The sun was beginning to rise upon Canterlot, with many people having awoken hours ago to prepare for the day ahead.
One person had yet to even go to sleep, having been too busy preparing for the trial that lay ahead of him. Phantom and Ragnaroid appeared at the riverbank near the bridge, the place Flash and his friends had encountered the Guardian Bakugan of Vestroia. And it was here that they intended to find them themselves.
As the stepped onto the bank and looked out at the lake, they saw no sign of the ones he was searching for. "Legendary Guardians of Vestroia!" Phantom called out, "I am Phantom and you have something that I want!" There was no reply. "Show yourselves, or are you too afraid to face me in battle!?"
"Ha!" Ragnaroid chuckled, "of course they're afraid. They know they were barely able to defeat me when they battled against me themselves and now I'm even more powerful. They may as well hand over the Darkus Attribute Energy." But it was then that they got a reply.
Suddenly, a light appeared beneath the bridge to their left. They turned to it and saw the light grow larger and larger, illuminating most of the darkness beneath the bridge. They quickly realised what this was and both smirked, Phantom moving towards it.
When they got under the bridge and stared into the light, they were greeted to the sight of a place they knew all too well. "The Doom Dimension!" Phantom recognised, seeing multiple statues of fallen Bakugan within it.
"What's left of it," Ragnaroid corrected. "It appears the Guardians of Vestroia wish to invite us to the place I've sent many a Bakugan to perish."
Phantom smirked. "Well, it would be rude to refuse such a generous invitation." He then frowned, "but what if it's a trap? They may be inviting us here to simply seal us away in this dimension."
"I doubt it," Ragnaroid chuckled. "The Guardians of Vestroia might want to stop us, but they're too goodie good to do that. If they were willing to seal us in the Doom Dimension, they would have done it to me and Lucifer the first time they defeated us." Phantom nodded and was about to step through the portal. "However," he stopped, "some worlds operate under different temporal laws. A day over there could be ten years on this side. Or the exact opposite. There's no way of knowing how long we'll be gone for."
"Not like I've got anything waiting for me," Phantom chuckled. He stepped through the portal, all the while wondering what would be waiting for him on the other side.
Meanwhile, Derpy was fast asleep in her room.
She wasn't having an easy sleep, causing her to shift around again and again as she tried to comfort herself. "Ahh," she groaned, "yaaaah." She curled herself up and as she did, something happened that made her settle down for a moment.
That something was a light, which appeared within her room and hovered over her body. Its aura drifted into her, making her glow and causing her breathing to grow calm. It also made her wake up, the girls eyes flickering open as she slowly glanced over at the light.
"What?" She asked as she sat up, the light floating away from her bed. Despite the insaneness of it, she wasn't scared of it in the least. She got up off her bed as the light steadied itself in the air, then began to grow larger.
"Derpy," a voice she recognised spoke out to her, "it is time." Derpy frowned hearing this, but nodded and went to change. She had made a promise and now, it was time to fulfil it.
Later that day, Flash was in his room with Leonidas on the windowsill besides him.
He knew this was coming, but it didn't make things any easier. And the beeping that came from his BakuColar also made things feel even more real, as he checked his messages and found it was from Twilight.
My team's meeting at the fountain at noon today. I think you should get the others to meet us there as well, so that we can get this over with in one go.
Flash sighed again, Leonidas hearing this and looking over his shoulder to see the message. "She's right you know. We can't avoid this forever."
"Okay," Flash nodded before typing into his BakuColar and sending a message to Lyra.
Lyra, can you get in touch with Bonnie and Derpy to ask them to come to the park fountain today? I need to tell you guys something and it's really important.
He sent it and waited, Lyra messaging back to him after a few moments.
Sure, but what's this about?
Don't wanna explain over messaging. See you at noon.
With that sent, he sent similar messages to Heath and Soarin. They agreed to show up and with that done, Flash moved over to his wardrobe to get changed.
As soon as Lyra finished messaging Flash, she sent Bonnie a message and got a reply saying she would be there. She then tried to contact Derpy, using her cellphone since Derpy didn't have a BakuColar, all the while wondering what Flash wanted them there for.
"The number you have dialled is currently unable to pick up. Please hang up and try again." Lyra frowned as she stared at her cellphone, wondering why Derpy wasn't picking up. She hung up and dialled again, "The number you have dialled is currently unable to pick up. Please hang up and try again."
"What's going on?" Lyra asked, getting up and heading for the door. "It's not like Derpy to miss a call." Nimue leapt onto her shoulder, "I'll head over to her place and find out."
"I'm sure she just forgot her phone or something," Nimue tried to reassure her. "Derpy can be a little forgetful sometimes." Lyra nodded, hoping that was just it.
Once Flash was dressed, he headed downstairs where his family was waiting.
"There you are," Misty smiled. "I wondered when you were gonna get up." She then seemed to notice Flash's worried expression, "what's wrong?" Trail and Scootaloo turned to him as he sat down.
"There's something really important I have to do," he explained. "But doing it means having to compete against my friends. I don't wanna do that, but I have to if I want to complete this challenge I've been set."
"Are we talking about that Bakugan Game you play?" Misty asked, with Flash nodding as his parents shared a look.
"Well, how important is this challenge you've been set?" Trail asked.
"Really important. The most important challenge I've ever been given. If I don't pass it, things could get really bad." Scootaloo looked concerned, since she of course knew the truth about Bakugan. His parents still looked unsure.
"Well...if it's that important then you need to do it," Trail told him. "But if doing this will effect your friendship with your friends, you should be careful. Nothing is worth losing friends over."
"This is just a game," Misty explained. "I'm sure they'll understand and won't hold it against you. Just try and think of it as a game with no stakes, like you would any other day. Remember to have fun and I'm sure things will work out for you."
Flash smiled at this and nodded, as his mother put his breakfast down for him. Flash quickly began to eat up and once he was done, he gave them his thanks before rushing out the door and biking to the park. Along the way, he thought about what his parents had said. "The others have to know this battle won't be anything personal. It shouldn't affect our friendship."
"I hope you're right Flash," Leo stated from his jacket pocket. "We can't afford to chicken out. If we do, all could be lost."
"You're right," Flash nodded as they arrived at the park. "No matter what, we have to do this." He rushed through the place as fast as he could and eventually arrived at the area he had first met Leonidas, spotting Twilight was already there. "Hey!" He smiled seeing her and pulled his bite to a stop, Twilight smiling at him as he got off and walked the rest of the way. "Didn't think I'd see you here so soon."
"We figured you would come early," Twilight smiled. "Probably spend a whole bunch of time constantly stressing about having to do this." Flash smirked at this.
"Yeah, probably. But I think what my parents told me is helping a bit." Twilight was curious about this and inquired as he explained, Twilight listening closely.
"You're parents are right," Twilight smiled. "Your friends will understand and this something you need to do. They won't take it as an offence."
"Yeah," Flash leaned back, "you're right. And thanks Twilight. You have no idea how much you've helped me since I started as a Battle Brawler." Twilight smiled hearing this. "You helped me get Leo to start talking, helped us work out our differences. Gave me a good kicking when my ego started getting to me. And so many other things. You're awesome."
Twilight blushed at this, "well you've helped me just as much. I'd still be one of Phantom's puppets right now if you hadn't saved me when you did. Even though it almost cost you losing Leonidas." She reached into her pocket and pulled her Bakugan partner out, "and you got Spike back for me. In both body and mind."
Spike popped open and looked at Flash and Leo, "I haven't gotten to say thanks for that. I know you guys went through a lot to help us. So thanks man."
"No problem," Flash told him as Twilight smiled at him.
"Flash, you'll always have me cheering you on. No matter what happens with these battles that are coming, I'll be right there with you. We will defeat Lucifer and Phantom. I promise." Flash smiled back and the two stared at one another for several moments, unconsciously moving their heads closer to one another.
But just as they were about to unknowingly kiss, Leonidas sneezed and the pair's trance was broken.
They quickly pulled apart from one another and looked away, not daring to let their eyes meet. Twilight let out a nervous chuckle with her glasses steaming up a bit from the heat of her face, whilst Flash rubbed the back of his neck several times.
Leo and Spike shared a look, both shaking their heads in disbelief.
Flash and Twilight remained there for about an hour, going over everything they were going to tell the others. Eventually, Heath arrived with Pinkie and Bonnie. Applejack and Rarity showed up a little after that with Soarin, Rainbow and Fluttershy arriving soon after.
"Hey man," Soarin told him as they reached the fountain. "What was so important that you needed to bring us all here?" That same question had been asked by the others when they arrived, with Flash and Twilight giving them all the same answer.
"I'll explain once we're all here," Flash stated. "We're just waiting for Lyra and Derpy."
"Where are they?" Twilight pushed her glasses up, "I figured they'd be one of the first ones here." The others shrugged and continued to wait, Twilight trying to call them. "That's weird. I can't get a hold of Derpy."
"Huh?" Flash looked confused by this statement, the others sharing the same look. Flash went to his BakuColar and typed in Lyra's contact info, seeing if he could get through to her BakuColar. A few moments later, Lyra's voice answers.
"Hello?"
"Lyra, where are you? The rest of us are waiting for you."
"Sorry Flash. I couldn't get through to Derpy. I called a bunch of times, but she wouldn't pick up." Now they were beginning to worry, since two people unable to get through to Derpy was more than just bad luck. "I'm heading over to her house to see if she's okay. We might be a little late, so you guys should do whatever you wanted us to be there for and we'll catch up later." With that, she hung up and was likely heading to Derpy's place.
Flash frowned as he turned off the watch's communication function, everyone wondering where Derpy was and why she wasn't answering. "Maybe we should go over there," Fluttershy suggested.
"No," Twilight shook her head, "we shouldn't worry too much until we know for certain something's happening. If we all rush over there and Derpy just has a cold or something, she's gonna feel really bad for making us all worry."
"She has a point," Soarin nodded. "For now, let's just focus on why we're all here." They turned towards Flash, who suddenly felt very hot under the collar, "so why are we here?"
"Yeah," Rainbow nodded, "what's the big problem?"
"It's...hard to explained," Flash replied. "But the long and the short of it is...Leo and I haven't completed our test." Those words rang out amongst his friends as they let the information he had just given them sink in, the lot's eyes slowly going wider and wider whilst their mouths slowly began to drop.
"WHAT!?" The word rang out throughout the park, every bird in a five mile radius shooting into the air from the sudden surprise. Heath, Bonnie and Soarin then rushed forward and got right in Flash's face.
"What do you mean, you didn't complete your test?" Heath yelled out to him.
"Did you lose against the Haos Guardian?" Bonnie asked, looking ready to start hyperventilating.
"Or did your test involve a lesson you refused to accept?" Soarin inquired, "seriously man. How could you fail? These tests were supposed to help us. I mean it was hard for me to accept what I needed to learn by I did learn it and so did the rest of us." Before they could say anything else, Flash pushed the three away from him.
"Would you guys calm down and let me talk for two minutes!?" He yelled, causing the others to stop and slowly move backwards as Flash took several deep breaths. "Okay, I did beat the Haos Guardian and I did learn a lesson. Probably not as life changing a lesson as you guys, but I did learn it. We were able to access the Haos Energy and for a moment it did power Leo up, but that's all it did."
Wukong took this moment to turn to Leo, "so does that mean you haven't actually evolved yet?"
Leo sighed, "no."
"Not even a little bit?"
"No."
"Not even a teenie eenie wenie little bit?"
"I said no!" The dragon almost roared as the others continued to listen.
"So what's the deal?" Rainbow asked. "If you passed their test and got the Attribute Energy, why hasn't Leo evolved?"
"Dragonia said I had one more task to complete before Leonidas can evolve." He turned to the three members of his team, looking worried. "She said I had to defeat you guys." Everyone's shocked expressions returned, the lot completely gobsmacked hearing this.
"What do ya'h mean ya'h gotta defeat'em?" Applejack asked, the others nodding as Flash tried to remember what Dragonia had told him.
"She said that since I'm the leader of the group, I need to have more strength then the rest of them in order be the first to charge and the last to retreat. Or...something like that." He turned to the other BakuFighters, "do you guys really see me as the leader?" Heath, Soarin and Bonnie shared a look, each slowly nodding at one another.
"I guess so," Bonnie replied. "You were the one that brought us all together as a team."
"You were the one that stood by Leo even when the rest of us didn't trust him," Heath agreed.
"And you have pretty much been leading the charge when it came to our fights against Phantom and spoke for the rest of us when we agreed to take the Guardian's test." Soarin shrugged, "I guess you are the leader."
Flash let out a sigh, "yay me. So yeah, now I've gotta beat you guys. If I don't, then Leo will never be able to evolve into his ultimate form. I have to battle each of you, plus Lyra, and if I lose I'll have failed my final test."
"I don't like this," Fluttershy frowned. "Friends shouldn't have to fight against one another. Isn't there some other way you can get Leonidas to evolve?"
Leo sighed, "if there was then I'd happily do it. But I'm afraid the only way for me to reach my next stage of evolution is to defeat the rest of our team. This is our only choice."
"Alright then!" Bonnie smirked as she stepped forward, "then let's get this party started!"
"Huh?" Flash asked, clearly not following.
"I'm saying we'll battle right here and now," Bonnie took out a Gate Card. "Basically, I challenge you. To save time, we'll make this a one on one battle. No Life Gauge, with the first Bakugan to fall being the loser. How's that sound?"
"Errr..." Flash still seemed to have reservations about this, but quickly shook his head. "Fine then!" He held up his BakuColar, "just don't start crying when I beat you."
"As if!" Bonnie smirked as she held up her BakuColar, "I'm gonna win and I bet doing so will help Gaia evolve even further." The others also held up their BakuColar's, the screen coming to life and unleashing a blinding light.
"BAKUGAN! FIELD...OPEN!" The light surrounded them and they were all transported to the dimensional battlefield, the attribute galaxies glowing above their heads.
"Gate Card!" Bonnie threw it to the ground, "SET!" The card exploded as both Bonnie and Flash held up their Bakugan. "Are you ready, Gaia?"
"Always," the Subterra Bakugan replied before Bonnie threw her into the field.
"Bakugan...BRAWL!" Gaia shot through the air and struck the field, "Bakugan...STAND!" In a burst of orange light, the giant Bakugan took form and made the earth shake upon her arrival. "Subterra Grand Gaia!" Everyone was shocked by what they saw.
"That's Grand Gaia?" Rainbow asked.
"She's huge!" Pinkie cried.
"And I bet she had power to match," Twilight greed.
"Bigger isn't always better!" Flash cried before turning to his partner, "you ready bud?"
"Never more!" Leo laughed before Flash threw him into the battlefield.
"Bakugan...BRAWL!" Leo hit the ground and rolled before popping open, "Bakugan...STAND!" He exploded into a tornado of light, which shot into the air before exploding to reveal his true form. "Haos Omega Leonidas!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared, he and Gaia being practically eye level.
Gaia: 600Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
"Show me your new power," Leonidas growled.
"With pleasure!" Gaia replied before Bonnie held up a card.
"Ability, Activate!" Gaia began to glow, "Gaia Spirit!"
Gaia: 850Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
Gaia swung her fists around, attempting to swat Leo out of the sky like a mosquito. And whilst Leo was able to avoid each of the attacks, the wind her swing unleashed struck him and he was knocked about and found it hard to fly. "Is that the best you can do?" She asked her opponent.
"Just wait!" Leo cried as Flash held up a pair of cards.
"Double Ability, Activate!" Leonidas glowed and suddenly shot towards Gaia at blinding speed, "Dragon Flash, plus Shining Roar!" In the blink of an eye, he moved behind Gaia and roared a roar that unleashed a powerful light.
"Augh!" Gaia cried as it struck her in the back, making her stagger forwards as their powers changed.
Gaia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
"YEAH!" The others cheered. They didn't want Bonnie to lose, but if winning was the only way for Flash and Leo to pass then it's what had to happen. But Bonnie wouldn't make it easy for them.
"Ability, Activate!" Gaia swung around and thrust her fists forward, "Bark Barrage!" The wooden sections of her gauntlets broke off and were sent flying like hundreds of ninja stars, slamming into Leo and making him roar in pair as he tried to avoid them.
Gaia: 800Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
"LEO!" Flash cried, whilst Bonnie pointed to the ground.
"Gate Card, OPEN!" The ground began to glow, "Subterra Reactor!" Large rocks began to grow out of the ground, giving off an energy that flowed into Gaia and powered her up even more.
Gaia: 1000Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
As Leo flew out of the Bark Barrage and up to safety, Gaia moved over to where Bonnie was standing. The girls stared at each other and nodded before Gaia knelt down, offering her hand to Bonnie.
"What's she doing?" Applejack asked as Bonnie climbed up and allowed Gaia to place her on her shoulder, then turn back to Leonidas.
"Get him!" Bonnie cried as Leo dived down, ready for an attack. Gaia's gauntlets had regrown the wooden sections and she fired again, Leonidas doing his best to avoid them.
"That's it!" Flash cried as he took out a card, "Ability-" He stopped when he remembered when Bonnie was, then imagined what would happen if Leo launched his attack. The image of his friend being struck by a laser and blasted away made him freeze on the spot. "No."
"Flash?" Leo asked as he got closer, only for Gaia to fire the Bark Barrage again. "What are you doing?" He avoided the shards as best he could, but this caused him to fly right into Gaia's range.
"Take this!" She threw a punch and slammed it right into Leo's chest, the dragon roaring out as he was sent flying back and barely managed to keep himself from reverting to ball form.
"Come on Flash!" Bonnie called down to him, "quit holding out on me. Gaia and I are going full force, so you need to do the same or you're gonna lose!"
"I can't!" Flash yelled back, "and you know why?"
"Flash!" Heath cried, "what are you going?"
"He can take the lead with one move!" Rainbow agreed, "why's he holding back?"
"He's scared." They all turned to Soarin, who pointed at Gaia. "Don't forget where Bonnie is." They looked up and spotted Bonnie on Gaia's shoulder, "what'll you think'll happen if Flash unleashes his attack on Gaia?" They quickly caught on.
"Bonnie'll be caught in the crossfire!" Fluttershy gasped.
"That's why he's not fighting back," Rarity realised. "What does Bonnie think she's doing?"
"Fine then," Bonnie took out another card. "If you won't fight back, then I'll end this fight her and now. Ability, Activate!" She shifted as Gaia's long blasters folded upwards only her shoulders. "Gaia Cannon!" The logs filled with energy and as Leo recovered from the sucker punch he endured, the energy exploded out into a pair of green lasers.
Gaia: 1150Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
Leonidas saw this coming and his eyes went wide, the dragon leaping into the air and barely avoiding the beams as they struck the ground. "Wow!" He cried as the ground exploded, pushing Leonidas into the air, "Flash!"
"Ahhh!" The teen growled, "how am I supposed to fight if I can get a clean shot!" He turned to Bonnie, glaring at her in annoyance. "Would you quit interfering. Come on, what's the point of winning this fight if you do it through cheating."
"You think Phantom and Lucifer are gonna play fair?" She asked as Gaia fired again, Leonidas barely escaping the blasts. "If you want Leo to become the ultimate Bakugan and save the world, you're gonna have to risk everything to make it happen. Because face it, this isn't a game anymore. This is war and in war, you've gotta do things you don't like to defeat the bad guy."
"She's right!" Gaia agreed, "this battle isn't just to see who's stronger. It's to prepare us for the battles that are yet to come. And if you can't handle this kind of fight..." Her cannons powered up, "then you might as well STEP ASIDE!" She fired and Leonidas was struck head on.
"AUGH!" He roared, falling towards the ground in a spiral descent.
"Leo!" Flash cried, then his eyes fell on Bonnie. Gazes locked, Flash remembered what she said and realised she was right. If Flash was going to defeat Lucifer and save the world, he couldn't hold anything back. No matter what, he had to push past his limits. "LEO!" The words echoed through the air and as they did, Leonidas' eyes shot open.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared as he spread his wings and pulled himself up, seconds before he hit the ground. He skimmed just above it as Flash ran towards him, leaping into the air and landing on Leo's head. "Let's do this!"
"You bet!" Flash cried as they flew back into the air, Flash holding onto his horn and holding up his card. "Ability, Activate!" Leo's mouth filled with energy, "Omega Eraser!" Leo roared again and unleashed a supercharged energy blast, that struck the ground and made it shake.
The Subterra Reactor's rocks began to crumble, causing Gaia's power to lower as Leo's rose.
Gaia: 950Gs
Leonidas: 1000Gs
Leo shot forward and slashed at Gaia's chest, the force sending her staggering back and making Bonnie hold on tight. "Now we're really fighting!" She cheered, "but it might be a little too late!" She held up a card, "Fusion Ability, Activate!" Gaia glowed and began to draw the power of nature into her body, channeling into the cannons on her shoulders.
"Get ready Leo!" Flash cried, "This one's gonna be big!"
"INFINITE GAIA!" Bonnie screamed, as Gaia unleashed the energy beams. They combined into one and shot towards leo, who fired his Omega Eraser to try and deflect them.
Gaia: 1350Gs
Leonidas: 1000Gs
The two beams pushed against one another, but slowly the Infinite Gaia began to over power the Omega Erazer. "Ahhhh!" Leonidas groaned as Gaia's attack got closer and closer, the dragon knowing if it hit he would be down for the count.
Flash also knew this and decided to pull out the big guns. "Fusion Ability, Activate!" He threw the card into Leo's laser and when it struck, it exploded and filled the attack with new energy. "Roaring Omega!" Leo's mouth filled with light that began build up, right as the Infinite Gaia got close to hitting him. And right before it did, Leo stopped firing his beam and took a deep breath.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared as the light and energy exploded out of his mouth, hitting Gaia's attack and pushing it back with a wave.
Bonnie and Gaia both gasped as Gaia's attack was nullified, the Subterra Bakugan quickly raising her hands to try and defend herself from the attack. "Ahhhh!" She cried, as the wave slammed into her hands and she was slowly pushed backwards. "It's...it's too much!"
Gaia: 1150Gs
Leonidas: 1300Gs
"GAIA!" Bonnie cried as she took out a card, but Gaia's legs gave out and the two were blasted back. They both cried out as Gaia was reverted back to ball form, causing Bonnie to fall as her friends gasped.
"Bonnie!" Flash tried as Leo dived down towards her, the teen leaping off the dragon's head to try and grab her as the battlefield around them disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, they were back in the park and the others quickly spotted Flash kneeling on the ground holding a panting Bonnie in his arms.
"You okay?" He asked the girl he had just defeated, Bonnie taking a few deep breaths before nodding.
"I'm fine." She pulled herself up out of Flash's arms and looked around, "Gaia?" Her Bakugan suddenly leapt onto her shoulder and opened up, "how are you doing?"
"A little wobbly, but I'll live." She turned to Leonidas, who jumped on Flash's shoulder. "I must commend you on a battle well fought. You truly were the better Bakugan today."
"Thank you," Leonidas nodded.
"Yeah," Flash agreed, "thanks Bonnie. You were right to push me like that. I can't fight halfheartedly if I'm gonna get Leo to evolve." He then turned to Soarin and Heath, "now who's next?"
The two teens looked at one another, only for Wukong to start leaping up and down on Heath's shoulder. "Me, me, me! I want the chance to take Leo down. My new form will be just what I need to do it."
"Alright," Heath smirked before turning to Flash, "on behalf of my Bakugan Partner. Flash, I challenge you to a battle!"
"Oh, it's on!" Flash held up his BakuColar and Heath did the same, the others mirroring the movement. "BAKUGAN!" They all yelled, "FIELD OPEN!" The screen shined and once again, the lot of them were transported to the other dimension.
"Here we go!" Heath took out a Gate Card and threw it to the ground, "Gate Card, Set!" As it exploded, Heath held up his partner. "Let's do this, Wukong!"
"I'm ready for action!" The ape cried as Heath threw him into the battlefield.
"Bakugan...BRAWL!" He hit the ground and rolled several times before stopping. "Bakugan...STAND!" He burst into flames and formed a spiralling tornado, "Pyrus King Wukong!"
"YEAH!" Wukong cheered as the tornado exploded, revealing the Bakugan as he seemed to be breaking dancing around. "King Wukong in the house!" He stopped and struck a pose, "wazzup!"
"Evolution's certainly given him more energy," Twilight laughed as Flash held up Leonidas.
"Bakugan...BRAWL!" He threw him in and hit the ground near Wukong's feet, "Bakugan...STAND!" He popped open and the tornado of light exploded out of him. "Haos Omega Leonidas!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared as the tornado exploded off of him and he stared down at Wukong, "let's do this thing monkey boy!"
"That's Mr Monkey Boy to you!" Wukong smirked as he got into a fighting stance.
Wukong: 650Gs
Leonidas: 650Gs
Leonidas dived down with his claws at the ready, Heath quickly holding up his card. "Ability, Activate!" Wukong's flaming ponytail exploded and surrounded his entire body, "Wildfire Burst!" Wukong spun and swung his arms around, causing the flames to explode off of him and slam into Leonidas as a fire wave.
"Augh!" He roared as his power was burned away, Wukong's hair relighting itself.
Wukong: 650Gs
Leonidas: 500Gs
As Leo shook his head to get rid of the stinging to his face, Wukong leapt up at him. "Take some of this!" He started flailing his arms and legs around in a wild manner, hitting Leo several time. "How'd you like that, huh?"
"How is it evolution's made you even more annoying?" Leo asked as he swung his tail around to hit Wukong in the stomach, knocking him back but doing little to no damage.
"Just a talent I guess," the ape smirked as Leonidas flew up before diving down.
"Double Ability, Activate!" Flash held up two cards, as Leo's body began to glow. "Dragon Slash, plus Dragon Flash!" Moving at incredible speeds, Leo shot towards Wukong and swung his glowing claws at him.
Wukong: 650Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs
"Augh!" The ape cried as he was knocked backwards, his chest hair now slightly trimmed. "Not cool!" He cried, as Leonidas charged at him once again.
"Ability, Activate!" Heath held up a card as Wukong swung his hair around, causing a wall of fire to appear between the two Bakugan. "Backfire!" Leonidas flew through the wall before he could stop himself, the dragon groaning as he felt more of his power burn away. "This Ability doesn't negate your last Ability, but causes it to reverse its effects!"
Wukong: 650Gs
Leonidas: 550Gs
As Leo continued flying forwards, Wukong swung around and slammed his foot into the dragon's face. "Augh!" He was knocked to the ground and slid along it.
"LEO!" Flash cried as the dragon came to a stop, moaning as he laid there whilst Wukong charged forward. "Quick, get up!" Leonidas rolled to his back as Wukong leapt up and prepared to throw a punch right at him, only for Flash to hold up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas took a deep breath as his mouth glowed, "Shining Roar!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He cried as the light exploded out of his mouth, slamming into Wukong and blasting him backwards.
"Gyah!" He cried as he fell through the air, hitting the ground and backwards several times.
Wukong: 500Gs
Leonidas: 550Gs
Leo used this time to push himself back to his feet and take to the air again, whilst Wukong managed to stop his roll and thrust his feet into the ground to slid to a stop.
As Leo circled around and prepared to dive, Heath held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Wukong brought his fists together and pulled them apart, the fire stick appearing between them. "Ruyi Bang!" The flames vanished to reveal the long staff, the ends of which remained alight as he swung it around.
Wukong: 750Gs
Leonidas: 550Gs
Leonidas tried to slash at him, but Wukong swung his staff around and deflected the claws before he thrust it into Leo's chest. "Augh!"
"Wow," Rainbow was impressed, "Wukong's fighting style sure has changed." They watched as Wukong used his staff like a pole vault and leapt into the air, dealing a stomp kick to Leo's chest.
"Yes," Twilight agreed, "his attacks used to involve mainly brute force. But now they're much more refined." Wukong repeated the process of pole vaulting into the air, but this time the staff extended for a second and shot him up above Leo. He then brought his staff up in preparation of swinging it down at his head.
"Ability, Activate!" Flash held up a card as Leo charged up the energy in his mouth, "Omega Eraser!" Before Wukong could hit him with the staff, Leo fired the beam and struck him in the chest.
Wukong: 750Gs
Leonidas: 800Gs
"Augh!" He cried as he crashed into the ground, with Leonidas firing a second blast towards him. But Wukong quickly started spinning his staff, causing the attack to be deflected. And when Leo stopped to take a breath, Heath held up a card.
"Ability, Activate!" Wukong leapt into the air, his entire body exploding into fire. "Blazing Trickster!" The flames exploded off of the original into several fireballs, which quickly took shape and extinguished to reveal multiple copies of the ape that were all armed with Wukong's staff.
"What?" Flash asked before looking down at his BakuColar. "No way!"
Wukong: 1250Gs
Leonidas: 800Gs
"Five hundred Gs?" Soarin asked, "how's that possible?" Twilight brought up the stats of Blazing Trickstar and read them allowed.
"Blazing Trickstar. Increase Wukong's G power by the amount of the last Ability used times two." The others were amazed to hear this, as the Wukong army charged.
Leonidas fired multiple Omega Erasers, but several of the monkeys deflected them with their staffs before the others leapt into the air. "Augh!" He cried as one struck him, then another and another and another.
"Hang on Leo!" Flash held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" Leo glowed and as one of the clones attacked, the crystal-shaped barrier appeared around him. "Reflector Prism!" The clone hit the barrier and the light shot out, making it burst into flames before extinguishing.
The light spread out and struck the rest of the clones, making them vanish whilst the original Wukong was blinded. "Ahhh!"
Wukong: 750Gs
Leonidas: 900Gs
Leonidas then dived down and swung his tail at Wukong, knocking him off his feet as he was thrown backwards. "Augh!" He cried, Leonidas taking to the air. "What, you think you're safe up there!" He danced around until he landed back on his feet, "Heath!"
"I hear ya'h!" Heath cried as he held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" Wukong's hair exploded off of him and into the air, "Flaming Nimbus!" It formed the cloud and Wukong leapt onto it, shocking everyone as he took to the air.
"He can fly?" Pinkie cried.
Wukong: 900Gs
Leonidas: 900Gs
Wukong shot towards Leo with his staff primed, Leo's claws also ready for action. The two charged at one another and began trading blows in the air, those on the ground barely able to see anything except a yellow light and red fireball flying around and crashing into each other.
"Stalemate!" Applejack cried.
"Not for long," Fluttershy realised as Heath pointed to the ground.
"Gate Card...OPEN!" The ground burst into flames, "Pyrus Reactor!" The flames shot up and surrounded Wukong, morphing into a blazing aura that surrounded him a he charged.
Wukong: 1100Gs
Leonidas: 900Gs
"Batter up!" The ape cried before swinging his staff like a bat and slamming it into Leo's face.
"Augh!" He cried, falling to the ground but managing to regain control. "Enough is enough. Flash!" The teen nodded and as Leo flew passed, Flash leapt into the air and landed on his head once again. The others watched in wonder as Flash held up a card.
"Time to end this! Fusion Ability...ACTIVATE!" The card glowed as Leonidas' mouth filled with light and energy, the power glowing to emense levels. "Roaring Omega!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Leonidas unleashed the attack, the wave of light and energy shooting out of his mouth and flying towards Wukong.
The ape gasped as he swung his staff around, trying to deflect the energy wave as best he could. But the power was just to great. "Ahhhhhh!"
Wukong: 900Gs
Leonidas: 1200Gs
"WUKONG!" Heath cried as he watched his partner be overcome by the super powered attack, the Flaming Nimbus extinguishing and causing him to be thrown backwards.
"AHHHHHHH!" Wukong yelled as he slammed into the ground and reverted back to ball form, Leo's attack sweeping over the battlefield and causing them all to be blinded for a moment.
When the light faded, everyone opened their eyes and saw they were back in the park. Flash stood over a sitting Heath, both teens panting. "Ow," Heath finally moaned, "I guess you win." He turned to Wukong, who was laying on the ground besides him. "We'll have to try another time to become the best of the best."
"No fair!" Wukong cried, "I didn't get to use my Fusion Ability. Let's go again. This time, I'll crush you!"
Flash ignored Wukong's challenge, too busy trying to catch his breath. Someone stepped up to him and offered him a bottle of water, the teen looking up at a smiling Pinkie and taking the bottle whilst not bothering to ask where she got it from. He sucked down the entire contents of the bottle without it leaving his lips, Flash letting out a refreshed sigh. "Thanks," he gave the bottle back to Pinkie before turning to Soarin, "two down and one to go. You ready Soarin?"
"I am," Soarin nodded. "But you aren't." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "look at you. You're exhausted. There's no way you'll be able to beat us in that state. You and Leonidas need to rest up." He turned to leave, "I'll meet you here tomorrow morning. Get ready for the fight of your life." With that, he left and the others watched him leave.
Flash stared at him and nodded, "alright." He remembered back to when he and Soarin had first met and the insane battle they had had back then. They never got to have a real outcome to the fight, so this would hopefully help fix that problem. "Tomorrow. This is gonna be a blast."
Lyra arrived at Derpy's house and knocked on the door, waiting for Derpy or someone to reply.
After a few moments, someone did open the door. Derpy's mom Dipsy, who was an older purple skinned version of Derpy. "Hello?" She then realised who it was, "Lyra. How nice to see you again."
"Hello," Lyra nodded before looking behind her, "is Derpy home. She hasn't been responding to my texts."
Dipsy frowned hearing this, "I haven't seen her all day. I thought she left to hang out with you or go to work. She tends to up and leave whenever she has someplace to be." Lyra frowned at this, taking out her phone and trying to call it again. But she didn't get an answer. "Dinky?" Her mother called out, with a thirteen year old version of Dipsy stepping out from another room. "Do you know where you sister is today?"
"No," the girl replied, "I haven't seen here all day." Now Lyra was very worried, wondering where the heck she had gone.
Phantom looked around the Doom Dimension as if seeing it for the first time.
The battlefield he had battled on so many times was nothing compared to the actual place itself. The air felt like something within it was rotting and the ground felt like it could open up and swallow him at any moment if it so chose to. "So, this is the Doom Dimension."
"Indeed," Ragnaroid nodded, "I've sensed this aura many times in sending Bakugan here. I wonder if there are any that have managed to survive this long? After all, this place was created as a prison."
"A prison?" Phantom asked, wondering what he was talking about.
"It is said that the Perfect Dragonoid, or the Original Dragonoid I think he's referred to in this story, did battle against many evil Bakugan known as the Nonets. When he defeated them, he created the Doom Dimension in order to keep them safely contained. It is said they lived out the rest of their existence in this realm and over time, other evil Bakugan were sealed away here. Eventually, it evolved into the ultimate dark fate of all Bakugan. The prison became a hell."
"And now we are within it," Phantom chuckled. "But it'll take more then this place to put a stop to me." He stopped walked and looked up towards the sky, "Legendary Guardians of Vestroia! I am here! Now, show yourselves so that we may battle!" He waited and waited, but so no sign of the Guardians. But then-
"Very well." Phantom turned towards the voice, seeing the air in front of him begin to distort. It was like someone had hung a curtain that looked exactly like the environment behind it. And stepping through that curtain, Regulus appeared. "You have challenged me to a battle and I will accept." He held up his hand as the Darkus Attribute appeared, "this is what you're after."
"The Darkus Attribute that remains of Vestroia," Phantom smirked. "And you would willingly risk it to battle me, knowing that if you lose it will make me more powerful than ever?"
"If this is the only way I can stop you, then so be it. I will make the efforts of the ones chosen to stop Lucifer easier by eliminating you from the situation. When you and Ragnaroid lose, I will once again seal Ragnaroid away and you will be of no more threat."
"Ha!" Ragnaroid laughed, "even if you could defeat and seal me, you really think Phantom would stop trying to be the best. All losing me will do is make his journey a little bit harder. Harder, but not impossible."
"Indeed," Phantom nodded, "and I will not lose. Now, let's get this battle started."
"A moment," Regulus stated. "There is still one player that has yet to arrive." The world behind him distorted again before someone stepped out of it. Someone Phantom didn't expect to see here.
"You?" He asked, as Derpy stepped in front of Regulus. The girl opened her eyes and a look of serious focus could be seen. This girl meant business. "You can't be serious. What, is she some kind of illusion?"
"Oh no," Regulus smirked. "She is as real as you are. I summoned her here from her world, hoping she could help me defeat you. I knew eventually, you would come seeking the power of the Darkus Attribute. And whilst I could not find a Bakugan worthy of entrusting the fate of our kind too, I saw that this girl had a truly righteous heart."
Phantom smirked. "That's rich, coming from a Darkus Bakugan."
"Oh how little you know of the element you love to use so much. Darkness is only evil is someone makes it evil. Any element can be the same way. Darkness in its purest state, can cloak those in need a keep them hidden from the evil that tries to plague them. But it can also consume evil and drown it out, as we will now do to you."
"Don't make me laugh!" Phantom told him, "you expect to defeat me with this girl. She's no Brawler. Just the BakuFighter's little cheerleader. Defeating her will be a snap."
Derpy frowned, "I won't let you see me as an obstacle." She took out a Gate Card, "I'm going to defeat you and save my friends from the danger you present. This is my promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Ragnaroid told her as Phantom's gauntlet and the purple BakuColar Derpy was now wearing both beeped.
"BRAWL!" They cried as the battle started.
Derpy: 100%
Phantom: 100%
"Gate Card!" Derpy threw it towards the ground, "SET!" The card exploded as Derpy took out a Darkus Bakugan and threw it, "Bakugan...BRAWL!" It hit the ground, "Sylvee...STAND!" It popped open and in a burst of purple light, Darkus Sylee arose.
Sylvee: 310Gs
"Bakugan...BRAWL!" Phantom threw his Bakugan in and it instantly popped open, "Bakugan...STAND!" A purple light exploded onto the battlefield, "Siege, RISE!" The dark knight appeared, ready for the battle.
Sylvee: 310Gs
Siege: 360Gs
"Ability," Phantom held up a card, "Activate!" Siege charged as his staff's blade glowed, "Nightmare Thrust!"
Sylvee: 310Gs
Siege: 460Gs
Siege swung his staff at Sylvee, but the mechanical insect was able to avoid the attacks for the most part. Then, Derpy held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" The card glowed as Sylvee's body glowed, "Shadow Sink!" The flying Bakugan dived down and disappeared into the ground, morphing into a shadow that shot over to a Warius statue's shadow and vanishing.
Sylvee: 410Gs
Siege: 460Gs
Phantom growled, "I knew you were all talk. Running away the second things get tough."
"You call it running away," Regulus told him as Siege slashed the statue in half and removed the shadow. "But we call it a tactically retreat. Lulling the opponent into a false sense of security, creating an opening for us."
"Ability," Derpy held up a card, "Activate!" It glowed as Siege's shadow began to shift around, "Shadow Drain!" The shadow split in half and shot into the air, reforming Sylvee behind Siege.
"Look out!" Phantom cried, but Sylvee opened its mouth and shot a laser, hitting Siege and sapping away its power.
Sylvee: 510Gs
Siege: 360Gs
Before Phantom could retaliate, Siege reverted back to ball form and fell to the ground. Phantom growled, unable to believe he lost the first round against this silly girl.
Derpy: 100%
Phantom: 70%
"She's better than we thought," Ragnaroid exclaimed as Sylvee returned to ball form.
"Yes," Phantom nodded, "she is." He moved over and picked Siege back up, "but no matter." He turned back to her, "now I know not to underestimate her." The two brawlers stared one another down, both prepared to go all out to claim victory over the other. "This might actually be fun."