst Leonidas began to glow. "Alpha Blaster, plus Brawling Dragon!"
Mantris+Serpenoid: 1100Gs
Leonidas: 1300Gs
Leonidas finally managed to pry Serpenoid off of him and throw it to the ground, the snake hissing as it collided with the floor whilst Leonidas took to the air. "Say good night!" He opened his mouth before roaring, the laser shooting out of his mouth and flying towards Mantris.
"Ability," Teddy held up a card, "Activate!" The card glowed along with Mantris and Serpenoid, "Exchange!" In a flash, the two Bakugans teleported to one another's location. Serpenoid replaced Mantris seconds before the Alpha Blaster struck, the snake crying out in pain as it was reverted back to ball form.
"Yes!" Flash cheered before looking down at his BakuColar, only for his eyes to go wide when he saw the score.
Flash: 60%
Teddy: 100%
"Why did my points go down?" Flash asked, but then realised what must have happened. And Teddy proved him right.
"Serpenoid was your Bakugan, even if he was on my side. So of course beating him would mean you lose points." Flash and Leonidas both frowned hearing this. "What's more. Even though Serpenoid is gone, Mantris gets to keep the G power it gave him."
"That's it!" Leonidas charged at Mantris, "I'm taking you down and evening the score." But before he could reach Mantris, Teddy held up one last card.
"Ability, Activate!" Leonidas glowed and the light flew off him into Mantris, "Co-Side!"
Mantris: 1200Gs
Leonidas: 1300Gs
Leonidas threw a punch before Flash could activate an Ability, hitting Mantris square in the chest and knocking it back. It hissed before before morphing back to ball form, falling to the ground as Teddy lost points.
Flash: 60%
Teddy: 80%
"Aw man!" Flash cried as Leonidas returned to him. "This is nuts. We beat two Bakugan, but we've fallen behind."
"I can't believe he can use our own Bakugan against us," Leonidas growled. "It looks like I can't trust anyone anymore." Flash frowned at this, bopping the dragon on the head.
"You can trust me. No matter where you came from, you're my partner. We've been through way to much for me to turn my back on your." Leonidas chuckled at this, nodding his head in agreement. "Now let's focus on taking this guy down," he turned to Teddy. "I've got an idea."
"Then let's brawl," Leonidas closed up and Flash took out a Gate Card and threw it to the ground. "Gate Card...SET!" The card exploded as Flash leapt up onto one of the platforms and kept climbing higher and higher, until he was high enough. "Let's go!" Flash cried as he held up his hand, then opened it to show three Haos Bakugan between his fingers. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" He threw all three Bakugan towards the ground, hitting some power-ups before landing on the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" They popped open and in a flash of light, Leonidas appeared with Serpenoid and Siege on either side of him.
"Let's do this guys!" Leonidas yelled as they all powered up.
Leonidas+Serpenoid+Siege: 1480
"Not bad," Teddy smirked, "realised Marionette only works on Bakugan that aren't already played." Flash smirked back as he landed on the ground. "That's fine. You're not the first person to think that would work." He took out three Bakugan and leapt up onto a platform, climbing high before leaping off and throwing them towards another cluster of Power-ups. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" They hit the coins and landed on the ground, rolling to a stop before popping open. "Bakugan...STAND!" In a flash of orange, three identical Bakugan appeared. "Subterra Mantris...triple treat!"
"What?" Flash asked as the three insects roared down at him, "three Bakugan of the same type and attribute?" The Mantris all glowed as they were powered up.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris: 1590
Leonidas+Serpenoid+Siege: 1480
"Get'em!" Teddy ordered, his Mantris all charging forward as Flash held up a pair of cards.
"Double Ability, Activate!" The cards glowed as one of the Mantris glowed and that light flew off them into Leonidas. "Shining Venom, plus Co-Side!" Serpenoid fired a laser from its mouth, hitting a Mantris and making it flinch as Leonidas powered up.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris: 1490
Leonidas+Serpenoid+Siege: 1580
"Triple Ability, Activate!" Teddy held up three cards, which glowed along with all three of the Mantris' blades. "Twin Machete!"
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris: 1790
Leonidas+Serpenoid+Siege: 1580
They swung their blades around, unleashing the orange energy crescents in the Bakugan's direction. "Wow!" Leonidas cried, barely managing to dodge the attack. Siege managed to block one with his staff, but Serpenoid was hit and knocked back. "Not good."
"Double Ability, Activate!" Flash held up a pair of cards as Leonidas opened his mouth and Siege's staff-head glowed. "Alpha Blaster, plus Star Staff!"
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris: 1790
Leonidas+Serpenoid+Siege: 1880
Leonidas fired the attack and hit one of the Mantris, knocking it backwards whilst Siege charged and swung its staff around to try and hit another Mantris. But it managed to jump back and avoid the attack. And as it did, Teddy held up two cards.
"I think it's time I thin out the herd a bit." The cards glowed as he held them up. "Double Ability, Activate!" They glowed as the two standing Mantris' eye glowed, "Cowardice!" The light exploded off their eyes and sent out a wave of red in every direction.
"What's that supposed to do?" Leonidas asked, having not felt any pain or found himself suffering any ill effects. Flash checked his BakuColar and saw that none of their scores had changed. But before he could say anything, he heard screams coming from Siege and Serpenoid.
Looking up, he saw they were both shaking and slowly moving backwards. They then glowed before reverting back to ball form and returning to Flash. "What?" He looked down at his BakuColar.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris: 1790
Leonidas: 850
"What happened?"
"Cowardice. An Ability, that causes a single Bakugan with less Gs then the user to return to the opponent without actually beating them. It's usually used to force the opponent to start again once all their Abilities are used up. But it also lets me do this!" He held up another two cards, "Double Ability, Activate!" The cards glowed along with the two Mantris' blades. "Marionette!"
Flash's eyes went wide as the bugs unleashed strings that struck the Bakugan on the floor and pulled them over to them. When they did, they fell to the floor and opened up. "Siege and Serpenoid. Welcome to the team!" In a flash of light, Flash's two Bakugan were one Teddy's side of the field.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 2470
Leonidas: 850
"That's three times more than Leo," Flash realised as Siege charged forward and tried to slash at the dragon. Leonidas quickly took to the air, flying up to a safe distance. "If this hits, I'll lose him." He then frowned, "not happening. Gate Card...OPEN!" The field began to glow, "Heavy Element, Subterra!" The three Mantris all began to feel themselves growing weaker, each losing a hundred Gs for every Subterra Bakugan on the field.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1570
Leonidas: 850
"Still not enough!" Teddy told him as he held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" Siege pointed its staff at Leonidas, "Piercing Light!" The staff glowed before the end extended and stabbed him in the chest.
"AUGH!" He cried as his power weakened.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1570
Leonidas: 700
"Leo!" Flash cried, turning to glare at Teddy as his dragon pulled himself free. Flash then held up three cards, "Triple Ability, Activate!" They glowed along with Leonidas. "Dragon Flash, plus Shining Tornado, plus Fusion Ability, Alpha Hurricane!" Leonidas flew towards them as fast as he could, then began to spin until he formed a drill that sparked with lightning.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1570
Leonidas: 1300
"Still not enough!" Teddy cried as a Mantris charged forward and used his blades to block the drill, which ground into the Bakugan but couldn't overcome it. "Double Ability, Activate!" The other two Mantris charged forward and slashed at the drill, "Slice Cutter!"
"AUGH!" Leonidas cried as the drill stopped, showing the blades digging into his shoulder and draining away his power.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1670
Leonidas: 1200
Leonidas tried to fight against the blade holding him in place, but he just couldn't break free. "Leo!" Flash cried, fearing that he was stuck. Even if he activated an ability, Teddy could activate five Abilities at once. "We can't win." Not on their own. "Leo..."
"Flash," Leonidas groaned.
"Ability, Activate!" Teddy held up a card that glowed as Serpenoid slithered forward. "Stinger Strike!" The snake spun around and stabbed its tail into Leonidas's chest.
"AUGH!" He cried, his power dropping.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1670
Leonidas: 1050
"NO!" Flash cried, whilst Leonidas tried his hardest not to fall. If he did, he would be lost. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fight against these numbers on his own.
"I'm sorry," Leonidas whispered. But just before he could let himself go-
"BAKUGAN...BRAWL!"
"Huh?" Flash looked behind him, just in time to see four different coloured orbs shoot passed him and hit the ground.
"BAKUGAN...STAND!" In a flash of green, blue, red and orange, four new Bakugan appeared.
"Hands off!" Garuda cried as he flew forward and grabbed a Mantris, pulling it away from Leonidas.
"You too!" Wukong threw a punch and smashed the other Mantris away, whilst Nimue rushed over to Leonidas and grabbed Serpenoid's tail.
"What are you doing here?" Leonidas asked as she pulled the stinger out of his chest, whilst Gaia stomped over and tried to kick the other Bakugan.
"What do you think?" Nimue asked, "we're here to help you." At this point, Flash looked around and saw Soarin, Lyra, Heath and Bonnie moving over to him.
"Guys?" He whispered, "how are you here?"
"We've been here since the start," Soarin explained. "We got sucked into the battlefield when that dome formed. But I guess because we only hand a finger or two in it, it spat us out super far away from you."
Flash nodded, but was still confused. "But...why are you here?"
"Flash," Lyra looked at him in shame, "we're sorry."
"You were right," Heath nodded. "We shouldn't have judged Leo by where he came from."
"We should judge him by how he acts," Bonnie agreed.
"And he might be a jerk sometimes," Lyra went on. "But he's also been loyal and willing to work with us in the past. That's why we've decided to trust him. And trust you."
Flash smiled at this, then frowned before turning to Soarin. The teen stared back at Flash before nodding. "I'll admit I'm still a little concerned about him, but he deserves the chance to prove those worries wrong." He reached out a hand, "so if you'll still have me. I wanna be part of your team."
Flash stared at his hand, then turned to Leonidas. The dragon was staring at the Bakugan around him. "You really don't care that I'm from the Doom Dimension?"
"That place is horrible," Nimue told him. "But being born there doesn't mean you embody it."
Gaia nodded. "You said you were born from the anger of the Bakugan sent there. But from what I've seen, most of that anger is gone."
"Just try to keep your temper in check," Wukong joked before Leonidas turned to Garuda.
"You may be from there," the Ventus Bakugan stated. "But from what I've seen, you have no desire to send others there." Leonidas nodded. "And there are threats in this more dangerous then you could be." The Bakugan all thought about Ragnaroid and the power it had, along with the danger it posed in the hands of Phantom. "So I'll stand by you and fight against it. But I'll also be ready to stop you if you ever seem to be turning towards being like Ragnaroid."
Leonidas wasn't sure how to feel about that last part, but knew it was a founded concern. "Alright," he stood up, "then what are we waiting for?" The five of them turned towards the five Bakugan they were opposing, "let's end this Brawl." The others nodded as Flash and Teddy's BakuColars beeped to show the new scores.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1670
Leonidas+Garuda+Nimue+Wukong+Gaia: 2600
"No way," Teddy whispered.
"One hit and we can take him down," Heath told the others.
"Just don't hit Siege or Serpenoid," Flash explained. "If they go down, I lose points."
"Leave them to us," Soarin told him before holding up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Garuda took to the air as his beak sparked, "Blitz Bolt!"
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1670
Leonidas+Garuda+Nimue+Wukong+Gaia: 2750
He squawked loudly, causing bolts of lightning to shoot out and hit the opposing Bakugan. All five of them quickly found themselves going numb, meaning Siege and Serpenoid couldn't intervene as Leonidas shot forward and punched one of the Mantris.
The insect roared as it was thrown back, whilst Nimue and Wukong charged forward. The two grabbed Flash's controlled Bakugan and began to push them away, leaving the others free to attack the Mantris without fear. "Ability!" Teddy held up a card, but it didn't activate. "What?"
"Sorry," Soarin told him, "but Blitz Bolt stop you from activating Abilities as well as moving."
"Now we can take you down!" Leonidas roared as he flew towards the Mantris that he had knocked over, Flash holding up a a card.
"Ability, Activate!" It glowed, "Brawling Dragon!"
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1670
Leonidas+Garuda+Nimue+Wukong+Gaia: 2850
"RAAAH!" Leonidas threw a punch at the Mantris, who barely managed to lift its blades to block. It cried out in pain with every hit Leonidas slammed him with. Meanwhile, Gaia and Garuda attacked their own Mantris. Garuda slashed at it with his talons whilst Gaia simply pulled her leg back and swung it forward to kick the insect.
Despite the impact and almost twelve hundred points difference, the Mantris all managed to endure the attacks. Gaia's was thrown several feet away, but it managed to stay in place. Meanwhile, Nimue and Wukong watched as Siege and Serpenoid tried to move.
"Give this a try!" Nimue held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Nimue held up a finger as a storm cloud appeared above her, which then shoot towards Siege. "Draining Rain!" The cloud broke open and rained down on Siege, sapping away its power. After a few seconds, the points were drastically changed.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1470
Leonidas+Garuda+Nimue+Wukong+Gaia: 3050
"Come on!" Teddy cried, "this isn't fair."
"I think it's fair," Flash told him. "we're all using one Bakugan whilst you're using five. And they're linked into my life gauge, so it's not like you're outnumbered." The others nodded in agreement, as Leonidas whipped at Mantris with his tail and Garuda grabbed it in his talons before lifting it up and throwing it.
"Let's end this!" Leonidas cried before flying up, Garuda doing the same as Gaia slowly moved over to hers. But as the two dived at the Mantris, the static around the five Bakugan vanished.
"Finally!" Teddy cried before holding up to cards, "Double Ability, Activate!" The cards glowed along with the two Mantris being dived at and Flash's controlled Bakugan. And in a flash, they swapped places.
"WOW!" Leonidas cried as he barely managed to pull back in time to avoid hitting Siege, whilst Garuda pulled up before he struck Serpenoid.
"Ahh!" Teddy cried, having hoped that move would lead to Flash's loss. But before he could do anything else, Lyra and Heath held up a card.
"Ability, Activate!" They both cried as Nimue created a sphere of water and Wukong began beating his chest. "Overflow/Blazing Rhythm!" Nimue threw the sphere and it exploded into a torrent that hit the Mantris and swept it towards Leonidas. Meanwhile, Wukong unleashed blazing sound wave that struck the other Mantris and sent it flying towards Garuda.
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1225
Leonidas+Garuda+Nimue+Wukong+Gaia: 3050
"Nowhere to run this time!" Leonidas cried as he and Garuda shot towards their opponents, whilst Gaia finally reached hers.
"Ability," Bonnie held up a card, "Activate!" It glowed as Gaia pulled her leg back, "Wood Slammer!"
Mantris+Mantris+Mantris+Serpenoid+Siege: 1225
Leonidas+Garuda+Nimue+Wukong+Gaia: 3150
The Subterra Bakugan swung her leg forward and smashed it into Mantris, at the exact same time Leonidas and Garuda slashed at their Mantris. The three all cried out in pain as they were thrown backwards, then reverted back to ball form as Teddy's points dropped.
"AHHH!" He cried as his Bakugan flew towards his opponents and the battlefield vanished.
Flash: 60% (Winner)
Teddy: 0%
In a flash of light, the six of them were back in the park. Time had started once again and everything was exactly as it had been before the brawl started, with the exception of Flash, Soarin and Bonnie being in possession of their new Bakugan.
"Aw man!" Teddy cried, the teen having fallen onto his but. "I can't believe I lost."
"Well believe it," Flash smirked as he, Soarin and Bonnie showed him his old Bakugan. "Now who sent you? If it wasn't Phantom, then who?"
"I don't need to tell you anything," Teddy told him before getting up and rushing off.
"HEY!" Flash yelled, but Teddy was already gone. He let out a sigh, then turned to the others. They all still looked worried, like he might say something they didn't like.
"Flash," Lyra spoke up, "we're really sorry."
"It was wrong of us to tell you not to trust Leonidas," Bonnie agreed.
Heath slapped his hands together and held them up with closed eyes, "can you ever forgive us?"
Flash didn't say anything, instead holding up Leonidas. "I'm not the one you guys should apologise too." They all focused on the dragonoid and and nodded.
"WE'RE SORRY!" They cried together, their Bakugan agreeing with them. "You have every right to hate us," Nimue stated. "But I hope we can work together and be friends. Real friends."
Leonidas let out a sound that made them think he wasn't sure. "Are you sure you can trust me, knowing where it is I came from?"
"I admit it does concern us," Garuda stated. "But Twilight was right. You might have been born in the Doom Dimension. But you weren't born from it. And your life honours the lives of all the Bakugan that were wrongly imprisoned in that world. And for that, I believe you deserve to be trusted."
"Thank you," Leonidas nodded. "I may not know why I was born or how I came to be as I am, but I'm different from the Bakugan that that all happened to." He turned to Flash. "When I first came here, all I wanted was to take my anger out on other Bakugan. But I've changed since meeting you."
"Me?" Flash asked.
"Yes," Leonidas nodded, "thanks to you, I've learned the importance of friendship and trust."
Flash smiled at this and pulled the Bakugan closer, "we've learned from each other. Friends always do. Whatever happens, you'll always be my partner." Leonidas smiled, though Flash couldn't see it, then turned to the others.
"Only together do we stand a chance against Phantom and Ragnaroid. I want nothing more then to beat them, but I can't do it alone. So. Will you all help me?" The five teens and their Bakugan all smiled at one another, until Soarin reached out with his hand.
Lyra smiled and put her hand on his, with Bonnie doing the same followed by Heath. They all turned to Flash and waited, the teen smiling before putting his hand on top of their. Their Bakugan jumped onto the hands and they all nodded at one another, knowing that from this moment they would be a team. A team that nobody could stop.
"Bakugan," Flash started with the others joining in, "BRAWL!" They threw their hands up, their Bakugan flying into the air before landing on their heads. This would be a day that would go down in history, as the day a new team of heroes was born.
Back at Dark Industries, Ragnaroid was still sending power into the Bakugan on the table. Meanwhile, Sombra got an alert on his computer and sighed.
"Teddy lost," he told Phantom. "And it appears your theory about his friends abandoning him was wrong."
"No matter," Phantom smirked. "Ragnaroid and I will-"
"No," the Bakugan told him, "we have more important duties to focus on." Phantom raised an eyebrow as Ragnaroid stopped glowing. "This infusion will awaken him, but it's not enough to restore his full power. That's what we must focus on. Acquiring power."
"Too right." That voice didn't come from any of them, causing the three to turn towards the locked Bakugan. The light that had been pulsing around the Bakugan remained for several before vanishing, the Bakugan's colour changing from grey to pure white. Then, the Bakugan opened.
Phantom mistook it for an Ingram at first, but the head was different and there wasn't a tail section going over the top.
"Master," Ragnaroid whispered.
"Lucifer," Sombra smirked. "Nice to see you're awake."
"And it's nice to see you've been able to fulfil your side of the plan," Lucifer turned towards him. "However, we are far from finished." He turned back to Ragnaroid, "you know what you must do."
Ragnaroid nodded, "I will acquire power and give it to you. But in the meantime, we have a few annoyances that need dealing with."
"I heard," Lucifer announced. "I've been conscious for a while. Just couldn't unlock reply until now. I know about the five Bakugan and I have a plan. All we need is to find powerful brawlers that can defeat them. It doesn't matter whether they're friends or foes of these five. I can handle that."
Hearing this, Phantom smiled as six particular Brawlers entered his mind. "I know exactly who we need." The Bakugan world was about to be turned on its head. Despite Flash and his friends finally coming together as a real team, they were far from out of danger. And only time would tell what that danger was.