//------------------------------// // Fated Finals // Story: Bakugan EQG // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Five teams now remained within the Bakugan Battle Tournament. Within the City Battlefield, Soarin and Garuda had just won a particularly difficult battle against Rainbow and Terraspin. The battle had seriously warn them out and they could really do with a long rest. Alas, as soon as that brawl ended Soarin found himself within another one. And this time, he was up against Twilight Sparkle. "Once again, the BakuFighters find themselves up against the Rainbooms. With only one member remaining on the second team, a loss for them here will mean they will be knocked out of the competition." "Twilight?" Rainbow, who had been freed from Phantom's control, looked up at her in confusion. "What are you doing up there?" "Watching you fail to bring down your target," Twilight told her. "But don't worry. I'll pick up the slack for you." Rainbow looked confused, but also annoyed Twilight would speak to her like that. But before she could say anything else, Soarin held up an arm to stop her. "Don't bother. That's not the Twilight you know." Rainbow gave him a confused look, "she's under Phantom's control. Just like you and Terraspin were." "Really?" Now Rainbow only looked worried, glancing back at her friend as the girl took out a card. "What do we do?" "If I can beat her in a brawl, she should return to normal the same way you did when Garuda and I beat you." Rainbow was surprised by this, but then frowned. "Then I'll brawl her. She's my friend too." "You can't," Soarin stopped her. "We're in a tournament right now and you just got eliminated. If you try to brawl her...I don't know what'll happened but it'll definitely be against the rules. Just head back to my team's bunker. The rest of the Rainbooms are there waiting for you." He turned back to Twilight, stepping forward as he held up Garuda. "You okay to keep going? That last brawl was tough." "I'm okay," Garuda assured him. "I'm a little tired, but I can keep going." "Okay," Soarin nodded and focused on Twilight. "Let's do this thing. It's you and me Twilight." "Indeed it is," Twilight nodded. "And I look forward to taking your Garuda and handing him over to Phantom." "That's not gonna happen! Instead, I'm gonna beat you and free you and Spikenoid from his control." Twilight smiled at this, as if Soarin's words were a humorous joke. "We'll see about that." She held out her Bakugan and Soarin did the same, the pair yelling at the same time. "LET'S BRAWL!" "And the battle is underway." Within their bunker, the rest of the BakuFighters and the Rainbooms watched the battle on the edge of their seat. "This is it," Heath smirked. "If Soarin can win this, the Rainbooms are all free." "But he's up against Twilight," Bonnie pointed out. "And if she uses that Phantom Gate Card she used against us...Soarin might not be able to win this." "We just have to hope he can end the brawl before she takes that card out," Lyra told her. But despite that, she was still worried. Then there was the brawl between Flash and the three other teams, who were all ganging up against him. Flash glared at the three Brawlers that had teamed up to take him down, their Bakugan giving Leonidas a seriously hard time. Leonidas dodged Goblin Ball's attack and shot towards Rafflesian, as his brawler held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" In the blink of an eye, Leonidas vanished and appeared behind Rafflesian. "Dragon Flash!" Leonidas: 900Gs Rafflesian: 850Gs Goblin Ball: 800Gs Bee Striker: 800Gs He slammed a foot into the plant's back and sent it flying, reverting it to ball form as Leonidas shot over and punched Bee Striker in the face before grabbing its stinger and throwing it towards Goblin Ball. The two Bakugan hit the ground and reverted to ball form, their brawler's losing points but Leonidas felt exhausted. This brawl was far from over and as Leonidas returned to Flash, they knew it was gonna be awhile before they won. "Gate Card!" Twilight threw the card towards the ground, "SET!" As it burst into light that filled the area, the two began to run off. Rainbow remained where she was, still confused about what the heck was going one Soarin and Twilight ran as fast as they could throughout the city, Soarin quickly finding a way up to the rooftops of the buildings using the fire escapes and a bit of parkour. Once up there, he followed Twilight as they both searched of some power-ups and both found their own cluster not to far from one another. "BAKUGAN!" They threw their partners towards them, "BRAWL!" Garuda and Spike shot through the air and struck the coins, powering themselves up as they landed on the ground and rolled to a stop. "BAKUGAN!" They both popped open, "STAND!" And in a burst of purple light and lightning charged green wind, the two Bakugan appeared and the power-ups kicked in. Garuda: 750Gs Spikenoid: 600Gs Twilight was the first to hold up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Spikenoid's mouth filled with green flames, "Fire Burst!" And he quickly spat the stream of fire out, heading straight for Garuda. Garuda: 750Gs Spikenoid: 800Gs The Ventus Bakugan did his best to avoid the flames, though the tip of his right wing did get a bit singed. "Ahh!" He hissed, but kept flying forwards whilst continuing to avoid the fire. "Ability, Activate!" Garuda's wings sparked with lightning, "Thunder Gale!" With a powerful beat of his wings, the lightning infused wind shot towards Spike and slammed into him. "Augh!" He cried as his was slashed and zapped, the lightning sparking around his body and freezing him in place. Garuda: 750Gs Spikenoid: 650Gs "Get up!" Twilight ordered him. "I...can't," Spike moaned as Garuda flew down and quickly spun around to thrust a foot into his chest. "Augh!" He was knocked backwards and slammed into the building next to the one besides Twilight's, the Bakugan's tail flailing around and smashing into her's. She quickly rushed to the edge and leapt to another building, as Garuda flew back up. "Nice one Garuda!" Soarin cheered from across the street, but Twilight wasn't letting this fight end so quickly. "Gate Card...OPEN!" The floor began to glow and unleash a purple light, "Darkus Reactor!" The light flew into Spike and powered him up, the Darkus Bakugan's eyes going wide as he felt his power increase. Garuda: 750Gs Spikenoid: 850Gs "Oh yeah!" He cried as he pulled himself out of the building's remains before unleashing a blast of fire, which flew up and struck Garuda before he or Soarin could counter. "Augh!" He yelled, crossing his wings to try and protect himself from the flames as best as he could. But this caused him to fall from the sky and Spike followed him with his fire stream. "Soarin!" "Right!" Soarin took out a pair of cards, "Double Ability, Activate!" Garuda spread his wings as his body sparked with lightning. "Spark Streak, Plus Lightning Wing!" Garuda: 1000Gs Spikenoid: 850Gs Speed increased, Garuda spread his wings and shot into the air faster than Spike could follow. "Hey!" He cried, looking around. "Where'd he go!" "I'm behind you!" He heard behind him, making him spin around but saw nothing. "Still behind you!" He spun around again, but still there was nothing. "Still here!" He heard behind him, making him roar in annoyance as he swung his tail around. But it hit nothing but thin air. "Surprise!" He heard from above him, making him look up to see Garuda floating in the air. And before he could think, the bird shot down and slashed at him. "Augh!" He was sent hurtling backwards, as Garuda flew back into the air. At the same time, Soarin was running along the rooftops when he spotted a Surprise Card on one of them. Glancing up at Garuda and seeing him looking exhausted, Soarin decided he needed to take this chance and rushed over to grab it. "Gotcha!" The card glowed green and shot into the air, then flew towards Spikenoid and slammed into him. "Gyah!" He cried, as the light spread around him and turned red. "What's...happening." He could feel his power beginning to drain away. "It's Power Tax. A Surprise Ability that takes away a hundred Gs from a Bakugan for every Ability his opponent has used already. Since Garuda's used three, that's three hundred Gs being depleted." Garuda: 1000Gs Spikenoid: 550Gs Spike tried to push himself back to his feet, as Garuda dived down. "Gotta finish this now!" But before Garuda could get to Spikenoid, Twilight held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Spike's body spikes began to glow, "Dark Spikes!" As Garuda got in close, Spikenoid swung his arms around and slammed one of them into Garuda's chest. "Augh!" He cried, as half his G power was stolen away. Garuda: 500Gs Spikenoid: 1050Gs "Wow! With a single move, Spikenoid has stolen half of Garuda's power. Now he's the one with the advantage. If Garuda drops now, it's all over for him and Soarin." Garuda could feel himself about to change back, but knew if that happened he would be taken by Twilight. "I...won't let that happened." He brought his feet up and pushed Spike back, allowing him to fly upwards as Soarin held up two cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Garuda dived at Spikenoid, whilst his beak sparked with lightning. "Sky Burst, plus Blitz Bolt!" Garuda: 800Gs Spikenoid: 1050Gs The attack wasn't enough and as Garuda fired the lightning bolt, Spike swung his tail around to unleash a wind that blue the electricity away. "Finish him!" Twilight cried, as Spike unleashed another bout and green fire that struck Garuda head on. "Augh!" He cried, being blown towards where Soarin was standing. But before he could crash into the building, he turned back to ball form and landed on the roof as Soarin's life gauge dropped. Soarin: 50% Twilight: 100% "And with that, Twilight takes the lead in this Brawl. Quite an unexpected turn around, given how Soarin had the lead for most of the match. How will this affect the rest of the brawl?" "You okay Garuda?" Soarin asked, picking his Bakugan up. Garuda groaned as he opened up, "that hurt." "This isn't good. You're too exhausted from the last brawl to keep going. I'm gonna have to use another Bakugan." "No," Garuda told him, "we both know I'm the only one you have strong enough to take Spikenoid down. I can do this. We just need to play smarter, not harder." Soarin nodded and turned to Twilight, Spikenoid having returned to her. "That was too close," she told the Bakugan. "You got careless and let him have the upper-hand for too long." "Give me a break," Spike told her. "I did win after all." "Barely." She turned to Soarin, the pair locking eyes and knowing the next round wasn't gonna be an easy one. Those in the bunker frowned, having hoped Soarin could end the brawl then and there before the Dark Spikes was activated. "Should have known it wouldn't be that easy," Lyra sighed. Derpy chose this break in the action to change the channel, Flash's brawl now being shown. Leonidas dodged Bee Striker's attack and as he did, he flew over where Rafflesian was. "Ability, Activate!" The girl yelled as she held up a card. "Draining Roots!" Rafflesian slammed its thorny vines into the ground, the vines exploding out of the ground beneath Leonidas and wrapping around him. "Ahhh!" He groaned, as a hundred and fifty Gs were stolen from him. Leonidas: 300Gs Rafflesian: 450Gs Goblin Ball: 400Gs Bee Striker: 500Gs "Leo!" Flash cried, quickly taking out a card. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas' mouth sparked, "Alpha Blaster!" He fired a blast towards Rafflesian, slamming into it head on and causing it to loosen its grip enough for Leonidas to pull himself free. Leonidas: 500Gs Rafflesian: 450Gs Goblin Ball: 400Gs Bee Striker: 500Gs He then shot forward, diving towards the plant Bakugan ready to take it down. But before he could, Bee Striker appeared. "Ability, Activate!" Its Brawler yelled as he held up a card, the bee suddenly multiplying. "Swarm Assault!" Leonidas: 500Gs Rafflesian: 450Gs Goblin Ball: 400Gs Bee Striker: 600Gs The multiple Bee Strikers shot towards Leonidas and slammed into him several time, the dragon crying out as he was struck again and again. One's stinger struck his wing and he fell towards the ground, crashing into the field as Goblin Ball flew towards him. "Ability, Activate!" The Darkus Bakugan unleashed a powerfully bright light, which struck Leonidas. "Eerie Gaze!" Leonidas flinched, feeling his power drain. Leonidas: 400Gs Rafflesian: 450Gs Goblin Ball: 400Gs Bee Striker: 600Gs "Ability!" Flash held up a card, "Activate!" The sphere of energy formed around him, blocking out the light. "Hyper Shield!" Leo sighed as the feeling faded and his power returned. Leonidas: 500Gs Rafflesian: 450Gs Goblin Ball: 400Gs Bee Striker: 600Gs Leonidas took to the air, but as he did Bee Striker was waiting for him there. The hornet shot forward and pierced its stinger into his shield, causing the force-field to shatter like glass. "Get him!" Its Brawler cried as it shot forward, attempting to stab Leonidas. "Raaah!" The dragon reached out and grabbed him by the stinger and trying to stop it. But the force wasn't enough and he slowly felt the stringer getting closer and closer. At the same time, Rafflesian and Goblin Ball's Brawlers held up cards. "Ability, Activate!" They both yelled as their Bakugan powered up. Leonidas: 500Gs Rafflesian: 550Gs Goblin Ball: 500Gs Bee Striker: 600Gs Goblin Ball fired a beam of light that hit Leonidas in the back, "augh!" He accidentally released Bee Striker's stinger and allowed the Ventus Bakugan to stab him in the chest, making him hiss as he was thrown to the ground. At the same time, Rafflesian swung its vines around and slapped him away. "LEO!" Flash cried as Leonidas was knocked flying through a tree, hitting the ground and rolling as Flash watched him in worry. "No." He turned to the others as the three Bakugan grouped up, watching to see if Leonidas would get up. "You haven't beaten us yet!" "You sure?" The Darkus Brawler asked, "because your overgrown iguana isn't looking so good." "Who you calling an iguana!" Leonidas growled as he pushed himself up out of the tree's remains, "say that again and I'll step on you. And Flash is right. You haven't beaten us yet." "And you won't!" Flash told them. "We've got friends waiting for us that needs our help." The image of Soarin and Garuda appeared in the forefront of his mind, followed by the image of Twilight and Spike. The dark new look Twilight had taken on slowly faded, showing the girl he had come to expect and admire. Those four were his friends and they needed his help. "And you three are standing in our way!" "And since you won't move...WE'LL JUST HAVE TO STEP OVER YOU!" Leonidas roared as his body began to glow, starting at his eyes and spreading around the rest of him. Flash and his opponents were blinded by this light, Flash looking down at his BakuColar and seeing the same words that had appeared when he battled Rarity. "Power surge detected." "Again?" He asked as Leonidas' power began to rise. Down within the lab, Sombra watched the footage and looked over at the data. "It's happening again. An incredible amount of power flowing from Leonidas. More then his body should be able to handle." He turned towards Lucifer, who was still absorbing the power generated by the battles. "You said that you would know what this was if you sensed it again. So...what is?" Lucifer chuckled, "It's something I didn't expect to ever see in this world. To think, a Bakugan would become strong enough to surpass his limits. He hasn't reached it yet, but soon he'll grow so powerful his body won't be able to handle the power he's amassed. And when that happens, he'll have only two options." "And what are those options?" "Be overwhelmed by the power and destroy himself, or transform himself into a form that can handle the power." "You don't mean..." "Yes," Lucifer nodded, "evolution." The light around Leonidas continued to glow, as his power level finally stopped rising. Leonidas: 700Gs Rafflesian: 550Gs Goblin Ball: 500Gs Bee Striker: 600Gs "Flash!" He took to the air, "let's finish this!" "You got it!" Flash held up his cards, but the Ventus Brawler was faster. "Oh no you don't!" He cried!" Holding up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Bee Striker flew up and unleashed a bust of wind, "Tornado Impact!" Leonidas: 700Gs Rafflesian: 550Gs Goblin Ball: 500Gs Bee Striker: 800Gs The wind struck Leonidas and despite his power level being lower, the Bakugan seemed unharmed by the attack!" "Ability!" The other two cried, "Activate!" Goblin Ball and Rafflesian unleashed beams of energy towards Leonidas, but they simply bounced off the light the same way Bee Striker's attack had. "What's happening?" The girl asked, looking down at her BakuColar. Leonidas: 700Gs Rafflesian: 750Gs Goblin Ball: 700Gs Bee Striker: 800Gs "Our power level's stronger, so why won't the attacks connect?" "Triple Ability, Activate!" Flash held up the cards, as Leonidas suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye. "Dragon Flash!" He reappeared next to Bee Striker and slammed his tail into him, knocking him towards the ground. The Ventus Bakugan crashed into Goblin Ball, causing them both to fall to the ground and hit Rafflesian. "Plus, Shining Tornado, plus Fusion Ability, ALPHA HURRICANE!" "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Leonidas roared as he spun around, the tornado of light forming around him as the energy sparked around it. Leonidas: 1300Gs Rafflesian: 750Gs Goblin Ball: 700Gs Bee Striker: 800Gs "TAKE THIS!" Leonidas roared from within the drill, as he crashed into the three Bakugan and caused a massive shockwave that knocked the three other Brawlers back as their life gauges each hit zero. Their Bakugan were also sent flying and all returned to ball form, the three shooting towards Flash. The teen held up his hand and the Bakugan landed in his palm, Leonidas breaking out of his attack and floating above him with another loud roar escaping his mouth. "That's it! Flash Sentry, out of nowhere, manages to turn things around and win against three teams of brawlers. Now the only teams left are his BakuFighters and the Rainbooms, meaning his team could claim victory if his teammate can win. Leonidas returned to Flash, the teen catching him as he started running through the battlefield. "Leo, what the heck his happening to you. What's with this sudden surge of power?" "I don't know," Leonidas told him. "For a moment I just felt...stronger. Like something buried within me awaken for that one moment. But now...now it's gone." Flash felt a little worried, fearing Leonidas might be accidentally tapping into some Doom Dimension power he didn't know he had. Flash might have trusted Leonidas, but the Doom Dimension was an insane place. If Leonidas did have some kind of power like that, it might end up hurting him or causing him to lose control. Hopefully, that wasn't the case. "Let's focus on that later. For now, let's just get to Soarin and help him out before something bad happens." "Gate Card!" Soarin threw his towards the ground, "SET!" Once again, he and Twilight rushed off to find some power-ups. And they spotted them, though there was only a few this time. "BAKUGAN!" They both threw their Bakugan, "BRAWL!" Spike and Garuda shot towards the cluster and reached it at the same time, Spike managing to grab one more coin then Garuda before they struck the ground. "BAKUGAN, STAND!" They popped open and in a flash of light and wind, appeared as the power-ups activated. Garuda: 550Gs Spikenoid: 600Gs "Double Ability," Soarin held up a card, "Activate!" Garuda took to the air as his body sparked, "Thunder Gale, plus Lightning Wing!" Garuda beat his wings and the electrified windstruck Spike, making him flinch as his power dropped and Garuda's rose. Garuda: 700Gs Spikenoid: 450Gs Garuda dived down, ready to slash at Spike, but Twilight was ready. "Ability, Activate!" Once again the Darkus Bakugan's spikes glowed and as Garuda got in close, Spike swung his arm around and stabbed into Garuda. "Dark Spikes!" Garuda flinched as his power was drained away. Garuda: 350Gs Spikenoid: 800Gs "Ouch. Once again Twilight has stolen Garuda's power and made it her own. Will Garuda once again be defeated?" "Not gonna happen!" Soarin yelled as he pointed to the ground, "Gate Card...OPEN!" The field lit up, "Ventus Saver!" The light spread to Garuda and Spike, making Spikenoid flinch whilst Garuda could feel his power being restored. "Ventus Saver nullifies my opponent's abilities as long as I'm using a Ventus Bakugan, which means Dark Spikes is cancelled out." Garuda: 700Gs Spikenoid: 450Gs "Ahhh," Twilight growled before taking out a card. "Ability, Activate!" But nothing happened, "what?" She asked, then realised what was going on. "Don't tell me, Ventus Saver keeps me from activating new abilities." "I saw what you did to Heath and Bonnie," Soarin told her. "Thought I'd return the favour." He took out his own card, "Ability, Activate!" Garuda's beak sparked, "Blitz Bolt!" Garuda: 850Gs Spikenoid: 450Gs Garuda squawked as he launched the lightning bolt, hitting Spike right in the chest. "Augh!" He cried, as the electricity began to spread around his body and paralysed him. "Can't...move." "That's right!" Garuda yelled before diving down and slashing him with his wing, "now fall!" Spike did fall, but managed to spin around and catch himself on his hands whilst Garuda circled around and dove again. Twilight glared at Soarin, "why won't he end it!" She knew Spike likely wouldn't take another hit if he used another Ability, so why didn't he? If only she knew that Soarin didn't want to win yet. "If I use another Ability, I'll win but Spikenoid will become mine." He knew he could just give Spike back, but he also feared the transfer of ownership might cause Spike to lose his voice again. "Just fall already!" Garuda continued slashing at Spike again and again, as the light of the Gate Card began to dim. "No!" "Looks like the Gate Card's effects are starting to die down. Can Soarin end this before it fades completely?" As the light faded, Soarin sighed. "I've got no choice." He took out a card, "Ability Activate!" Garuda flew straight up, as his body became shrouded by lightning. "Spark Streak!" Garuda: 950Gs Spikenoid: 450Gs Garuda shot down, ready to end this and defeat Spikenoid. But before he could, the light of the Gate Card vanished completely. "Too late!" Twilight held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Spike's body glowed, "Scale-Mail!" Garuda slammed off Spike's body, his power weakening but not by enough. Garuda: 850Gs Spikenoid: 450Gs "Ahhhh!" Spike cried as he was knocked flying backwards, slamming into another building as Garuda took to the air. "Double Ability!" Twilight held up a pair of cards, "Activate!" The cards glowed and Spike pushed himself up to his feet before breathing in, "Fire Burst, plus Tearing Claw!" Garuda: 850Gs Spikenoid: 750Gs Spikenoid unleashed the fire stream, but Garuda was able to evade all the attacks as he flew down and Soarin held up his own card. "Ability, Activate!" Garuda tucked in his wings as the slipstream formed around him, "Sky Burst!" Garuda: 1000Gs Spikenoid: 750Gs Spikenoid pulled back his claws, ready to slash at Garuda whilst Twilight prepared her Fusion Ability. But before she could, Garuda spread his wings and suddenly accelerated. "Take this!" He squawked before slamming into Spikenoid, knocking him off his feet before he could slash at him. He fell to the ground and reverted back to ball form, Twilight gasping as her life gauge dropped. Soarin: 50% Twilight: 50% "Yow! Soarin manages to tie the battle up, whilst Twilight scurries to collect her Bakugan." Garuda returned to Soarin, the teen looking down and seeing Twilight climb down the side of the building to collect Spike. "One more fight," Garuda told him. "One more win and the Rainbooms will all be free." "Yeah," Soarin nodded. "But I get the feeling this isn't gonna be that easy." He watched as Twilight picked Spikenoid up, then slowly turned her attention back to him. "She looks mad." The look on her face was screaming that, but she said nothing and instead headed back towards the fire escape. As she did, Rainbow ran onto the street. Instead of heading to the bunker, she wanted to be right where the action was. "You think Soarin can beat Twilight again?" Pinkie asked. "I don't know," Rarity told her. "He was able to stop her Dark Spikes Ability because of his Gate Card, but he's not gonna have that again. If he can't find a way to stop it again, all the power his Bakugan gains is gonna be sucked away." "Soarin's smart," Nimue stated. "He'll come up with a plan to win." "Maybe," Applejack frowned, "but Twilight's smarter. Plus, she hasn't used any of those Phantom Cards yet. If she does, a'm not sure how well Soarin's gonna be able to hold out." They all realised she was right, but even so they all had to hope and believe Soarin could win this fight. "I'll admit," Twilight finally spoke up as she reached the top of the building. "Countering my Dark Spikes like that was impressive, but you let your mercy get the better of you." "How so?" "Had you activated your Abilities sooner, you would have won not only the brawl but Spikenoid too." "I don't know what caused Spike to start talking," Soarin told her. "But I do know that him losing that ability would be horrible for you guys. If taking Spike from you caused him to lose his voice...I couldn't do that to him." "Well that kindness will now destroy you," Twilight took out a card. And even before it was set, Soarin could feel the dark energy coming off of it. "You'll regret showing me mercy. Gate Card, SET!" She threw it towards the ground and ran off, Soarin doing the same whilst Rainbow climbed up a fire escape. The pair quickly found another batch of power-up coins and Twilight leapt into the air. "Bakugan!" She threw Spike before Soarin could get a good aim, "BRAWL!" Spike struck all but one of the power-ups before hitting the ground, "Bakugan...STAND!" He popped open and unleashed a burst of dark light, "Darkus Spikenoid, RISE!" "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Spike roared as he took to the field, his power spiking from the extra Gs he had acquired. Spikenoid: 750Gs Soarin frowned, but knew he had to keep going. "Let's do this Garuda!" He leapt off the edge of a building, "Bakugan...BRAWL!" Garuda shot towards the final coin and slammed into it before hitting the ground and popping open. "Bakugan...STAND!" A tornado exploded into the city, "Ventus Garuda, TAKE FLIGHT!" Garuda squawked as he shot up into the air, spinning several times before stopping as his G power rose. Garuda: 500Gs Spikenoid: 750Gs "Double Ability, Activate!" Soarin held up two cards, as Garuda shot down and his body sparked. "Lightning Wing, plus Spark Streak!" Garuda: 750Gs Spikenoid: 750Gs Spike braced himself, as Garuda flew in close. He then thrust his arms out and grabbed Garuda by the wings, flinching because of the lightning sparking into him and being pushed backwards. But he didn't let it overpower him and held Garuda tightly, as Twilight held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Spikenoid opened his mouth, "Fire Burst!" The green flames exploded out of him, hitting Garuda head on and making him squawk in pain as he tried to pull away. Garuda: 750Gs Spikenoid: 950Gs "Garuda!" Soarin yelled, as the Ventus Bakugan raised his claws and slashed at Spike's stomach. The dragon flinched and his grip on Garuda's wings lessened, allowing the Ventus Bakugan to pull away and take to the air. "Now," he held up two cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Once again, Garuda's body sparked with energy. "Thunder Gale, plus Blitz Bolt!" "Move!" Twilight told Spike, but Garuda launched the lightning bolt from his beak before beating his wings to unleash the electrified gust. The two attacks fused and Spike tried to get out of the way, but the wind struck him before he could. "Augh!" He cried, falling to the ground and sparking with energy. Garuda: 900Gs Spikenoid: 800Gs "Get him!" Soarin yelled, Garuda diving down towards Spike with his claws primed. Spike groaned, unable to move or activate Abilities. However, Twilight wasn't worried. "You think I'd fall for that?" She asked, chuckling as she pushed her glasses up her face. "As if." She pointed towards the ground, "Phantom Gate Card...OPEN!" The ground glowed once again, unleashing a dark energy that flew towards the two Bakugan. It spread around Spikenoid and shot into the air, hitting Garuda in the chest. "Augh!" He cried, feeling his power being drained away. Spike, meanwhile, felt his power begin to raise and Soarin looked down at his BakuColar to see what had just happened. Garuda: 750Gs Spikenoid: 950Gs "Their power levels reset?" "Darkus Excellence," Twilight explained. "A Phantom Gate Card that can nullify the activate Abilities of any non-Darkus Bakugan. But that's not all it does." More energy flowed throughout the battlefield and into Spikenoid, the Darkus Bakugan's face showing a lot of pain. Garuda: 750Gs Spikenoid: 1150Gs "What the?" Soarin asked. "An extra hundred Gs for every Bakugan on the field. Plus one final effect." "How many more Abilities can one Gate Card have?" Soarin asked as Twilight took out another card, which glowed the same dark aura as her last Gate Card. "Now I can set a new Gate Card." Soarin's eyes went wide as she threw the card towards the ground, the Gate Card exploding as she took out another card. "Ability, Activate!" Spike's body spikes glowed once again, "Spiking Strike!" The light then shot into the air and Garuda began to do everything he could to avoid them. However, he just wasn't fast enough. "Augh!" He cried, as one spike struck him in the wing. Garuda: 700Gs Spikenoid: 1150Gs This slowed him down, allowing two more spikes to slam into him. "Gyah!" Garuda: 600Gs Spikenoid: 1150Gs He tried to stay aloft, but just couldn't and slammed into the ground before sliding to a stop on the street. "Garuda!" Soarin screamed, about to take out an Ability card. But Twilight was quicker. "Phantom Gate Card...OPEN!" The field began to glow and the light shot towards Garuda and Spike, enshrouding them and causing them both great pain. "Power Lock!" "Not that one!" Heath yelled, remembering what that Gate Card had done to him and Bonnie. "This is really bad," Bonnie looked petrified. "With their power levels the way they are, if Garuda falls..." She couldn't bare to say it, but everyone knew what she was getting at. "Come on Soarin," Lyra whispered. "You've gotta find a way around this." Soarin couldn't see a way around this. Even if he activated an Ability, it wouldn't change his power Level and he couldn't throw in a new Bakugan. "We're trapped." "Spikenoid!" Twilight ordered, pointing at the downed Ventus Bakugan. "Take...him...down!" Spike roared as he charged towards Garuda, who was picking himself up. And as he got to his feet, Spike swung his tail around and smashed it into him. "Augh!" He cried, being thrown backwards and crashing into a building. The structure crumbled and as it did, Soarin knew he had to act fast. "It saved me last time," he looked around, trying to spot a Surprise Card he could use to stop this. But nothing was in sight, making him frown as Garuda got back to his feet. "Get into the air. You'll be safe there!" Garuda nodded and pushed himself out of the rubble, flinching in pain as Soarin began running throughout the city. And as Spike charged to get him, Garuda leapt into the air and flew up with a pained look on his face. "Get him!" Twilight ordered, Spike unleashing a blast of fire towards Garuda. The Ventus Bakugan barely managed to avoid it, whilst Soarin landed on another rooftop and spotted a card. "There!" He rushed forward, "please be one I can use!" He grabbed the card, but as soon as he did it turned red. "AUGH!" He cried as he was zapped, his BakuColar beeping to show a loss of points. Soarin: 40% Twilight: 50% "Ouch! Too bad for Soarin. This is only getting worse and worse for him." Spikenoid unleashed another green fire blast and struck Garuda's wing, making him cry out as he fell towards the ground. Soarin panted at the pain, but refused to let this stop him. "Raaah!" He pushed through the pain and ran along the rooftops, leaping over to another rooftop as Garuda hit the ground. Flash and Leonidas finally arrived at the City Battlefield and as they did, they spotted Spike a good distance away. "There!" They ran towards the fight, hoping they could find a way to help Soarin and Garuda. "Hang on guys," Leonidas stated from Flash's shoulder. "But if we enter this battle, we'll be penalised." "Better than Soarin losing and us having to fight Twilight on our own!" Flash pointed out. As Garuda pushed himself back to his feet, Spike charged yet again. "Take this!" He swung his tail around and Garuda barely manged to leap out of the way of it, the tail instead hitting a building he was in front of. Soarin kept searching but still found nothing, the teen knowing he was running out of time. Spike unleashed another fire blast and he watched as Garuda leapt back into the air to avoid it, but he couldn't get very high up with his injured wings. "Please Soarin," he told his partner. "Hurry!" "There's...no more cards," Soarin gulped. But as he said this, Rainbow ran up to a building on the other side of the street from him. And as she did, Terraspin spotted something. "Rainbow, down there!" He did his best to point in his ball form, Rainbow looking down at a street's trash can and seeing a glow. "Soarin!" Rainbow cried, getting the teen's attention as she pointed towards the trash can. Soarin followed her finger and his eyes went wide seeing the can, unable to see the light from his angle. But he believed her and quickly began to climb down the side of the building. As he did, Garuda landed up the street as Spike charge. The Ventus Bakugan crossed his wings to block a slash from him, then leapt back to dodge a fire blast. As he did, Soarin hit the street and ran for the trash can. And as Spike prepared another fire attack, Soarin reached into the bin and grabbed the card. "Please!" He begged, as the light changed colour...to green. Suddenly, the light of the Gate Card vanished. And as Twilight reached the roof of a building on the street, she saw this and her eyes went wide. "What happened?" "Wow. Talk about luck. Soarin got the Street Closed Surprise Card, which temporarily negates the effects of a Gate Card that's active." Everyone who heard this gasped, Soarin smiling as he acted fast. "Fusion Ability, ACTIVATE!" Garuda leapt up and began to spin, the tornado of green wind spiralling around him as lightning sparked around it. "Lightning Vortex!" Garuda: 950Gs Spikenoid: 1150Gs Soarin frowned at this, seeing he still didn't have enough power to match her. But before he could use another card, "Ability, Activate!" Spikenoid roared and charged forward, as the Garuda's lightning drill continued to fly towards him. "Tearing Claw!" Garuda: 950Gs Spikenoid: 1250Gs "Ability-" Soarin held up his card, but before he could activate it the field began to glow away. "No!" "The effects of Street Closed have ended and so, Soarin can no longer increase his Bakugan's G power." Everyone watched as the lightning drill struck Spike, who swung his claws forwards and smashed them into the attack. The two Bakugan struggled against one another, as Spike's mouth filled with fire. He let the attack rip and it collided with Garuda's attack, eventually reaching a critical point. Before Soarin or anyone else could do anything, a massive explosion filled the battlefield. KABOOM! The entire field suddenly rocked and Flash almost fell over from the shockwaves, he and Leonidas looking up and seeing a large smoke cloud appearing from behind a line of buildings. "Soarin!" He rushed forward and made his way through an alleyway, coming out on the other side of the street. They could barely see a thing, the pair blinded by the smoke still filling the city. But slowly, the smoke began to fade and reveal the outcome of the brawl that had taken place there. "Ahhhh," Soarin moaned as he was laid out on the floor. Garuda was right in front of him, the Bakugan on his back trying to push himself up. But he couldn't and fell back to the ground, reverting to ball form and rolling towards Soarin as their life gauge dropped. Soarin: 0% Twilight: 50% (Winner) "It's over. With that, Twilight Sparkle of the Rainbooms claims victory over Soarin of the BakuFighters. The young lad did well, but he just couldn't overcome her skills." "Soarin!" Flash rushed to his side, as the rest of the smoke faded to show Spikenoid. The Darkus Bakugan roared again as Twilight landed on his head, then lowered his neck. Flash looked up at her as she jumped onto the street, Rainbow climbing down and rushing to Soarin's side as well. "Is he okay?" She asked, only for them to hear a beeping noise and look down at Flash's BakuColar. Flash: 100% Twilight: 100% "It's here. The battle to determine who will take home the trophy and be the winners of the first Bakugan Battle Tournament. It's Flash Sentry of the BakuFighters against Twilight Sparkle of the Rainbooms. These two teams have had it out for one another since the start of the match, only losing to members of the opposite team. Now it all comes down to these two young brawlers." "Twilight," Flash whispered as Rainbow helped Soarin up to his feet. The girl made her way towards her, as Spikenoid returned to ball form and flew into her hand. "I wanna say that you don't have to do this, but I know it won't work. Phantom's grip on your mind is too strong." "Maybe it is," Twilight smiled. "Or maybe he's just shown me to true meaning of being the best." She pointed at him, "I might not have been able to get Garuda for him. But your Leonidas is the ultimate prize. I will seize it for him." "Don't be so sure," Flash told him as Leonidas landed on his shoulder. "You were the one who helped Flash and I become a real team," he told her. "I'll repay that by beating you and freeing you both from Phantom's clutches." As he said that, the field around them began to change as the City Battlefield faded away. This confused the lot on the field and those in the bunker, but the announcer quickly explained. "Since this will be the final brawl of the tournament, we have a special field ready just for it. Prepare yourself for the final battle!" The BakuFighters and Rainbooms all rushed out of the bunker, the lot wanting to be right near the action to cheer Flash and Leonidas on when the brawl started. And as they did, the field began to form. The ground turned to a greyish rock that had a strange sparkly dust covering it, and from that ground a bunch of crystal spikes began to grow. Flash and Twilight suddenly found themselves on the very tip of a crystal spike, a good fifty feet away from one another. When the spikes stopped growing, they looked up and saw the ceiling had turned as black as the night. It had multiple stars twinkling from it along with many strange looking planets of all different shapes and sizes. "Welcome to the Crystal Galaxy. It's here that our Brawlers will determine who will be crowd the absolute winner of the contest. Are both brawlers ready?" "As I'll ever be," Flash took a deep breath. Twilight smiled and took out a card, "I'm ready to destroy this fool." Flash frowned at this. "Then let's get this show on the road. In three...two...one...Bakugan..." "BRAWL!" They both yelled, as Twilight threw the card. "Gate Card...SET!" It hit the ground and Twilight spotted a cluster of power-ups a ways off. "Perfect," She leapt off the crystal and rushed towards them. Flash slid down his crystal and as he did, he heard his friends call out to him. "Flash!" He turned to them as they arrived, all smiling and nodding at him. "You've got this," Lyra told him. "Bring Twilight back!" Pinkie cheered, Flash nodding and running off to find his own power-ups. Twilight reached the power-ups first. "Bakugan!" She threw Spike, "BRAWL!" The Darkus Bakugan shot through the air and struck five of the coins before hitting the ground and rolling, "Bakugan...STAND!" Spike exploded with dark light, the wingless dragon appearing with the crystal covered battlefield. "Darkus Spikenoid!" "RAAAAAH!" He roared, his power raising. Spikenoid: 700Gs Twilight chuckled and turned to Flash, who had rushed up one of the crystal spikes. "Now, bring out Leonidas so I can finally take him." Flash frowned, "don't tell me how to brawl." He held up his partner, "ready bud?" "Always," he nodded before closing up. Flash nodded back and threw him, yelling the iconic words as he did so. Leonidas shot through the air and struck a bunch of the remaining power-ups before hitting the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" Leonidas popped open and exploded into light, "Haos Leonidas!" From that light, the white, yellow and purple dragon flew out and did several spines before stopping and letting out a roar. The power-ups kicked in and his G power rose to meet Spike's. Leonidas: 700Gs Spikenoid: 700Gs "Ability, Activate!" Both brawlers held up their cards, "Alpha Blaster/Fire Burst!" Leonidas flew down and unleashed the laser beam, whilst Spike fired the green flames towards him. The two attacks collided and exploded, unleashing a shockwave that pushed both Bakugan and their Brawlers back. Leonidas: 900Gs Spikenoid: 900Gs Flash fought through the shockwaves and quickly held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" From out of the smoke, Leonidas shot down as his muscles tensed. "Brawling Dragon!" Leonidas: 1000Gs Spikenoid: 900Gs Leonidas slammed a fist into Spike's gut, making him flinch, then swung around and thrust a kick into his chest. "Ahhh!" Spike staggered back as Leonidas stayed closed and kept throwing rapid random punches, kicks and tail swings in his direction. But then, Twilight held up a pair of cards and Spike caught his tail. "Double Ability, Activate!" Spike's scales glared along with his claws. "Scale-Mail, plus Tearing Claw!" "Raaaaah!" He threw the tail away and Leonidas was thrown into the side of a crystal spike, the wingless dragon rushing forward and slashing at him. Leonidas: 900Gs Spikenoid: 1000Gs "Augh!" Leonidas cried as he was slashed down the chest, Spikenoid holding up his other arm ready to repeat the attack. "Ability, Activate!" Flash held up a card as Leonidas glowed, then vanished in the blink of an eye. "Dragon Flash!" Leonidas appeared above Spikenoid, cracking his knuckles ready for their next tussle. Leonidas: 1000Gs Spikenoid: 1000Gs But before Leonidas could dive down, Twilight held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Spike's body spikes began to glow, "Spiking Strike!" The spikes fired off of him and shot into the air, however Leonidas' increased speed allowed him to evade almost all of them. Only one hit him, catching the dragonoid right in the leg. "Ahhh!" He hissed, feeling the sting as his power lowered. Leonidas: 950Gs Spikenoid: 1000Gs He slowly guided towards the ground, grabbing the spike in his leg and pulling it out of him as Spikenoid charged. As he did, Twilight held up another card. "Ability, Activate!" His spikes once again glowed, only this time they glowed purple. "Dark Spikes!" Everyone began to grow fearful of this move, but Flash had been expecting it. "Ability!" He held up a card, "Activate!" It glowed along with Leonidas, the light flying off of him to form a force-field sphere. "Hyper Shield!" Spike stabbed his razors into the shield and it did nothing, allowing Leonidas to recover from the Spiking Strike and push himself up. He shot into the air, the sphere fading as Leonidas hovered. "Do it Flash!" The teen nodded and took out another Ability Card. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas dived, then spun around as light spiralled around him. "Shining Tornado!" Leonidas: 1100Gs Spikenoid: 1000Gs The attack got close to Spikenoid, but neither he nor Twilight was worried. "I don't think so." She pointed towards the ground, "Gate Card...OPEN!" The ground suddenly lit up with purple light, "DARKUS REACTOR!" The light flew into Spikenoid and he smirked. "YEAH!" He roared, his power raising as the Shining Tornado got it close Leonidas: 1100Gs Spikenoid: 1200Gs Spike suddenly thrust his arms out and grabbed the attack, stopping it in its place as the revolutions slowed down. He then spun around and smashed his tail into it, sending Leonidas flying out of the light and crashing into the ground. "Augh!" He cried, sliding through the sparkly dust until he crashed into a crystal spike. "LEO!" Flash yelled, as Twilight took out another card. "Fusion Ability, Activate!" Flash's eyes went wide as the spikes on the Darkus Bakugan's back and arms suddenly burst into green fire. "BLAZING SPIKES!" Spikenoid suddenly slammed the ground, causing it to shake as a trail of giant green spikes shot out of the ground towards Leonidas. The dragon groaned as he pushed himself up. But as he did, several spikes shot out around him and trapped him in a cage before they burst into flames and fried him. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared in pain as the power level changed. Leonidas: 1100Gs Spikenoid: 1500Gs "LEO!" Flash cried, as his Bakugan tried to fight against the pain. But it was too much and he reverted back to ball form, Flash's life gauge dropping rapidly. Flash: 20% Twilight: 100% As Leonidas fell to the ground, Spikenoid returned to Twilight and the announcer called out. "WOW! In one round, Twilight wiped away almost all of Flash's life gauge. Flash better kick things up if he wants to win this match." Flash's friends all watched and worried, as Flash picked Leonidas up. "You okay?" "Uhhh," Leonidas opened up, "that hurt." They both heard laughter and turned towards Twilight, who was once again atop one of the crystal spikes. "You should just give up now and hand Leonidas over. Save him being hurt anymore then he already has." She laughed some more as Flash frowned. "We're not giving up," Flash told her. "Just you watch. We're gonna win and bring you and Spike back!" But as he said this, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. 'That's easier said than done. Twilight's one of the best brawlers I know. If I wanna beat her, I've gotta pull out all the stops. This isn't a game anymore. In this match...it's winner takes all.' To be continued...