This is a sequel to Anethema's Rise.

Kinia tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for a friend she had invited to arrive. "Ugh, come on, where is he?" She asked in exasperation.

"Who?"

"A friend, I invited him to come visit me since he kinda set off to find some adventure and said he'd be here an hour ago! Come on!"

"You know what they say about patience being a virtue."

"You know I'm no patient!" The door opened. "Is he here finally?!" K rushed to the door only to find it empty and open. "Huh? The door's just open?"

A green and black ball floated towards her and opened, revealing a dragon shaped sculpture. "It has been a while partner!"

"It talks?"

"Neon!" K hugged it close to her face. "Oh, I missed you so much!"

"What is that?"

"A bakugan!"

"Yeah, I thought I'd bring him if I was going to visit!" A boy with brown hair wearing green goggles and a red and white hoodie stood in the doorway.

"Dan! About time!"

"Uh…" He laughed nervously. "Sorry for being late, we kinda ran into a little trouble on our way. But, hey! We're here, right!"

"Who is this guy? Other than overly hyper active."

"Says the emo!"

"Dan! Chill! He's the friend I said was coming." Neon rested on K's shoulder.

"Ok, you two have fun; I'll go to the mall or something. Maybe play some video games." He went upstairs.

Another bakugan floated up to rest on Dan's shoulder and opened. "Dan,"

"What is it, Drago?"

"There's another bakugan coming this way. It feels hostile."

"Huh? There's another bakugan around here? Think it might have followed us?"

"I don't know, but Drago is right. There is a slightly off aura around here."

"It may have followed us, but it couldn't have while in marble form or without a portal."

"Yeah, I doubt that other bakugan can do that, unlike you, Drago."

"There was one…" Drago said quietly.

"There was?" K asked.

"What are you talking about Drago?"

"Oh, nothing."

"It's not right to withhold information from your partner, Drago." Neon reminded the Pyrus Fusion Dragonoid.

"I know that, Neon. I chose not to share because the likely hood of my assertion is infinitesimally small. However, it may be worth sharing, just in case. Anethema. A very powerful, ancient darkus bakugan."

"That's why I prefer having Darkus fight for good! The main villains are always Darkus. Well, besides Zenoheld."

"Anyway, this Anethema guy sounds pretty bad. But he's gone now, right?"

"It was indeed destroyed, buy the Guardians of Vestroia. But there are ways to bring it back. Its essence may already have returned."

"I think we should go find this aura you guys are feeling. Shall we Drago?" Dan asked as he glanced at his bakugan friend and walked out the door.

"Sounds like a good idea to me" K said, following, Neon on her shoulder still.

"The aura is close, keep an eye out."

"When do we not?" Dan asked, flicking his nose with his thumb and smiling.

"Well with you, Dan, since never." K teased.

"Hey!" A rumbling growl shook the earth beneath their feet and the sounds of something large moving through the dirt beneath them rumbled. K's Neon Darkus Dragonoid floated up off her shoulder, alert.

"It's a Subterra!" Drago said as the giant centipede threw itself up out of the ground several yards in front of them, sending rocks and dust flying everywhere.

"A bakugan?"

"Looks like it!"

"It's attacking!"

"Then we'd better hit it back!"

"You should probably have this first." Dan handed K a purple Bakumeter and then equipped himself with a red one.

"Thanks!" She said, slipping the bracer like object over her wrist. "You ready, Neon?"

"Always am, K." The darkus dragonoid closed into his marble form. K caught him and threw him closer to the centipede. "Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Let's go Darkus Neon Dragonoid!" Neon roared as he emerged, standing over twenty feet tall, with red eyes with plus shaped pupils. His pupils had rings around them.

"Neon power level 730 G's." The bakumeter announced.

"Feels good to do that again."

"A darkus bakugan. I've dealt with your kind before. Gate card open!" K's opponent had blue hair that came to a point in the center of his face, slightly displaced by his nose. His brown eyes observed her and Neon carefully. He wore a light yellow shirt under a blue jacket and khakis.

"What the-?"

"Neon power level drain. Neon Dragonoid new power level at 350 G's. Subterra Centipoid power level at 500 G's."

K looked at the respective power levels. "Neon's power level was just at 730 a second ago!"

"This gate must give Darkus bakugan disadvantage."

"Dang it!"

"Whiplash, attack! Ability card activate! Deadly Sting! Unless you have something up your sleeve, you lose."

"K, don't give up yet!" Neon said as the centipede swung its stinger tipped tail at him.

"Right! Ability activate! Dark Rising!" Neon roared with the power boost.

"Neon dragonoid power increase to 730 G's. Subterra Centipoid power drain to 300 G's."

"What!"

The centipede's attack was rendered ineffective. "Dark Rising, an ability that modifies your gate card. It allowed Neon to go back to his original power level and decreases the power level of opponents and also shields Neon."

"Nice move, K!" K grinned.

"This match is far from over! Gate Card, open!"

"Another, but I just destroyed one!"

"Subterra centipoid power increase to 400 G's."

"I know." K's opponent smiled.

"Whatever, you're not going to beat one of the top Darkus Brawlers in the Battle Brawlers that easily! Ability Activate! Reaper Beam!" Neon shot a large beam of Darkus energy at the giant centipede.

"Uh-oh."

"Neon Dragonoid power increase to 810 G's. Subterra Centipoid power decrease to 250 G's."

When the Reaper Beam was moments away from hitting the Centipoid, K's opponent said, "I withdraw! You win!" The battle closed and the bakugan returned to their marble forms.

"What the-? Hey!"

"Coward!"

"Too afraid to lose?!"

"I'm not losing another. Call me a coward if you wish, Dragonoid. But I am not losing another-" They turned so K and Dan couldn't see their face.

"Wait, who are you anyway? And why are you losing your bakugan?"

"It doesn't matter. I thought I could win, you prove to be too good. They crumble to dust every time I lose."

"Oh, come on! Just tell us!"

"If you want, I can get Dan to teach you if you want, since he's the best of the best!"

"What? Why are you just giving random people random offers?

"Because I can!"

"Wait- you guys are professional brawlers? You're friends with Daniel Kuso?"

"That's me!"

"Why do they crumble to dust?"

"I don't know, it started happening around a year ago."

"Weird, I thought bakugan always returned to their partners after a brawl, win or lose."

"Well Alice was able to send some of mine to the Doom Dimension when she was Masquerade. But that required a gate card."

"There wasn't any gate card present. They just crumbled right in front of me."

"What's your name?"

"My name is Naito Supiritto."

"Oh, why did you decide to attack us, anyway?"

"It was actually Whiplash." He said holding up the marble form of the Subterra Centipoid. "He's a little defensive, so whenever he feels an unfamiliar aura, he attacks and I have to back him up… or he loses. I don't want that to happen. It's some sort of possessive loyalty he got from Anethema."

"Anethema?!" Everyone but Naito asked.

"Isn't that the bakugan you were talking about earlier, Drago?"

"Yes, it's not unheard of for a bakugan who has run afoul of it to return changed, if they return at all. You're lucky, Naito, as is Whiplash."

"Indeed, Drago is right. Listen, Naito. I must apologize for calling you a coward. I over reacted. Please do not think wrong of me."

"It's alright, I've been called worse."

"Oh! By the way, I'm sure you noticed. Neon isn't just some ordinary Dragonoid, right?"

"Here she goes again."

"She likes to show you off, haha."

"He's not? How so?"