The Bakugan Battle Tournament was in its final stage, with only two Brawlers left.
Flash of the BakuFighters and Twilight of the Rainbooms both stared one another down, Flash glaring whilst Twilight simply smiled.
Off to the side, the rest of their teammates watched and worried that Flash might be in over his head. Since Flash was now down to only a hundred points whilst Twilight's life gauge was completely full. "This is bad," Soarin groaned as Rainbow held him up. "If Flash doesn't do something, we might never get the real Twilight back."
"Don't count those two out yet," Garuda told him. "Twilight might have gotten the drop on them before, but Flash won't fall for the same trick twice."
"I hope you're right," Derpy gulped. "If they don't find a way to win, Twilight could remain Phantom's slave forever. And if she uses that Phantom Gate Card, she might take Leonidas away and give him to that monster."
"Yes," Lyra's eyes drifted to Derpy, "we don't want that."
"Come on Twilight," Flash told her. "You're stronger then Phantom. Don't let him control you!"
"He's not controlling me," Twilight repeated. "He just showed me what it means to truly be strong. Now shut up and battle. I'm done wasting time with a weakling like you, so stop stalling and brawl so I can take your Leonidas."
"It's no good," Leo told Flash. "There's only one way to wake her up. We have to beat her and blast that evil out of her."
"Yeah," Flash nodded, "but can we? We've never beaten Twilight before and the way she is now, I'm worried she might do something that could hurt you and Spikenoid to win."
"I'm not worried," Leo assured him. "She might have beaten us in the last round, but this time we'll turn things around. Don't forget, since our last battle with them we've become true partners. With you by my side, I know we can win."
Flash smiled at him and nodded, "Thanks Leo." He turned back to Twilight and took out a Gate Card. "You're right. Together, we can beat anyone!" With that, he threw the card towards the ground. "Gate Card...SET!" As the card hit the dusty floor, he and Twilight rushed off to find more power-ups. This time, it was Flash who found a cluster first. "Bakugan," he threw Leonidas, "BRAWL!" The dragon flew through the air and struck several coins before landing. "Bakugan...STAND!" Leonidas popped open as the light exploded from him, "Haos Leonidas.
"RAAAH!" Leonidas roared as he took to the air, flying around and avoiding the crystal spikes as the power-ups kicked in.
Leonidas: 600Gs
Twilight was next, the girl reaching the tip of a crystal spike and seeing some power-ups. "Bakugan, BRAWL!" She threw Spike and hit several power-ups, though not as many as Flash, the Darkus Bakugan landing in the sparkly dust covered sand. "Bakugan...STAND!" He popped open and unleashed the purple light, "Darkus Spikenoid!"
The wingless dragon appeared and let out a mighty roar, as he too powered up whilst Leonidas flew towards him.
Leonidas: 600Gs
Spikenoid: 600Gs
"They're both even," Heath realised.
"Here's hoping Flash can get the upper hand," Soarin stated as Leonidas landed. He and Spike stared one another down, both ready to battle it out like true dragons.
"You really are a sorry sight," Spikenoid snarled. "I'm gonna look forward to ripping you into pieces!"
"You can try," Leonidas growled back before charging. "But I'm taking you down when this is over!" As he said that, Flash held up a card.
"Ability, Activate!" Leonidas started throwing punches and kicks at Spikenoid, "Brawling Dragon!"
Leonidas: 700Gs
Spikenoid: 600Gs
Spikenoid did his best to avoid getting hit, but Leonidas managed to get several hit in on his chest and shoulders before swinging his tail around and slamming Spike right in the stomach. "Augh!" He cried as he slid backwards.
"Ability," Twilight held up a card, "Activate!" Spike's body spikes glowed, "Spiking Strike!" The light shot off Spike and flew towards Leonidas, who took to the air to try and avoid them. But three managed to hit him.
"Augh!" He cried, his glide slowed as the light drained his power.
Leonidas: 550Gs
Spikenoid: 600Gs
Spike charged forward and as he did, Flash and Twilight both held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" The two Bakugan glowed and the light shot off and into the other one, "Co-Side!"
Leonidas: 650Gs
Spikenoid: 700Gs
Spikenoid leapt as Leonidas and slashed at him, Leo crying out as he staggered back. But as he did, Flash held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas' mouth sparked, "Alpha Blaster!" The beam shot out of his mouth and flew towards Spike, but Twilight was quicker.
"Ability, Activate!" Spike's scales glowed and the beam that struck him simply bounced off, "Scale-Mail!"
Leonidas: 650Gs
Spikenoid: 800Gs
Flash growled, but then noticed something hiding in the shadow of a crystal spike. A Surprise Card.
Flash decided to take the chance and rushed towards it, whilst Spike stomped forward and swung his tail around. But before he could hit Leonidas, Flash grabbed the card. And as soon as he did, it glowed green and the light shot towards Leonidas.
"Wow!" Leo cried as the energy hit him and created a shield around him that was like glass.
Spike's tail slammed into the shield, but all he struck was his own reflection. "What?" He asked as the shield shattered and the light flew into Leonidas, making him glow.
Leonidas: 800Gs
Spikenoid: 800Gs
"Lucky Flash got the Crystal Reflection Surprise Card, that allows a weaker Bakugan's power level to increase to that of the strongest Bakugan." Twilight growled at this, then took out a card.
"Ability, Activate!" Spikenoid's spikes glowed purple, "Dark Spikes!" He charged, ready to impale Leonidas and take his power. But before he could, Flash used his own card.
"Ability, Activate!" A force-field appeared around Leonidas and blocked the attack, protecting him from Spikenoid's Ability. "Hyper Shield!"
"Yes!" Bonnie cheered, "as long as he's got Hyper Shield, he'll be okay."
"Maybe," Rarity frowned, "but Twilight has a few more strong Abilities left to use." And sure enough, Twilight held up a card as Spike leapt away from Leonidas.
"Ability, Activate!" Spikenoid unleashed a stream of green flames, "Fire Burst!" As the Hyper Shield faded, The flames struck Leonidas and the Haos Bakugan groaned in pain as he felt them burn away at him.
Leonidas: 800Gs
Spikenoid: 1000Gs
"Leo!" Flash cried, as Leonidas slowly staggered back whilst the flames continued to burn away at him. "Come on, get out of there!" But Leonidas couldn't, the dragon instead falling to his knees.
"Looks like your little dragon's running out of steam," Twilight laughed as Spikenoid continued to burn away at Leonidas. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick."
"I don't...think so," Leonidas groaned before pushing himself up onto one knee. "I'm...not losing that easily!" As he said that, his body started to glow and Flash looked down to see Leonidas' power level increase.
"Power Surge Detected."
"Again?" Flash asked as Leonidas roared and swung his arms around, dispelling the flames as his power level stopped growing.
Leonidas: 1025Gs
Spikenoid: 1000Gs
"What just happened?" Pinkie asked.
"Leonidas powered up," Lyra told her before turning to Rarity. "Just like when he battled you." Rarity didn't remember this, but hoped this added power would be enough to help Flash.
"Gate Card!" He pointed to the ground, "OPEN!" The field lit up and unleashed a bright yellow light, "Haos Reactor!" The light flew into Leonidas and powered him up.
Leonidas: 1225Gs
Spikenoid: 1000Gs
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared before charging forward, reaching Spikenoid before the Darkus Bakugan could react. And in the blink of an eye, Leonidas was suddenly behind Spike with his claws pointed forwards. Seconds later, an explosion of light appeared in front of Spike.
"GYAH!" He roared as he was blown backwards and reverted back to ball form, falling to the ground and rolling passed Leonidas towards Twilight as her life gauge dropped
Flash: 20%
Twilight: 55%
"And Flash Sentry manages to even up the score, though Twilight still holds the advantage over him. Will the next round decide the winner, or is this battle just getting started?"
Twilight stepped over to pick Spikenoid up. "No," she told the announcer as she stood straight whilst Leonidas returned to Flash, "I'm through playing around." She turned to Flash, the pair locking eyes. "This game ends now." She took out a card and Flash could sense the malice within it. He knew what that card was.
"A Phantom Card."
"This could be tricky," Leonidas growled as Flash turned to him.
"You still feeling okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine," Leonidas nodded. "In fact, I feel great. That power surge I felt's making me feel stronger than ever. Now let's show Twilight what it really means to brawl."
"Yeah," Flash nodded before turning to Twilight. "Bring it on Twilight. I'm ready for anything you throw at us."
"Are you sure?" Twilight asked. "You might regret those words."
Down in the lab, Sombra watched as more and more power flowed into Lucifer. "Another power surge," he stated after seeing Leonidas defeat Spike.
"Yes," Lucifer nodded. "It won't be long now until he reaches the limit. If he can't achieve his evolution, the power will be too much for him. He'll burn himself out unless he can reach his next stage. Question is, can he push passed his limits and access his next stage? If he can, I look forward to facing him and taking his power for myself."
The crowd and Flash's friends watched as Flash and Twilight rushed through the battlefield.
Twilight ran up one of the crystals and as she did, she threw card that they all feared could destroy Flash and Leonidas. "Gate Card...SET!" The card hit the ground and exploded, Twilight spotting a nearby cluster of power-ups and leaping into the air. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" Spikenoid shot through the battlefield, almost hitting two crystals, and flew straight through a butt tone of power-up coins before hitting the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" The ball popped open, "Darkus Spikenoid arise!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Spike screamed, his roars filling the air as the power-ups kicked in.
Spikenoid: 950Gs
"A power level of nine fifty right off the mark?" Rainbow asked, "what the heck."
"I hope Flash can catch up," Fluttershy quivered as Flash turned to his partner Bakugan.
"You up for this?"
"You know it," Leonidas nodded. He tried to feel the power surge he had felt before, but it was gone. "Even if I can only use my normal power, it'll have to be enough to get us through this."
"Right," Flash nodded before grabbing him and running through the battlefield. As he did, Spikenoid watched him carefully. Flash reached a crystal spike near some power-ups and ran up it to get the best shot, but Spike and Twilight had other ideas.
"Now!" Twilight yelled, Spike raising his tail and smashing it into the ground right as Flash reached the top of the spike.
"WOW!" Flash cried as the crystal shook and Flash felt himself loose his balance, slipping off the crystal as his friends called out to him. "Not yet!" He spotted the power-ups and pulled Leonidas back. "Bakugan!" He threw his partner towards them, "Brawl!" Leonidas shot through the air and hit the cluster, but only managed to hit about half the power-ups before flying out the other side. "Bakugan!" Flash and Leonidas landed on the ground at the same time, Leonidas popping open. "STAND!" The light filled the battlefield as the dragonoid appeared. "Haos Leonidas!"
"Cheap shot!" Leo told Spike as he flew into the air. "But I'll make you regret that!" The power-ups kicked in and Leonidas roared as he felt new strength fill him.
Leonidas: 700Gs
Spikenoid: 950Gs
"Seven hundred points," Derpy looked worried. "Normally, that'd be a great score. But against Twilight and Spike, I don't think that's gonna be enough."
"Ability," Flash held up a card, "Activate!" Leonidas' mouth sparked, "Alpha Blaster!" The dragon roared and unleashed the attack, which shot towards Spike as his G Power increased.
Leonidas: 900Gs
Spikenoid: 950Gs
But instead of reacting, Spike simply swung his tail around and deflected the laser without taking any serious damage. As he did, Twilight held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" His body spikes glowed and shot into the air, "Spiking Strike!"
Leo's eyes went wide and he quickly started flying around to avoid them all, but several projectiles managed to stab into him again and again. "Augh!" He growled, falling to the ground as Spike began to charge towards him.
Leonidas: 650Gs
Spikenoid: 950Gs
"Leo!" Flash cried, as Spike reached him and prepared to unleashing his tail swipe on him. "Ability, Activate!" Leo vanished, "Dragon Flash!"
Leonidas: 750Gs
Spikenoid: 950Gs
Leonidas appeared behind Spike and charged, throwing a fist forward ready to punch him a new one. But before he could get to him, Spike spun around and caught him by the wrist.
"I don't think so!" He told him before swinging the Haos Bakugan around and smashing him into the ground.
"Augh!" He cried, as Spike raised his claws at him. But before he could slash at Leonidas, the dragon rolled away and managed to jump to his feet.
"Ability," Twilight held up a card, "Activate!" His spikes glowed a dark colour as he charged, "Dark Spike!" Spike thrust the attack forward and prepared to impale Leonidas, but before he could-
"Ability, Activate!" Flash held up the card, "Hyper Shield!" The force-field appeared around Leonidas and blocked the Dark Spike, protecting the dragon. But cracks started to appear around the force-field, which would give at any moment.
"Ability, Activate!" A light flew off Leonidas and into Spike, "Co-Side!"
Leonidas: 750Gs
Spikenoid: 1050Gs
This extra power allowed Spike to break through the force-field, Leo trying to fly up out of reach only for Spike to grab his tail. He then threw the Bakugan around and smashed him into the ground, Leo crying out but not letting this push him to defeat.
Instead, Flash quickly held up three cards. "Triple Ability, Activate!" Leonidas' eyes shot open and he quickly thrust a foot into Spike's chest, making him flinch as Leonidas kicked him again and again and again. "Brawling Dragon, plus Co-Side, plus Shining Tornado!"
As Leonidas stamped his foot into Spike again and pushed him far enough away, Spike glowed and the energy flew off of him and into Leonidas. The dragon took this chance to fly straight up, then started spinning as light coiled around him.
Leonidas: 1100Gs
Spikenoid: 1050Gs
The tornado shot down towards Spike, ready to drill into him. But before he could reach, Twilight held up her own three cards. "Triple Ability, Activate!" Spike's mouth filled with fire, whilst his claws glowed and his spikes smoked. "Fire Burst, plus Tearing Claw, plus Fusion Ability, Blazing Spikes!"
The green fire shot out of Spike's mouth and flew to his spikes and as the tornado got in close, he slammed his arms into the ground and caused it to shake. The next moment, the green spikes shot out of the ground around Spike and blocked him from the Shining Tornado.
Leonidas: 1100Gs
Spikenoid: 1650Gs
"Raaah!" Leonidas cried as his attack ground against the spikes, but eventually he started slowing down. When he did, the spikes exploded into green fire and blasted him away. "AUGH!" He roared, hitting a crystal spikes and breaking right through it.
"LEO!" Flash cried, looking down at his BakuColar and seeing what their power levels were. "They're five hundred Gs apart," he gasped before taking out a card. "I gotta stop this!"
"Oh, I don't think so!" Twilight cried, "Phantom Gate Card...OPEN!" The ground glowed as the Gate Card activated, "Power Lock!"
"NO!" Flash cried, his eyes going wide as he realised what this meant. If he couldn't raise Leonidas' G power, "he's gonna be taken."
"That's right!" Twilight chuckled, "soon your Leonidas will be in Phantom's possession." Flash glared at her, hating the words she had just said. He then looked around, but not a single Surprise Ability was in sight.
The others looked around, but they couldn't see one either. "This isn't good," Bonnie gulped. "Flash has to do something."
"But he can't!" Heath cried, remembering how badly that Gate Card screwed them. "He can't power his Bakugan up and he can't throw in a new one. There's nothing he can do."
"None of his natural Abilities can negate a Gate Card," Derpy realised as Leonidas pushed himself up. "He...he's done for."
"LEO!" Flash rushed over to him, Leonidas pushing the crystal top off of himself. "Are you okay?" Leonidas groaned in pain as he got onto one knee.
"I'll live," he told him. "But we're in trouble." As he said that, Spikenoid charged forward with his claws glowing and his spikes still ablaze.
"You're in more then just trouble!" He roared as he slashed at Leonidas, the Bakugan barely managing to avoid it before taking to the air. "You're absolutely done for!" He unleashed a burst for fire that Leonidas crossed his arms to endure. But it still hurt like heck.
"Augh!" He cried, doing everything in his power to keep from returning to ball form.
"NO!" Flash turned to Twilight, "stop this!" But Twilight simply smiled.
"Leonidas is the one causing himself pain. If he just gave up and let me take him, his suffering would all be over." Leonidas finally flew out of the fire stream and looked down at Twilight. He panted, his body burned and covered in injuries.
"There's...no way I'll lose. Not if it mean...becoming Phantom's toy. And not if it means...making you two suffer." He dived down towards Spike, who fired several flamethrowers that he barely managed to avoid as he got in close. "I'm bringing the real yous back!" He roared, throwing a punch at Spike only for the wingless dragon to dodge it before swinging his tail around. "Even if it kills me!" He grabbed the tail as it smashed into him, the dragonoid grunting but not being pushed away. As he did, his body started to faintly glow once again.
"That's right!" Flash cheered as he held up his card. "I don't care how impossible it seems, we are gonna win this!"
"Do it Flash!" Lyra cried.
"Save Twilight!" Rainbow yelled.
"FLASH!" The rest of his human friends cried.
"LEONIDAS!" The Bakugan all screamed as Flash held up the card.
"Fusion Ability, Activate!" Leonidas pushed the tail away as light spiralled around him, "ALPHA HURRICANE!" The light formed a tornado around him, which sparked with lightning. But even with this super strong ability activate, Leonidas' power remained the same.
"Don't you get it!" Twilight told him, "Power Lock seals your power level into place. Nothing you do will ever make Leonidas grow stronger." As she said this, the dark aura appeared around her and Spike. "Just give up already! It's impossible to win"
"Never!" Leonidas' voice called out from the tornado, as his body's outline appeared within the light. "If winning is the only way to save you, even if it's impossible, I'll find a way to do it." The light that was coming off his body began to grow brighter and brighter. "No matter what...I WILL SAVE MY FRIENDS!" With that, the light exploded off his body and combined with that of the Alpha Hurricane, causing the attack to transform.
Everyone watched in amazement as the tornado lifted off the ground and began to twist and curl, forming a cocoon shape that floated in the air. "LEO!" Flash cried, "what's happening?"
"Is he okay?" Fluttershy asked.
"What's going on?" Soarin asked.
Twilight didn't like this and when she heard her BakuColar beep, she looked down and saw something else she really didn't like.
"Power surge detected."
"Again?" She asked as she saw Leonidas' power level increase, slowly but it was definitely happening. "How? That shouldn't be possible." She looked up at the cocoon, then at Spikenoid. "Don't just stand there, ATTACK!" Spike didn't need to be told twice and he unleashed another fire blast, which struck the cocoon but did nothing to even damage it. Leonidas' power level just continued to rise.
As they watched, the Bakugan felt something. Staring at the cocoon, they each sensed a great change occurring within it. "Could it be?" Gaia asked, turning to the others as the humans looked at her.
"Gaia?" Bonnie asked, "you know what this is?"
"Maybe," Gaia nodded.
"So what da'h hay's goin' on?" Applejack asked.
"Is Leonidas okay?" Lyra turned to Nimue, who just kept looking at the cocoon.
"Do you remember what we told you once, about how the Guardian Bakugan fought to protect Vestroia and how they gained the strength to do so?"
"Yeah," Lyra nodded, "you said they evolved." Her eyes went wide as she looked back at the cocoon, "is that what's happening?"
"Yes," Nimue nodded, "I'm sure of it. Leonidas has grown so powerful, that his body can no longer contain the power he now wields. He only has two options, evolve...or perish."
Flash heard this and began to worry. What if Leonidas couldn't complete his evolution? What if he ended up succumbing to the power. "Leo."
Within the cocoon, Leonidas was curled up as his wings wrapped around him. He felt his body undergoing many changes and it felt strange. He felt like any moment, his body would rip apart and disappear into the ether. But then, his eyes shot open and his body solidified.
It was then, with a great surge of strength, he burst out of the cocoon with a mighty roar and flash of light that almost blinded everyone. When the light faded, Leonidas' new form was displayed for all to see.
He was slightly larger than before, his physical bulk having increased. His body was mostly white, but it had purple running from the front of his neck, down to his chest, stomach and waist before connecting to his tail and running down the bottom of it. His shoulders now had yellow pads covering them and arm bads made of yellow metal were also wrapped around his arms between the wrist and elbow. The same metal was also covering his knees and could be seen on the tips of his fingers and toes. His wings were mostly the same, but certain parts of the yellow were larger and the tip of his tail now had a large golden trident on it. His head now had several golden horns on it, one small one on the tip of his nose, another in the center of his head and several more one the back of it.
"Whoa," Flash whispered at the sight of his partner. "Leo...you've really evolved!"
"Yeah," Leonidas looked himself over whilst feeling giddy, "I feel...amazing." He spread his new wings and flexed his stronger muscles as he declared, "Haos...Omega...LEONIDAS!"
"Omega Leonidas?" Flash asked, as his BakuColar beeped and he looked down at it. It was a signal from his Ability Card folder, the teen opening it up and finding that almost all of Leo's Abilities were now different. "No way."
"That is the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Rainbow cheered.
"But was it enough to save him?" Rarity asked. As she asked, Twilight checked her BakuColar and smiled seeing Leonidas' power level had stopped growing.
Leonidas: 1350Gs
Spikenoid: 1650Gs
"You might have saved yourself from being taken, but you'll still lose this battle." She looked over at Flash, but noticed he wasn't worried. In fact, he had a big smile on his face. "What are you so happy about?"
"I'm happy, because Leonidas isn't the only thing that's evolved." He took out a card, "his Abilities are all new and improved as well." Twilight's eyes went wide hearing this, as he held the card up. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas flew down and slammed all four limbs into the ground. "Omega...ERASER!"
Standing like a cannon, Leonidas opened his mouth as powerful burst of energy sparked out of his mouth. The energy formed a sphere in his mouth that then launched a blue beam of light, which struck the ground and caused cracks to appear in the Gate Card.
"What?" Twilight asked as her Gate Card exploded into a million tiny pieces. "NOOO! The Phantom Gate Card!"
Flash smirked. "Omega Eraser is an Ability that destroys any active Gate Card, then powers Leonidas up. Leonidas swung his neck around and the beam continued towards Spike.
Leonidas: 1600Gs
Spikenoid: 1650Gs
Spike's eyes went wide as he crossed his arms, the beam slamming into him. He flinched, but managed to keep his ground. "That's not gonna be enough to beat me!"
"That's fine!" Flash told him, "cause I've got more Ability Cards." He held up a card as it glowed, "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas flew into the air as his claws glowed and extended, "Dragon Slash!"
Leonidas: 1750Gs
Spikenoid: 1650Gs
Leo dived down and swung his claws around, slashing at Spike before he could try and dodge. "Augh!" He staggered back, whilst Twilight looked around.
"Gotta find a way to-" She stopped when she spotted a surprise card that had been blown into view when the Gate Card was destroyed, the entranced girl rushing towards it and grabbing the card as Leonidas flew back around for another attack.
When she did, the card turned green and sent the light flying towards Spike. "Twilight, despite now being on the defensive, comes back and unleashes the Crystal Shine Surprise Card."
Leonidas: 1750Gs
Spikenoid: 1850Gs
Spike unleashed a fire stream that shot towards Leonidas, but Flash wasn't having that. "I don't think so!" He held up another card. "Ability, Activate!" The golden parts of Leonidas's body glowed before unleashing a light that formed a shape that looked like two pyramids stuck together. "Prism Reflector!" The fire bounced off it and flew back, hitting Spike instead.
"Augh!" He cried as his Ability was negated and Leo's power went up.
Leonidas: 1850Gs
Spikenoid: 1650Gs
As Spike staggered back, Twilight looked completely horrified. "No," she stated as the dark aura around her grew thicker, "this can't be happening. Not when Phantom gave me the cards to defeat them. How can I lose to such...weaklings?"
"The real you wouldn't be losing so easily," Flash told her as he took out a card. "And soon enough, I'm gonna be bringing the real you back" He held the card up as it glowed. "Ability, Activate!"
"This ends now!" Leonidas landed and took a deep breath, inside of his mouth beginning to glow as he and Flash called out the attack name. "SHINING ROAR!" As he did, he unleashed a bright light that swept across the battlefield and blinded them all.
The attack also unleashed a shockwave, that struck Spikenoid and pushed him backwards. "GYAH!" He cried, as the force of the wind finally knocked him flying backward. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Leonidas: 1850Gs
Spikenoid: 1500Gs
He crashed into the ground in front of Twilight with enough force to knock the girl flying backwards, Twilight screaming as Spike returned to ball form and her life gauge dropped. As that happened, the dark aura that cloaked them both was blown away.
Flash: 20% (Winner)
Twilight: 0%
As the light of Leonidas' attack faded, the crowd in the stadium went quiet as they stared at the winning brawler. Then, finally, the announcer broke the silence. "It's over! Flash Sentry of the BakuFighters is victorious. He and his team are the champions of the first Bakugan Battle Tournament!" The crowd cheered, but the BakuFighters didn't seem to care that they had won.
They and the Rainbooms rushed over to where Twilight had fallen, as the battlefield returned to its original state after Leonidas returned to ball form, Flash getting to her first and kneeling down. "Twilight!" He called to her, sitting her up. "Are you okay?" Twilight remained still for a moment, then moaned as she opened her eyes.
"Flash?" She asked, her voice no longer having any malice within it. "What...happened?" The others smiled at this, realising Twilight was back to her true self.
"You had a bit of a personality shift," Flash explained. "But you're okay now." He looked to the Bakugan laid out besides her and picked him up, "and I think someone wants to say hi." He held Spikenoid out and Twilight looked confused, until the ball popped open.
"Twilight," the Bakugan announced with his partner's eyes going wide, "you're okay!"
"Spike?" She picked him up, "you can talk?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Twilight smiled, "more then cool. This is amazing." She looked ready to start crying, "I can't believe you're actually talking now." She turned to Flash, "did you do this?" The teen looked away and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, no. But we did free you from Phantom's control." Twilight looked confused by this, whilst the rest of her friends chose this moment to gather around her. Twilight took in their new looks and raised an eyebrow, then noticed what she was wearing and seemed horrified.
"I gotta get out of this as soon as possible," she then turned to Flash. "So we were all brainwashed?"
"You sure were," Lyra nodded. "But luckily, the five of us beating you all snapped you out of it. But they weren't easy battles."
"Yes," Leonidas nodded from Flash's shoulder. "At some points, you almost won us with intent to turn us over to Phantom." Twilight seemed upset with this, but then looked closely at Leonidas and frowned.
"You look...different." Flash turned to Leo and gave him a proper look, realising Twilight was right.
"Yeah, so you look different even in ball form." He took Leo off his shoulder and held him up, "how do you feel bud?"
"I feel incredible. Never felt better. Like I could take on a hundred Bakugan at once."
The other Bakugan nodded at this, Nimue speaking up for him. "I never thought I'd actually see a Bakugan evolve like that. Hopefully the rest of us will be able to do the same thing soon."
"Yeah," Wukong nodded. "Taking down Phantom and Ragnaroid'll be a lot easier if we all evolve." They all nodded as the sound of clapping filled the air, making them turn to see a man walking towards them. A man they recognised as the one in charge of Dark Industries. Sombra Shadows.
"Congratulations BakuFighters," he told them. "You've all shown some amazing skills in your many battles this day." He pressed something on the BakuColar he was wearing and suddenly, the ground beneath the BakuFighter's feet all rose up until they were all standing on three foot high cubes that moved along the ground. Soon enough, the five boxes combined to create a large podium that they now stood upon. "Baku-fans!" He called to the crowd, "I present to you, your champions and the winners of the grand prize!" They all looked up at the megascreen, with light up as the number six thousand appeared on it. "That's right, six thousand Baku-Points that will be given out equally to the five members."
The BakuFighter's eyes went hearing this, realising that meant they would all be given twelve hundred points. "With that many, we could by any Gate or Ability card we want," Lyra stated.
"That's right," Sombra nodded. "But that's not all you'll get to enjoy." This intrigued them as he held up his wrist, "hold out your BakuColars please." They all did so and a moment later, Sombra's unleashed a burst of light that split into five and flew into their BakuColars.
The BakuFighters pulled back in surprise and stared at the items on their wrists, as something appeared on their screens.
Updating Data
"What did you just do?" Bonnie asked, Sombra giving them a smile.
"I've uploaded a new program into the system. One that should revolutionise Bakugan Battling. A portable battlefield that will allow you to battle outside the stadiums. With it, anyone can battle any place any time. This upgrade will soon be released to the public. But until then, enjoy being one of the first few brawlers to have access to this."
The BakuFighters stared at their BakuColars in amazement, all remembering the brawler called Teddy and how he had created such a battlefield. Smiles appeared on their lips, since now they would be able to battle as soon as they wanted without needing to wait for a stadium to open up. "This is amazing," Soarin smirked.
"Well the five of you certainly put on an amazing show," Sombra told them. As he did, the Bakugan felt something. It was as if there was some kind of dark aura coming off the man. One that sent a chill down their spine. "I look forward to see what else the five of you can do. So please, keep battling and growing stronger. That's the only way the sport of Bakugan Battling can evolve." They all nodded, planning to keep doing just that.
Everything seemed to be going well. The BakuFighters had won the tournament, saved the Rainbooms from being Phantom's slaves, had Leonidas evolve and earned some pretty amazing prizes. The day had been a hard one, but they had come out of it better then ever. And someone knew this.
"Well, well, well." A voice echoed through the battlefield, making the BakuFighters and Rainbooms tense up as they looked around. "I never thought you would defeat all the Rainbooms." Phantom was really living up to his name right now, as he seemed to be speaking from all directions. "And little old Leonidas actually evolved."
"Phantom!" Flash yelled, leaping off the podium and trying to find where he was located. "Get out here and show yourself!"
"Very well!" From out of nowhere, a Bakugan shot down towards them. Flash saw this coming and barely managed to jump out of the way in time, as the ball flew around the stadium and forced everyone to take evasive manoeuvres. Then, the ball shot towards the far end of the field and hit the ground. It unleashed a blinding dark light and when it faded, Phantom stood there with his hands on his hips.
"Phantom!" Flash growled.
"He's really here!" Derpy gasped, as Lyra turned to look at her.
"Yes...he is." Lyra's heart suddenly squeezed as she realised how silly she had been, thinking Derpy and Phantom could be one in the same. "Idiot." She looked back at their foe, who was focusing directly on Flash.
"Impressive," he told the teen, "you've come a long way." He then turned to Leonidas, "and you. I can see why Ragnaroid wants you as an ally. The offer to join us still stands. Together, we can rule all Bakugan."
Leonidas remained silent for a moment, then chuckled. "I might have been tempted once, but why would I choose second best." This statement made Phantom growl.
"Fool! You'll regret this. If you will not join us, you will become food to nourish Ragnaroid's growth." He held up a Bakugan as it glowed a dark energy, the sphere being thrown to the floor and unleashing a dark light. When if faded, Phantom was gone. But his voice still remained, "soon all Bakugan will bow down before me!" With that, he was gone and the BakuFighters and Rainbooms stood strong with a glare escaping them.
"Just you wait Phantom," Flash told him. "We'll show you what happens when you mess with our friends." The others all nodded, whilst Sombra stood behind them with a smile on his face.
He slowly stepped away from them and retreated back the way he came, heading into a corridor that led towards the exit. But halfway down, he stopped and pressed his hand against the wall. A moment later, the wall opened up to reveal an elevator that he stepped inside. Riding it back down into the lab, he returned to find Lucifer still absorbing the power given off by Leonidas's battle.
"Ahh," Lucifer sighed as the last of the energy flowed into him. He continued to glow for several moments before the light finally died down and the glass tube retracted. "That was refreshing." He began to beat his plastic wings and flew into the air towards Sombra, who held out a hand for him to land on.
"Let's hope it was enough," he stated before carrying him over to a device. Lucifer closed up as Sombra held him under it, the device unleashing a laser that ran over the Bakugan and scanned him. His data came up and Sombra looked it over, smiling and nodding as he did so. "Yes, these readings indicate your energy levels have grown enough for you to enter battle." He then frowned, "but you'll only be able to do so once or twice."
Lucifer sighed as he jumped out of Sombra's hand, landing on top of a machine. "The energy generated through a Bakugan Battle is a drop of water in the ocean, compared to the energy of the source."
Sombra turned to him as he smirked, "we still have plenty of Bakugan from the arc. You can drain them."
"No," Lucifer told him, "those Bakugan won't be enough. Even if I drained each and every one of them, the power would eventually drain out of me. If we wish to rule this world, we must find a way to allow me to generate my own power like a regular Bakugan. But only a source of pure Vestroyen energy can allow me to do such a thing."
"But Vestroia is no more," Sombra told him. "How can we find that kind of energy if there is no world to create it. And even if Vestroia still existed, I doubt the technology of this world would allow us to go there. We've had the arc in our possession for over a year and we sill have no idea how it works. Reverse engineering it would take decades, maybe even centuries."
Lucifer growled, "when we must find another way." He turned towards one of the screens, showing rerun footage of Flash and Twilight's brawl. The image showed Leonidas' evolution, making him think. "A Bakugan who evolves grows more powerful. That means they have more power for me to take. If we can get a Bakugan to evolve enough, taking their energy means I'll be closer and closer to awakening as a true Bakugan."
Sombra nodded, remembering what he had told the BakuFighters. "Then it's a good thing I encouraged those children to keep brawling. If they get stronger and stronger, their Bakugan will evolve and give you all the power you need. And with Phantom still acting as their true enemy, they'll constantly be training in order to defeat him."
"Then he and Ragnaroid will also grow stronger," Lucifer nodded. "Either way, I'll eventually get what I want. The first of them to evolve and grow strong enough to sustain me, will become my ultimate prey. Their power will be mine."
Outside the stadium, Phantom was still there re-watching Flash's battles on his gauntlet.
When Leonidas evolved, he and Ragnaroid were focusing on every little detail. "I see nothing that indicates what might have caused his evolution," Ragnaroid explained. "But the fact that a Bakugan born of the Doom Dimension is able to evolve, possess many interesting questions."
"Leonidas hasn't been in this world long," Phantom told him. "How is it he was able to reach the point of evolution before any other Bakugan?" He turned to Ragnaroid, "you spent a far longer time battling in Vestroia before the Six Guardians defeated you. How come you weren't able to evolve?"
"That's a good question," Ragnaroid nodded. "And there could be many different answers. There's still much about Leonidas we do not know. It's possible that him being born in the Doom Dimension caused his body to be so weak, it more easily reached the point it couldn't handle his growing power level. But without knowing where he came from, we find ourselves simply guessing about what the secret behind him is."
Phantom looked annoyed by this. "I'd say that taking him from Sentry should be our next goal, but his evolution has made him even stronger then you."
"Then what we must do is obvious," Ragnaroid explained. "I must evolve. It is the only way to match Leonidas' power. And once I have evolved, I will take him down and take whatever power he has acquired." Phantom nodded and looked down at the ground, where the BakuFighters and Rainbooms were stepping out of the stadium.
"And I think I know who we'll use to help you achieve that evolution." He chuckled as he pushed his glasses up, "enjoy this moment whilst you can my friends. Soon, you will fall to us and become nothing but a footnote in the history we'll carve."
Down on the ground, the two teams were all laughing and smiling. Despite Phantom's appearance at the end of the tournament, they weren't gonna let it ruin the good mood they were in.
After Phantom left, the BakuFighters found themselves being interviewed by a few news crews that had come to watch the tournament. As it turned out, the entire thing had been broadcast across the country. The BakuFighters winning it may have just made them some of the most famous Brawlers ever.
"I can't believe this!" Soarin smirked, "we actually won. And now, everyone's gonna see us as super stars in the Bakugan world."
"I know," Lyra smiled before letting out a girly squeal. "This is like, totally awesome!"
"Now now," Nimue tried to calm her down, "let's not get to overexcited. After all, this also means we've become the ones every brawler will aim to take down."
"She's right," Gaia nodded. "Anyone who wants to become the very best will aim to take us down. And let's not forget the little threat Phantom threw at us before he left. Now that he no longer has the girls under his control, he might start sending other brawlers after you all."
"Then we'll be ready for them!" Heath told her. "Let Phantom send whoever he wants after us. As long as we're united, nobody can stop us."
Flash nodded. "And don't forget, now Leonidas has evolved and is stronger then ever. The next time Phantom tries to take us down, he'll be the one on the ground in defeat." They all agreed and looked over at the Rainbooms, who were currently having their own conversation.
The Bakugan had finished telling them what they remembered. "So the last thing you remember is being beaten by Ragnaroid?" Twilight asked Spike, who nodded.
"Yeah, that guy's strong. And I can't remember anything else after that. One minute I'm being blasted by Ragnaroid, the next I'm being picked up by Flash after he beat us."
"So we have no idea how Phantom brainwashed us?" Applejack asked, "that's not very comfortin,"
"What if he tries to do it again?" Fluttershy quivered. "I don't wanna be turned into someone else's mind slave again." She looked herself over, her arms covering her chest. "Especially if it means I have to wear cloths like this."
"Yeah," Pinkie frowned, "seeing you guys like that was no fun."
"I don't think Phantom was the one who brainwashed us," Twilight told them. They and the BakuFighters gave her a curious look, "if he could then why didn't he do it to Flash after he beat him?"
"Same with Ragnaroid," Lyra realised. "After he beat Flash and Soarin. But if those two weren't the ones that turned you into mindless puppets, who was?" The Rainbooms all thought, trying desperately to remember what had happened to them all. The imagined everything that their Bakugan had told them and as they got to the point where Phantom beat them, five of them just went blank. But one had the tiniest inkling of remembrance.
"Wait," Twilight saw something, "I think I remember something." She clutched her head, "after Phantom beat us." A figure appeared on the forefront of her mind, "someone else appeared. I think it was another Bakugan." The figure began more and more clear, though not clear enough to give every serious details. "They had...six feathery wings."
"Like an Ingram?" Flash asked, remembering Thunderlane and his Ventus Bakugan.
"No, it's body was a lot smaller then Ingram's. It almost looked...child-like. And...I think the light it gave off was strange. It was bright, but not like a Haos Bakugan. It was more...white."
"White?" Nimue asked, turning to the other Bakugan. "A child-like Bakugan with six wings and a white aura."
"It couldn't be," Garuda told them. "Could it?"
"I hope not," Gaia gulped. "If it is him, then we might be in more trouble then we realise."
"Who are you talking about?" Rainbow asked, as Terraspin turned to her.
"One of the most evil Bakugan to ever lived. The one the original Six Guardians of Vestroia came together to stop."
"Sealed within the Perfect Core," Fenroar growled. "He remained trapped, but then gave birth to Ragnaroid in order to fulfil his mission."
"The White One," Spike finished. "Lucifer." The brawlers all felt a chill go down their spine, realising now why the Bakugan were all so worried. If they were right and Lucifer was the one who brainwashed the Rainbooms, it would mean Ragnaroid wasn't the only threat they had to worry about. Things just got a lot more dangerous for them.