The Bakugan Battle Tournament was officially over and the winners were the BakuFighters.
It had been a tough series of battles, but in the end the five Brawlers and their Talking Bakugan were able to come out on top. But despite the victory, they weren't exactly happy. The reason: They had discovered the culprit behind the brainwashing of their friends the Rainbooms. The Bakugan that was likely behind Phantom and Ragnaroid's actions. Lucifer, the White One.
"And that's the story," Wukong finished telling the BakuFighters and Rainbooms the story as they all sat in the Bakugan Stadium's hang out area. He had decided to tell those that hadn't heard about it, the story he had told the others a while back. The story of when he saw the Six Guardian Bakugan as Vestroia began to collapse. The Bakugan had already told the uninformed humans about the legend of Lucifer and how the Six Guardian Bakugan had sealed him within the Perfect Core. After then, Wukong had chosen to tell them how the Bakugan came to be here. "That's how we ended up with this world."
"So Ragnaroid was the cause of our world's destruction," Cleopal sighed. "I had assumed, but actually hearing it."
"So when the Guardians beat him, he sent the energy he'd gathered to Lucifer?" Lepusinge asked, the others nodding as they realised what's what must have happened.
"That still doesn't explain how Dark Industries got a hold of us," Garuda told them. "If the Guardians sent us here, how did the Bakugan end up getting sold as toys for their game."
"That's a good question," Twilight sighed. "One we might not be able to find an answer too." She and the rest of the Rainbooms had all returned to their normal looks and clothing choices, though getting the dye out of their hair had taken a lot of washing and three bottles of shampoo each.
"It's clear something happened when Vestroia was destroyed," Flash told them. "I don't know how and I don't know why, but Dark Industries got its hands on a lot of Bakugan."
"Maybe those Guardian Bakugan you told us about gave them to Dark Industries?" Pinkie suggested. "Maybe they knew about Lucifer and wanted help fighting against him. So they gave Sombra the Bakugan so he could find people strong enough to stand up against Phantom." She looked down at her Bakugan partner, "what do you think?" The Bakugan, though quiet, moved in such a way that told her he didn't think so.
"That doesn't sound like the Guardians," Fenroar told her. "They wouldn't give us away to be sold."
"Yeah," Applejack nodded. "That don't sound like somethin protective heroes would do."
"But then how the heck did Dark Industries get the Bakugan then?" Rainbow asked, with nobody sure how to answer her question. "Man, wish we'd have asked Sombra when we met him?"
"I don't think he would have told us," Twilight sighed. "He must know about the Bakugan being alive. After everything that's happened, he couldn't be blind to that fact."
"So what are you saying?" Flash asked, "Sombra knew the Bakugan were alive but didn't tell anyone so he could sell them and make a quick buck?" Twilight shrugged, showing she thought it was at least a possibility.
"But he seemed so nice," Fluttershy stated.
"Doesn't mean he can't let his greed get the better of him," Bonnie told her.
"Maybe he doesn't know," Leonidas stated. The others looked down at the newly evolved Bakugan, who was still having a hard time learning to move in his ball form so kept as still as possible. "If Lucifer was able to brainwash these girls, maybe he did the same to Sombra."
"You think he's being manipulated?" Twilight asked, "made to sell the Bakugan."
"It's possible," Nimue nodded. "I doubt any of you would have done what you did during the Tournament if you weren't under Lucifer's control."
"But why would Lucifer want Sombra to make money?" Heath asked.
"Good question," Soarin sat back. "I doubt he's the type to be concerned with making a good profit. He must be after something else."
"This is all just speculation," Garuda told them. "We don't know for sure that Lucifer and Sombra are even connected." They all frowned, knowing he was right. The only real way to find out was to talk to Sombra alone, but they doubted that such a thing would be possible.
"There's someone else we might be able to ask," they turned to Flash as he crossed his arms. "Phantom."
"What?" Derpy asked, "why would Phantom answer any of our questions?"
"If we tell Phantom we know about Lucifer, he might let something slip. It doesn't have to be something big, but even a little bit of information would be enough."
"He's right," Twilight nodded. "Phantom's the only one we know for sure has information we can use."
"But it's not like we can just call him up," Heath pointed out. "The guy doesn't exactly have an address we can find in the phone book."
"He'll show up," Flash told them. "Now that Leo's evolved, Phantom's even more interested in getting him. He'll come and try and take him. When that happens, we'll take him down and get some info out of him." The others hated to admit it, but Flash was right. "And until then, we need to focus on getting stronger and stronger." He stood up, "who's with me?" They all nodded and got up as well, bringing their hands in. "For the Bakugan!"
"FOR THE BAKUGAN!" They all yelled, throwing their hands up. As they did this, they continued to wonder whether their theories about Sombra were right or not.
Sombra was in his office, Lucifer flying behind him looking out at the window. "Strange," the Bakugan told the man.
Sombra stopped typing on his computer and turned to him, "strange? What's strange?" He stood up and stepped over to the window with the Bakugan, looking out at the city that surrounded his building.
"I find this world rather strange. It's roughly four times the size of Vestroia and yet, it appears so much smaller. So many things are crammed together that it feels like there's truly no room left. I just find it rather strange."
"Yes," Sombra nodded. "We humans are rather concerned about maintaining space. We build apartment buildings to create hundreds of homes in one place and use mass transit to allow more space on the roads."
"Considering how small you humans are, you'd think you'd be less concerned about space." Lucifer flew away from the window as Sombra sat back down, whilst getting an email that told him his company's current profit margin.
"Ha," he chuckled, "looks like the Battle Tournament did more than just help you regain power. There were so many people watching who got interested in brawling that a wave of new players is beginning to flood in, buying Bakugan and Cards like they're scared we'll run out."
"Which you eventually will," Lucifer explained. "How much of the Ark's contents remain?" Sombra frowned and typed something up, bringing up schematics of the ship below his company.
"We still have thirty five percent of the Bakugan remaining in the Ark. By the time that runs out...you'll have already completed your awakening as a true Bakugan."
"Good," Lucifer chuckled, "just you wait and see. Soon we will have everything our worlds denied us. I will have the power I was always meant to wield and get revenge on the ones that wronged me, whilst you will be the man that helped secure this world's future."
"Yes," Sombra smiled, "I remember the day we met. Things were a lot different back then."
A year and a half ago.
Sombra was in his office, looking worried as he went over his company's profit margins. Sombra had inherited the company from his parents at a young age, the pair having died in a plane crash. Since his teen years, he had done everything in his power to try and keep the company afloat. But alas...
"Ahhh!" He cried, spinning his chair away from his computer. His company was going under. It had always been on the cutting edge of technology in the country, but over the last few years it had been going through a slump. Anything it wanted to create was either patented by somebody else, or decades away from being a reality. "If I don't do something, my company's gonna go under." He let out a sighed and stood up, looking out the large window at the city below him.
The sight of it made him frown, as his company had helped build this city. It had been a small town when his ancestors first opened the company and as it grew, more people travelled to the area to work there and that made the city grow and grow and grow. But now the company that had given the city life was about to die, and nobody was gonna even notice.
"There has to be something that can save my company. Something the whole world would be interested in buying. But what?" He continued to stare out at the city, then looked up at the sky. "If there's anything or anyone out there that's willing to help me save my company, then I'll be willing to do anything. Please?"
Silence followed this request and he let out a sigh, believing his company really was dead. But then it happened.
From out of nowhere, a bright flash of light filled the sky. "Augh!" Sombra cried, shielding his eyes as he stepped away from the window. The light continued to blaze and after a few moments, Sombra opened his eyes and looked up to see something he never thought he would see in Canterlot. "An...aurora?"
The air was filled with waves and brilliant light, the type that was only seen up north. They flowed in every which way, being so bright that every car and vehicle in the city had to stop for fear of crashing. And as they did, the vehicles began to spark as every electrical device in them went nuts. And it wasn't just the vehicles.
"What?" Sombra cried as his computer, the lights and anything else electrical went nuts as well. He was getting seriously scared now, wanting to know what the heck was going on.
What he didn't know, was that the same aurora was covering the entire planet and causing the electrical devices of the world to freak. Everyone in the world was terrified, many screaming it was the end of the world. But they had no idea how close to the truth they were with that statement, only it wasn't there would that was meeting its end.
Sombra stepped away from the window, hoping that would lessen the strength of the light. But it was still super bright and Sombra could feel himself beginning to tan. But before he could go insane with freight, something new appeared that caught his attention.
Shooting down from out of the aurora, a small white ball flew towards the Dark Industries building. When it struck the window of Sombra's office, it phased through the glass and into the room. Sombra saw this and his eyes went wide, wondering what might be happening.
The orb landed on the desk and when it did, the light of the aurora suddenly vanished and the electrical devices calmed down. Everything slowly returned to normal, Sombra continuing to stare at the orb. "What...what is this?" He looked around, seeing if anything was out of the ordinary. But everything was exactly as it had been before the light show.
He turned back to the orb and as he did, the object began to pulse a strange light. That light was like an angler fish's antenna, causing Sombra to feel a compelling need to move closer to it. Slowly, he made his way forward and lifted his hand. When he got close enough to grasp it, he did so. That was a mistake.
The orb suddenly exploded with light, making Sombra scream as he tried to let it go. But his hand wouldn't open. It was like it was glued to the orb as the light filled the room, his screams intensifying as he was blinded.
When he opened his eyes, he found that he was no longer in his office. Now he was in a white void, floating there aimlessly with nothing in sight. "What's going on?" He asked, looking around. "Where am I?"
"Sombra!" His eyes went wide and he looked up, as a figure appeared shrouded in light. The figure appeared humanoid, but had six large feathery wings sticking out of his back. The figure slowly floated lower and lower, Sombra's heart beating at the sight of it.
"Are...are you an angel?"
"In a manner of speaking," the figure replied. "I am a Bakugan."
"Bakugan?"
"My name is Lucifer. I sensed you from my world. You and I both need one another and if we join forces, our wishes will be granted."
"What are you talking about?" Sombra asked but was intrigued.
"My realm of Vestroia, home of the Bakugan, has been in turmoil for a long time. I was able to quell the fighting, but then my subjects turned on me because I attempted to save my life. In doing so, they destroyed our world and now the Bakugan are in danger."
"What can I do?"
"I managed to save many of the Bakugan and sealed them within an Ark. In this world, we Bakugan appear to only exist in the ball form you saw before. But if you can figure out a way to generate a field that simulates Vestroia's dimensional energy, the Bakugan could return to their true forms. Bakugan are natural warriors, so you could create a fighting game that uses them. Anyone and everyone on your planet will want to play it, making you a very rich man."
"A game?" Sombra thought about what he suggested. If what he said was true, he might be able to save his company. "What do you get out of this?"
"I have very little energy left. The betrayal of my subjects and the effort to save the Bakugan has left me drained. Once I give you the Ark, I will fall into a deep sleep. You must find a way to re-energise me. And for that, you need Bakugan energy. When Bakugan battle, they give off this energy. Build your stadiums to absorb this energy, and use it to revive me. Once that has occurred, we can work together to make everything we ever wanted come true."
"If this game you're suggesting saves my company, those are all my wishes."
"Are you sure?" The angel asked. "Surely there's more you wish to accomplish. Running your company is small potatoes compared to what I can offer you."
"What do you mean?"
"This world is vast, but I sense it is just as chaotic as mine was. I brought peace to Vestroia, which became a paradise under my rule. And I can do the same to your world, make it a peaceful Eden with no war, no pain, no fear. With me as its one true ruler, I can make your world into a utopia. And if you help me, you will stand by my side and help govern that utopia."
"Me...ruler of the world?"
"Haven't you ever thought about what life in your world would be like if you were the one in control of it. Help me and we will make that world a reality. All I ask if for your allegiance." As he said that, the light coming off of him slowly flew towards Sombra. It swirled around him without the man noticing and as it was absorbed into his skin, the man's sense of morality slowly faded away. Suddenly, the thought of him being the ruler of the world felt like a genius idea. This world was corrupt, and only he and his new friend could save it.
"Yes," he nodded, "you're right." He held out a hand, "let's work together and make this world great."
"Excellent," Lucifer held out a finger and the two shook. "Find a space to place the Ark. When you do, open it up and go through the Bakugan. Amongst them, you'll find a cube that contains a loyal servant of mine. Find a way to free him and you'll be able to awaken me. Sombra nodded, as the Bakugan unleashed a bright light that blinded Sombra. When he opened his eyes again, he found he was back in his office and everything was back to normal.
He thought maybe it was all a hallucination, but then he noticed something in his hand and looked down at the orb still in his possession. He smirked, turning towards the elevator that led into the underground lab. "We built this lab to test products and vehicles." He rode the elevator down, "it should hopefully be big enough for this Ark. If not, we could have an issue."
As it turned out, the lab was more then big enough. When he arrived there, Lucifer glowed and unleashed a bright light. In a flash, the empty lab was full of a giant ship containing the keys to Sombra's future success.
"Studying the Ark gave us an understanding of technology decades ahead of our time. With it, we learned to create the battlefields that allow Bakugan to return to their true forms."
"And now your company is ten times richer than it was in its golden days," Lucifer told him. "But that matters little. Soon enough, this entire world will fall under my guiding hand and we will rule it like I ruled Vestroia."
"And what if someone attempts to get in our way?" Sombra asked, "you said you were betrayed before and locked away. What if those that betray you return?"
"This time will be different. Now I have you, Ragnaroid and Phantom by my side. Those two will fight in my place whilst I gather my strength. And once I'm strong enough, nothing will be able to stop me. Not even those six fools that defeated me last time. And with the strength of the other Bakugan out there growing, my future food only grows more satisfying."
"If you say so," Sombra nodded and looked back at his computer. Ten images appeared on his screen, showing each of the BakuFighters and their Bakugan Partners. "Keep training my little pawns. All your doing is giving us more power when we eventually cease it." He smirked and began his work again.
The next day.
It was the start of the school week, so the BakuFighters and Rainbooms found themselves returning to normal life pretty quickly despite their vow to get stronger in order to go up against Phantom, Ragnaroid and Lucifer.
Lyra and Nimue had just stepped outside her apartment building, Lyra looking around with a frown on her face. "That's strange. Usually Bonnie's here when I step outside to walk to school together."
"I'm sure she's fine," Nimue assured her. "Everyone's allowed to be late every once in a while." Lyra nodded as Nimue looked down the street, "here she comes now." Lyra followed her gaze and spotted Bonnie walking towards them, the girl noticing her best friend had a rather sower expression on her face.
"Bonnie?" She asked when the girl got into hearing range, "what's wrong?" Bonnie hadn't noticed her friend until this point, the girl's head jerking up.
"Oh, it's nothing."
"Come on," Lyra told her. "You know you can tell me anything."
Bonnie let out a sigh, "my mom and I had an argument." Lyra and Nimue looked shocked by this, "she's not happy about me being part of the Bakugan Battle Tournament and getting my face broadcast all over the country."
"Why?" Lyra asked, "we won so you're famous now."
"It's...complicated. Mom wants me to live a more discrete life and she's been worried about me being a brawler for a long time." Lyra and Nimue wondered why her mother would say this, the two wanting to ask more only for Gaia to motion for them to drop it from Bonnie's shoulder. "The fight was pretty bad and mom threatened to take away all my Bakugan. I barely managed to convince her not to, but only by promising not to brawl for a while."
"You're gonna stop brawling?" Lyra asked, "but we need to get stronger."
"I know," Bonnie nodded. "I promised mom I'd hold off on brawling at the stadium." She then smiled and held up her BakuColar, "but luckily I don't need to stadium to brawl." Lyra smiled at this and the two continued on to school, as they did a convertible car drove passed and then came to a stop.
The car's lid came down and when it did, it revealed three girls sitting in it. "Lyra?" One of them asked, making Lyra turn to them as her eyes went wide.
"Minuette," she smiled, "Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine. It's good to see you guys again."
"Like, totally girlfriend!" The girl naked Twinkleshine smiled. "So what's the haps? Haven't seen you since Middy School."
"But we saw you on TV," Lemon smiled. "You were playing in that Baku...ball...thing. It looked totally funsies."
"Yeah," Lyra smiled, "it is. You guys should try playing it sometimes."
"Maybe," Minuette nodded. "But it looks like it'd make us super sweaty and dirty."
"And we might break a nail," Twinkleshine looked horrified at the thought of that. "There should be a way to you play without doing anything. Maybe we can buy a drone or something to do all the hard work." It was then the radio told them the time. "Oh, we gotta get to school. We should catch up some time."
"Yeah," Lyra nodded, "we should."
"Kisses!" The girls all told her before driving off, leaving Lyra and her very confused friends behind.
"Who were they?" Nimue asked, not wanting to talk in front of people that didn't know she wasn't a toy.
"My old friends from elementary and middle school," Lyra explained. "They went to a different high school, so we kinda lost touch after that."
"They didn't seen like the type of people you'd normally hang out with," Bonnie told her. "Way to girly and ditsy for you." Bonnie noticed Lyra looking a little embarrassed, the aquamarine skinned girl pulling her bag higher.
"Yeah, we...didn't have a lot to talk about back then. But there weren't a lot of better options in friends back then. Let's...let's just get to school." She marched off, Bonnie watching her in confusion.
"What do you think that was about?" Gaia asked.
"I don't know," Bonnie told her. "She's hiding something. But it's not like I can blame her." 'After all, I'm hiding something from her too.'
After school.
Over in Cloudsdale, Soarin was heading to the stadium there. Even though he had been spending a lot more time over in Canterlot, he decided he needed to come back to his home stadium every now and again to show the brawlers there why he was able to win the Battle Tournament.
When he stepped inside, he spotted Rainbow and Fluttershy at the front desk. "Hey," he waved to them as he stepped over, "you girls planning to tag brawl?"
"Maybe," Rainbow smirked, "depends whose playing." Fluttershy nodded as Terraspin and Lepusinge jumped up onto the counter.
"I just wanna brawl!" Lepusinge cried, "this'll be the first time I actually get to enjoy a good fight and make my own decisions in the brawl."
"Yeah," Terraspin nodded. "Now that I'm in control, I bet Rainbow and I will be even better than before."
"You are," Garuda told him. "When Soarin and I battled you, the two of your were a lot stronger than the other times we've faced off."
"Yeah," Rainbow smirked, "but I bet we'll be even better now that we're not mind zombies."
Soarin smirked at this. It seemed like today was gonna be a very good day for him, but he soon found he was wrong. "We thought we'd find you here." Soarin's eyes went wide and he spun around and saw a pair of teens his age walking towards him, both dressed his soccer uniforms. "Hey Soarin," one of them smirked. "We saw you on TV the other day. So this is what you quit for."
The other one looked around, seeing the screens that had images of Bakugan Battles. "I guess I can see why you'd chose to do this over soccer. Don't have the share the limelight."
"What are they talking about?" Fluttershy asked Soarin, as Rainbow looked at their uniforms.
"Hey, you're part of the Cloudsdale Wonderbolts. Didn't you guys make it to the regional championship this year."
"Yeah," one of them nodded before turning to glare at Soarin, "we would have made it all the way to the national championships, if someone hadn't quit the team."
Soarin frowned, "me quitting didn't ruin your chances. The team just wasn't ready."
"Oh don't give us that. You know the only reason we made it to regionals was because of you. Everyone was so proud of you, but then you up and quit. All so you could come play this game with those silly little ball things. You completely ditched us and ruined our season."
"Well maybe you guys should have trained harder instead of just expecting me to do everything." The two glared at him and Soarin glared back, Rainbow and Fluttershy fearing a fight was about to break out.
"Whatever," the first guy and his friend turned away, "you're not worth it. I just hope that team you made are gonna be okay when you ditch them for something else." They walked off, leaving Soarin to glare at them until they left the stadium.
"What was that all about?" Garuda asked, Soarin letting out a sigh.
"They're just upset I decided to quit soccer. And it wasn't so I could start Bakugan Brawling. I didn't even know what Bakugan were when I first quit."
"So why did you quit?" Rainbow asked, Fluttershy glaring at her in such a way that said she needed more tact.
"It's...complicated," Soarin told them. "Can we not talk about it please. I just wanna brawl." He moved to a nearby computer to look for an opponent, whilst the others shared a look. Soarin was clearly hiding something, but they knew he wasn't gonna tell them what it was. Hopefully, it was something Soarin could get over so he wouldn't be distracted as he trained to take on Phantom.
Back in Canterlot, Flash had just arrived at the stadium ready for another day of brawling.
As he locked up his bike, he heard the sound of skateboard wheels and looked over to see Heath racing towards the stadium. "Wow!" He cried as he kicked his board into the air, soaring over a flowerbed and landing safely on the other side.
"Yeah!" Wukong yelled from Heath's pocket, as the teen did a wheelie and spun several times before stopping.
"Nice!" Flash cheered as he rushed over, the pair high-fiving after Heath kicked his board up. As they did, another teen rushed over to them.
"Hey, that was sick man." Heath smirked at him and when he did, the teen seemed to recognise him. "Hey, are you related to the pro boarder Blaze Breaker?" Suddenly, Heath's smile vanished.
"Yeah," he nodded, "he's my older brother."
"I knew it. You look just like him. I bet he taught you everything you know about skateboarding."
"Yeah...he taught me a thing or two."
"Awesome. I wish I had an awesome brother like that. I bet he taught you everything you know about Brawling to, right. That's gotta be how you were able to win the Battle Tournament." Now Heath's frown turned to a look of absolute anger.
"NO!" He told the teen, scaring him a bit. "My brother doesn't play Bakugan. Everything I know about the game, I learned myself." Before the teen could say anything, Heath turned to rush off into the stadium.
"Wow," the teen finally spoke, "what got up in his grill all of a sudden." Flash wasn't sure, but rushed after his teammate.
"Dude," he asked when he finally caught up with him, "what was that all about?"
"Nothing," Heath told him. "I just don't need everyone thinking my brother's the only reason I'm such a good Brawler. All the skills I worked really hard to gain weren't passed down by him. I earned them."
"Heck yeah you did," Wukong agreed as he leapt onto his shoulder. "Just forget about them and focus on your next brawl. We got a lot of battling to do with we wanna power up the same way Leo did."
"Ha!" Leonidas chuckled, "you think you're gonna evolve like I did?"
"If you can do it, so can I! We just gotta fight the right opponent." But as he said that, Flash and Heath found the front desk was surrounded by brawlers with Derpy and two other clerks trying to calm them all down.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Derpy cried, "I'm sure they'll be here soon so if you all just relax!" But they didn't, the Brawlers constantly yelling and calling out to them. Then one looked around noticed Flash and Heath.
"Hey, there's two of them now!" The crowd turned towards them and the next thing Flash and Heath knew, they were being swarmed as the crowd challenged them to a brawl.
"Hey!" Flash yelled, "calm down...not the face!"
"You wanna battle us?" Heath asked, several Brawlers crying out yes. The pair barely managed to hold onto their Bakugan as they pushed their way towards the desk.
"When did this start?" Flash asked Derpy, who shrugged.
"You knew this was coming. Everyone wants to try and get famous by taking you guys out." Flash and Heath were suddenly very uncomfortable, realising they wouldn't get any peace until after they defeated all these opponents.
"Alright," Flash turned towards them, "you guys wanna brawl then you're on!" He took out Leonidas, "but be warned that you're going up against one of the strongest Bakugan in existence." The brawlers all cheered, looking forward to the battle.
Six brawlers stepped forward, all holding up Bakugan of different Attributes. "If your Bakugan's so strong, he shouldn't have any issue going up against all six of us at once." Flash and Leonidas were surprised by this, but smiled and turned to nod at one another.
"This is gonna be fun," he smirked.
Within the stadium, Flash stepped forward as the six Brawlers stared at one another.
"Welcome Baku-fans!" The announcer yelled as the audience cheered, "it's time for the next battle in our stadium here today. We've got a special battle here today, with one brawler being the winner of the recent Bakugan Battle Tournament: Flash Sentry." The teen stepped forward and waved at the crowd. "And his opponent's who have all agreed to battle against Flash Sentry to see if he's really worthy of his championship title." The six all waved at the crowd, whilst the battlefield activated.
In a flash, the seven of them found they were all a large desert covered in shells of different shapes and sizes. "Nice," Flash nodded as he took out a Gate Card. "Alright, Gate Card Set!" The card flew towards the ground and activated, as a girl took out a Ventus bakugan.
"This is gonna be fun!" She leapt up into the air. "Bakugan, BRAWL!" She threw the Bakugan and as soon as it hit the ground, it popped open. "Bakugan, STAND! Ventus Monarus!" The green butterfly woman appeared in a green tornado.
Monarus: 330Gs
"BAKUGAN!" The others threw theirs, "BRAWL!" In a flash of different elemental lights, a Pyrus Warius, Subterra Centipoid, Haos Anchorsaur, Darkus Gargonoid and Aquos Siege appeared.
Siege: 360Gs
Warius: 350Gs
Monarus: 330Gs
Centipoid: 400Gs
Gargonoid: 350Gs
Anchorsaur: 400Gs
"Wow!" Flash cried as the six Bakugan stared down at him, the teen stepping backwards. "You know, a few months ago this situation would have had me terrified."
"Ha!" Leonidas laughed, "but this is nothing we can't handle." Flash nodded and grabbed him.
"Bakugan," He threw his partner, "BRAWL!" Leonidas shot towards the six Bakugan and hit the ground, "Bakugan, STAND!" He opened up and unleashed a brilliant flash of light, which blinded all the Bakugan and made them stagger back as the dragonoid appeared. "Haos Omega Leonidas!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Leo roared as he flew up his roar rocking the battlefield and making the other Bakugan look afraid.
Siege: 360Gs
Warius: 350Gs
Monarus: 330Gs
Centipoid: 400Gs
Gargonoid: 350Gs
Anchorsaur: 400Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
"Six hundred and fifty all on his own?" One of the brawlers asked, as Flash held up a card.
"And it's gonna get bigger. Ability, Activate!" The card glowed as Leonidas flew down, "Omega Eraser!"
Siege: 360Gs
Warius: 350Gs
Monarus: 330Gs
Centipoid: 400Gs
Gargonoid: 350Gs
Anchorsaur: 400Gs
Leonidas: 850Gs
Leonidas slammed into the ground and braced himself as his mouth opened up and he fired the laser towards Monarus. But before it could hit the Bakugan, Anchorsaur leapt it front of it and tried to shield the Ventus Bakugan. The attack struck and blasted the alligator backwards, causing it to crash into a spiral shell and revert back to ball form.
"No way!" Anchorsaur's Brawler yelled as his life gauge dropped to ten percent, "with just one hit!"
"We're in trouble," Warius' Brawler gulped as Leonidas leapt into the air again. The dragon roared as the five remaining Bakugan all seemed to quiver, as another brawler looked at the floor.
"Hey, I thought that Ability destroyed Gate Cards. Why is his still here?"
"That effect only kicks in if the Gate Card's been activated," Flash explained. "As long as I play Omega Eraser before activating it, my Gate Card's safe." The Brawlers realised only now how much trouble they were in, even with it being six on one.
Back in the foyer, Lyra and Bonnie arrived alongside Twilight, Rarity and Applejack.
The girls noticed the long line of people in front of the counter and then noticed Derpy, who quickly waved them over. "Lyra, Bonnie. You've gotta do something. All these people are here to challenge you guys."
"All of them?" Bonnie asked, the brawlers turning to smirk at them. Lyra, Bonnie and their Bakugan all shared a look before smirking and nodding, the pair turning towards them. "Alright," Bonnie gestured for them to follow, "but I can't use the Stadium right now. You wanna battle, meet me outside."
"Same here," Lyra nodded as she looked at her BakuColar. "I've got this thing now. Might as well use it." They nodded and followed the two, leaving only a few stranglers who wanted to go up against Flash or Heath.
Speaking of Heath, he was in another battlefield. This one was designed like a giant kids room, with massive toy blocks all over and cuddly toys.
One such cuddly toy, a stuffed parrot, suddenly exploded as two Bakugan were sent flying through it and crashed into a nearby toy block. Subterra Saurus and Tuskor fell to the ground, as the one that caused their sudden flight leapt out.
"Yeah!" Wukong cheered, beating his chest as Heath and the Subterra Brawler ran around the ruined toy and checked the Bakugan's G Power.
Wukong: 600Gs
Saurus+Tuskor: 450Gs
"Get up!" The Brawler yelled, as Heath rushed over to Wukong.
"You okay?"
"Oh yeah!" The ape cheered, "better than ever. Now let's finish them off before they recuperate!" Heath nodded and held up a card as Wukong charged.
"Ability, Activate!" As the two Subterra Bakugan got up, Wukong got in close as his flaming hairdo exploded. "Blast Infernal!" The flames shot towards the pair and wrapped around them, making them flinch as Wukong's power rose.
Wukong: 750Gs
Saurus+Tuskor: 450Gs
Before the Brawler could save them, his Bakugan reverted back to ball form and his life gauge dropped. Heath smirked at this, whilst Wukong returned to ball form. "I'll show Blaze who the best Bakugan Brawler is."
In Cloudsdale, Soarin was in a battlefield made entirely of clouds crafted into different shapes.
He watched as Garuda soared through the air, fighting against a Pyrus Atmos. "Ability, Activate!" He yelled as Garuda's body sparked, then dived towards Atmos. "Lightning Wing!"
Atmos: 500Gs
Garuda: 750Gs
Before Atmos' Brawler could reacted, Garuda slammed a wing into him and knocked it flying backwards as it reverted back to ball form. "Yeah!" Soarin cheered, grabbing Garuda. "Now this is fun!" He cheered, then frowned as he remembered meeting his teammates. "And that's the whole reason I started playing. To have fun, unlike back then."
Lyra and Bonnie stood back to back in the BakuColar generated battlefield, which looked just like the battlefield they had battled Teddy in.
Nimue was battling against a Haos Rafflesian, whilst Gaia was fighting against a Darkus Atchibee. "Ability," Nimue held up a card, "Activate!" It glowed as Nimue held her finger up, "Draining Rain!" The cloud appeared above Nimue and she threw it at Rafflesian, who cried out as the rain began to pour down and burn it.
Gaia: 550Gs
Nimue: 450Gs
Atchibee: 500Gs
Rafflesian: 300Gs
"Ability," Bonnie held up a card, "Activate!" Gaia swung her arm around, "Wood Slammer!" It smashed into Atchibee and knocked it towards the ground, making it cry out as Gaia pulled her leg back.
Gaia: 650Gs
Nimue: 450Gs
Atchibee: 500Gs
Rafflesian: 300Gs
The girls both smirked at how well their battle was going, all the while both thinking about what happened earlier. 'I'm totally not the same person I used to be!' Lyra shook her head and frowned, 'I'm not the same. No totally, no like, no nothing. I'm not that silly little girl any more.'
'I won't stop doing what I love,' Bonnie told herself. 'I'll keep brawling and growing strong.' As she said that, the mental image of a large man appeared on the forefront of her mind. Doing so caused a great rush of fear to overwhelm her. She quickly shook her head of the mental image, not wanting that fear to overtake her. Instead, she simply focused on her battle.
Back in the stadium, Twilight, Rarity and Applejack watched as Flash and Heath's battles were being broadcast. They wondered how Lyra and Bonnie's was going, and also wished they knew if Soarin was brawling, but quickly got over it and continued enjoying the show.
"They've all gotten really strong," Rarity marvelled as Leonidas flew passed the screen.
"A'h guess there was one upside ta us bein' brain-jacked," Applejack smirked. "Saving us probably pushed them ta da'h next level."
Twilight nodded, knowing she was right. Leonidas might have been the only one to evolve, but all the BakuFighters had grown thanks to their many battles in the Battle Tournament. "But will it be enough to simply get stronger?" Twilight asked, confusing her friends. "Strength is great, but there are other ways they can grow. If they want to beat Phantom, they'll need to grow in those ways." She focused on Flash's brawl, watching as the teen battled with all his might.
The five remaining brawlers had all used their Abilities to power their Bakugan up and weaken Leonidas. Each Ability had only done a little, but it had all added up.
Siege: 460Gs
Warius: 500Gs
Monarus: 430Gs
Centipoid: 500Gs
Gargonoid: 450Gs
Leonidas: 550Gs
"Ability, Activate!" Siege's Brawler held up a card as the Bakugan charged, thrusting his lance forward. "Aquos Javelin!"
Siege: 560Gs
Warius: 500Gs
Monarus: 430Gs
Centipoid: 500Gs
Gargonoid: 450Gs
Leonidas: 550Gs
Leonidas grabbed the end of the lance, but flinched at the impact as he was pushed backwards. "Nice try!" He told him, though he felt his strength slipping.
"Get out of there!" Flash told him, "he's got you locked into place!" Sure enough, the other four Bakugan attacked.
"ABILITY, ACTIVATE!" Their Brawler's yelled as the Bakugan powered up.
Siege: 560Gs
Warius: 600Gs
Monarus: 580Gs
Centipoid: 600Gs
Gargonoid: 600Gs
Leonidas: 550Gs
They all fired beams, flames or gusts of wind at Leonidas, but Flash was quicker and held up his one card. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas glowed, "Dragon Flash!" The evolved Bakugan let go of Siege's lance and in the blink of an eye, swung around to smash his tail into the knight before shooting into the air seconds before the multiple attacks collided.
Siege: 560Gs
Warius: 600Gs
Monarus: 580Gs
Centipoid: 600Gs
Gargonoid: 600Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
"No way!" The Gargonoid Brawler yelled as the dragon reappeared high above them, a smirk on his face. "How can something that bulky be so fast."
"My armour's strong but it's also lightweight!" Leonidas growled before flying down, with Flash holding up another card.
"Ability, Activate!" Leonidas took a deep breath as his mouth glowed, "Shining Roar!" He did so, letting out a mighty roar that unleashed a blinding light that flew out in a shining wave.
It struck the five Bakugan and knocked them all back.
Siege: 410Gs
Warius: 450Gs
Monarus: 430Gs
Centipoid: 450Gs
Gargonoid: 450Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
In a flash, Siege and Monarus reverted back to ball form whilst the other three hit the ground flinching. Leonidas chuckled as he took to the air, loving how much stronger his newly evolved body made him. "Let's end this with something flashy."
"With pleasure!" Flash smirked as he held up a card. But before he could activate it, Warius' Brawler held up his own card.
"Ability, Activate!" Warius' eyes shot open and he threw himself back to his feet. "Flame Berserker!" Warius' club exploded into fire, as it swung the weapon around and caused the flames to grow stronger and stronger.
Warius: 650Gs
Centipoid: 450Gs
Gargonoid: 450Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
It thrust the club forward and the flames flew off of it towards Leonidas, but the dragon simply crossed his arms and endured the fire despite how hot it was.
"Ability, Activate!" Gargonoid's Brawler yelled as he held up a card, Gargonoid flying up above Leonidas. "Dark Uproar!" The beast then unleashed a sonic blast, which struck Leonidas and made him flinch.
Warius: 650Gs
Centipoid: 450Gs
Gargonoid: 450Gs
Leonidas: 550Gs
Though the attack didn't damage him, it did cause the Flame Berserker attack to overpower him and push the dragon towards the ground. There, Centipoid was waiting. "Ability," its Brawler held up a card, "Activate!" Centipoid dived into the sand, completely vanishing. "Desert Hole!"
As Leonidas flew down close to the ground, Centipoid exploded out from under him and wrapped its upper body around him. Tying his wings and arms up, it tried to pull him down into the hole. As it did, Warius and Gargonoid charged.
Warius: 650Gs
Centipoid: 450Gs
Gargonoid: 450Gs
Leonidas: 450Gs
"End this!" Warius' Brawler yelled, but Flash was ready and held up a card.
"Ability, Activate!" Light exploded off of him, knocking Centipoid away, then formed the double pyramid shield around him. "Reflector Prism!" Warius and Gargonoid both bounced off the shield, they and Centipoid's Ability's being cancelled as Leonidas was powered up.
Warius: 450Gs
Centipoid: 450Gs
Gargonoid: 450Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
"Now to end this!" Flash stated as he held up another card, "Fusion Ability, Activate!" Leonidas flew out of the shield as his mouth filled with light and sparks, the energy coming off of him making the Brawlers all panic.
"TRIPLE ABILITY ACTIVATE!" They all cried as their Abilities kicked in and powered the Bakugan up, allowing them to even stronger then Leonidas.
Warius: 850Gs
Centipoid: 850Gs
Gargonoid: 850Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
But it wasn't enough, as Leonidas shot down and slammed his feet into the ground. "ROARING OMEGA!" He bellowed as the light and energy in his mouth exploded into a wave that struck the Bakugan, making them all scream as they felt their powers drop whilst Leonidas' spiked.
Warius: 650Gs
Centipoid: 650Gs
Gargonoid: 650Gs
Leonidas: 1050Gs
The Bakugan were all thrown backwards and reverted back to ball form, their Brawler's life gauges dropping as Leonidas finished roaring and took to the air. He did a victory loop before returning to Flash, who caught him with a smirk whilst the six brawlers were all in shock. The Brawl wasn't over, but they felt like it was.
The audience also thought so, now seeing why Flash and the other BakuFighters claimed victory in the tournament. Against these strong brawlers, almost no one could stand up against them. But the BakuFighters knew they couldn't get complacent. If they didn't keep training, Phantom would walk all over them. They had to keep pushing. Keep growing stronger. No matter what.