Wow. So um... I'll going to straight up tell yall that I've actually lost any possible interest in all of my old bakugan fics. It's not writer's block- its honestly just me not wanting to deal with them anymore. But if you're interested in adopting them then please feel free to PM me :)

WAIT THERE'S MORE ! Even though I should really be worrying about university applications and IB essays- I decided to make do with all the ideas thirteen year old me left me with (which was honestly a lot, /oh man/) and combine them all in an oneshot series! So um yeah, here I am with this crappy little fic.

So yah, please take note that unless stated otherwise, this is basically just a series of drabbles and interrelated oneshots.

One of the biggest challenges is writing a character who's smarter than the author orz

Alice didn't expect Runo to be the one sneaking into her grandfather's lab that night. She knew how eccentric her best friend could be, knew how much she missed Dan no matter how many times she tried to deny it, and she knew that she was stubborn beyond her years. Honestly, she would've pegged Julie to be the one who planned this whole elaborate scheme out for the two of them. But it wasn't and now, only two hours later, the Russian girl found herself in a mess that she mentally deemed was way out of their league.

"Oh my god," Alice had muttered under her breath when she saw who teleported out of the portal after Runo and the others made it out of the gate in one piece. It was like watching a train wreck and knowing exactly when to pinpoint the moment everyone realized there were still people inside. The way the air felt like someone had vacuumed it right out of their lungs only emphasized this fact.

Honestly, if it was up to her, saving the world from an evil albino dragon once was enough. Saving the world at the meek age of thirteen was already asking way too much. To think she'd have to deal with another masked villain only three years later was just pushing it.

And really she was starting to get fed up with every problem Dan seemed to find himself in.

(Alice could still remember the time Dan called her in the middle of the night, claiming he apparently lost his house and didn't have money for a cab. Needless to say, they soon found out that his misadventure landed him across the ocean. An hour later found Dan back home dressed as Napoleon Bonaparte, and Alice swearing to leave Dan in a ditch the next time he called.)

Honestly, she wasn't surprised when he told her later that he was in the middle of a socio-political revolution to free the Bakugan on a distant alien planet.

She was more unamused really.

"Let me go, you feathered freak!" Runo's scream sliced through the air as the younger girl struggled under the man's arm. Beside her, the Russian girl could see Dan ready to scale up the Dimensional Transporter when the blond took a big leap and literally smashed through the glass ceiling and retreated into the snowy night.

It was a sight that reminded her to never answer their calls again.

"Runo!" They all yelled in unison before racing outside, already splitting the forest and deciding where to search. Alice watched in tense silence as Dan and Julie raced into the forest without any hesitation while the two teens Dan had arrived with hung back.

Sure, the redhead didn't know them like Dan did but she knew what the shared looks on their faces meant. They must've been her age or if not younger, And Alice would be a fool if she didn't think they weren't panicking internally at the prospect of searching unknown lands. On a whole new planet even. She was an empathetic sixteen year old, a sucker for sob stories and the granddaughter of a newly reformed scientist- how could she not tell they were obviously scared and not wanting to do something about it? Granted they looked ready to conquer it at any moment but her best friend was missing; Alice needed to do something before the night's events truly sunk in. Maybe in another world- another universe, her concern for her grandfather and best friend blinded her from what was obviously in front of her and propelled her to stay back and help as much as she could but here, Alice knew what her calling was.

"Follow me. If we're lucky we might find their footprints!" She yelled, sidestepping past the boy with pink-purple hair and walking deeper into the forest opposite of the direction her friends had gone in. Slowly webbing into the snow and waiting for them to follow in her steps, "Hurry!"

Alice listened as the boy made a startled noise that sounded like a cross between an excited gasp and choke before a soft yelp erupted through the air. She ignored the frantic shuffling coming from the lab- ignored the loud roar of laughter coming from her grandfather's lab assistant and screamed from the top of her lungs that if they find anything to just call her bakupod before taking off, knowing that Dan's new friends weren't far behind her.

To say everything that was happening now was short of surreal was a total understatement.

Alice was a strategist, a born brawler, talented, patient, and had the welcome skill of knowing how to deal with her friend's antics. Her quiet nature stopped her from acting out most times but 'most times' usually involved the multiple times she found herself become the mediator between Dan and Runo's on-again-off-again relationship.

She was used to surprises. But this? Running around in the forest with aliens on a search for her best friend who snuck out to use the possibly nonfunctional Dimensional Transporter? She could literally blame her death on the amount of stress put on her during their shenanigans.

She could only hope Dan's new friends weren't as random and demanding as he was.

"What's that up ahead?" One of them screamed, Alice immediately turned her head towards the direction the other girl was pointing at. Her pupil-less blue eyes squinting to see past the falling snow at the two lone figures standing in the middle of a clearing.

Truthfully, all Alice could see were what looked like two short moving trees but apparently the two teens had recognized them and jolted right past her screaming,

"Vexos!"

"Hold it right there!"

Now, Alice was a smart girl.

And Dan's habit of calling her up in the middle of the night even though he knew how time zones worked helped shape her ability to forever be as patient and forgiving as the angel most people saw her as.

But when she had finally caught up to the one pink-purple haired boy who looked like he was about to face off with the shortest Gate Crasher and the other girl was nowhere in sight, she could feel her patience running thin.

"Oh man another human!"

"Miss Alice!" Nevermind the fact they had only met for barely a second and he already knew her name, she was going to pummel him when this was all over. "Go quick! Mira chased Gus into the woods down north!"

"Right, thanks! Good luck!" She offered briskly before running off in the direction he pointed her to, only pausing for a second when she saw his bakugan float up and into his open palm.

The redhead ran, ignoring the way her heart jumped or how her stomach churned. She ran and ran and ran, following footprints and broken branches until the small bell of a new message resonated through the forest and the trees made way for a clearing- one where Dan and the rest of the gang had gathered in a congregation of angry negotiators.

'Try to get the Vexos back to the lab. -M' She read and before she had any chance to reply or hatch a carefully thought up plan, she heard Dan screaming angrily at the man in the red jacket. Any kind of patience still left in her was all but gone when she ran out of the trees and joined Julie out in the snow.

"What? First you take Runo and now you want to team up?" Dan glared and she knew by the way he tensed up that the fifteen year old was ready to throw down and outright start a street brawl. The Russian only rolled her eyes- sane Dan angry Dan- and followed the path of his glare.

And really, she just wanted to leave at this point.

Spectra Phantom was many things apparently.

The leader of the Vexos. Vestal's top Pyrus brawler. And Mira's supposed older brother- or so she would learn.

But an outright despicable villain, he was not.

Save for a couple cuts from the stunt he pulled earlier, she could tell from his loose grip around her friend that Runo was never in a lot of danger.

It was a realization that set off a lot of alarms in Alice's head to be honest as she watched Spectra release her friend in a so-called act of 'good will', already suspecting that the man had something up his sleeve. Something so utterly complex that she could literally see the stupid response Dan would come up with.

She was too busy cringing to listen to the speech the Pyrus brawler was giving her friends, given the loud gasps coming from the girls, Alice knew it was something shocking- and really it might've been something she should really be listening to too but really?

Did she say how out of their league they were yet?

Because they were outrageously out of their league.

She felt like a child under their scrutiny. She felt like an idiot not seeing it the moment Runo and Julie arrived at her home. She felt like she was downright drowning as everyone around her was going through some sort of moral dilemma.

Ok, so maybe Dan's response wasn't as stupid as she thought it'd be. And what was this about imprisoned bakugan?

Whatever as long as Dan didn't ask for her opinion.

"Even if you have our friends, we'd never join you!" Drago cried out after a moment, effectively cutting his brawler off before he had the chance to embarrass them all. However, that didn't stop him from sharing a look with the Darkus brawler and then pointedly nudging downwards.

Alice furrowed her eyebrows, lucky that the Vexos were too busy examining everyone else's distressed faces but her own. Like a soft breeze, she felt something materialize in her pocket and a voice calling to her through the wind. Reminding her of what she needed to do.

She just had to figure out how.

"Alice..." Dan muttered under his breath, finally noticing how quiet the redhead had been throughout the entire ordeal. He turned towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "about Hydranoid... I'm so sorry."

She could feel curious eyes all zero in on her, she even heard someone take a sharp intake of breath. But the Russian girl had made up her mind, all patience lost. She had an idea. And if Dan was smart, he would play along.

"Hydra..." she whispered in deep thought. If the bits and pieces she had managed to catch were all true, then oh man she was so totally going to get a pissed off lab assistant on her case after this was all done and over with. "Dan, do you trust me?"

"What? Of course I do!" He said without a moment's hesitation, eyes burning and face screwed at what he must've thought to be the silliest question in the world after such a tender and delicate moment. If only he knew.

Alice smiled.

"Then I accept on behalf of Dan Kuso!" She called loud and clear, stepping away from Dan's grip and towards Spectra. Her heart beating loud like a drum, threatening to jump out of her chest. This was so stupid. This was so Dan. Oh man, she was going to get someone killed. She was going to get herself killed. She was so screwed.

In front of her, Alice could see Spectra's outstretched hand, a lackadaisical smirk already embedded on his lips as his one visible eye focused in on the redheaded earthling. She watched as his coat trailed out from behind him like the tails of an ephemeral bird. If anything, he reminded her of a rising phoenix.

And if anything, she'd willingly do everything not to think about how the adrenaline was pumping through her veins or how she distinctly remembered something like this happening before.

"Excellent," the one word slid out from his lips and sent shivers down her spine. The two Vexos took a step closer when she stopped just about an arms reach from the both of them.

She was absolutely positive they could hear her heart racing from where they stood now.

"But first," She started coyly, trying to remember how another blond masked baddie did it. Trying to remember how easy the words once felt in her throat. Trying to remember the plan she had made just two seconds ago and the feel of the card in her pocket.

She only had one chance.

"It's time for you to take another field trip."

They disappeared in a shower of glitter and confused screams.

And Alice felt like laughing at the pure stupidity of her plan.

Because it had worked. It had worked.

Oh my god, it had worked.

( And just like she expected the lab assistant looked ready to murder her the moment they sent the two Vexos through the portal. )

So it didn't work.

Actually that wasn't it.

It had worked- the Transporter had teleported them away like they wanted- but not to where they wanted them to end up. And most importantly, not far enough away from where they were.

Because if what Gus was saying was true then the two had somehow landed in Wardington, where they battled the Brawlers, lost (this she knew about from Dan, but if he asked then, she wouldn't say a thing), then decided cloning the teleportation device Alice had used was a good idea to try to lure out Lync. And wow, did things turn out great for the two Vexos brawlers ? Because once their gauntlets finished the proper calculations and started the warp, they found themselves in the right place. Right in front of Lync. The right time? Not so much.

So really, if Alice was arguing with anyone then she would've said it really didn't work out the way she wanted it to.

Because it didn't.

It really didn't work.

Dan's plans never worked after all. There was a reason Masquerade was the one who hatched the plan to defeat Centorrior and Druman in the Doom Dimension- Masquerade had strategic insight, Dan was just outright delusional.

And so here she was: home alone and housing three grumpy Vestals in the midst of a late but violent winter storm.

She honestly couldn't believe this was her life now.